In the past month, Australia has been having a serious conversation about gender-based violence.
Recent figures showing an alarming increase in the number of women killed by a male perpetrator compared to 2023, have sparked mass protests and online conversations. At the forefront of the discussion is a shared understanding that awareness and education on the topic is more important than ever before.
That’s why the Fitzroy Football Club is stepping up to tackle the issue.
This year on May 4th, players from the Fitzroy women’s team held a one-minute silence for the victims of violence against women. According to Director of Player Wellbeing, Cass Blake, one the women’s captains mentioned their interest in showing solidarity to victims.
“It was pretty driven by the players and as a board we were stoked that they wanted to be a part of it.”
Some players even reached out after the game for extra resources to feel more confident when talking about gender-based violence.
This is not the club’s only efforts to raise awareness.
Since 2021, the club runs their Respectful Relationships programme to educate players on gender-based violence. In partnership with community service group Banksia Gardens, the volunteer lead workshops are broken into two sessions running over a fortnightly basis.
The first session, as Cass describes it, is “heavy”. It aims to squash any preconceived ideas and provide a deeper understanding to a delicate issue, by educating players on what exactly gendered violence is and how it can present itself in different ways, not just physical and verbal.
The second session focuses on active bystanding by providing players with knowledge on how to approach different scenarios, from all sides of the situation. The programme concludes by sharing support networks and any additional information.
Cass understands the workshops need to be facilitated in a delicate way due to their triggering content. She does not want participants to feel “isolated and confronted” by the information.
Although the workshops are rewarding, attendance has struggled throughout the years. In 2022, the club ran a third session in hope more players would attend. One possible reason for its low attendance is its participatory nature: it is only voluntary for players under the age of 24.
This year Cass wants attendance to be more of a requirement and an expectation from all players, new and old.
“I have put forward to the board that I want the whole club to be involved.”
Fitzroy player Noah Sloan, attended two of the programmes’ sessions and says the workshops have been beneficial.
“I feel like I took away quite a lot, and it was nice to see the male and female players come together.”
He says it’s good the club runs the programme because “you don’t really get the opportunity to do these things outside of high school anymore”.
After the sessions, Noah and his friend discussed what they had learnt with one another. However, he did not hear any other player-to-player dialogue directly following the workshops.
“It should take more than just an organised workshop to talk about these things with one another,” Noah said.
Despite active efforts, the issue of gender-based violence runs deeper than just local clubs as it can stem from gender inequality, micro-aggressions, and discrimination typically present in a male dominated sport.
Noah believes these discussions need to be held at a much larger level to combat pre-existing attitudes and behaviours.
“Over the last five years more attention has been given to it and the culture is improving but there are still some concerning things that come up. Not just in Fitzroy but in the AFL.”
Cass believes sport is a space for growth and development within a community and the clubs Respectful Relationships programme are a significant step in the right direction.
“I feel very lucky to be a part of Fitzroy and I hope we can actively be a part of a very important movement.”
