Making communities safer through sport

Published October 02 2024

A report of We’re Game, a project about making sport safer and more welcoming for women and girls, has shown we are off to a great start.

We’re Game is a Merri Health project that supports sport settings to prevent gender-based violence and be more inclusive of women and girls who want to be active.

The evaluation was done by our research partner, RMIT University, to gain an understanding of the impact of the design and implementation of We’re Game. Through the conduction of focus groups and Merri Health participant surveys, the report shows that the We’re Game project has led to positive changes in the way sports settings engage women and girls.

These include an increase in:

• Knowledge about gender inequality and increased awareness on the necessity of purposeful action.
• Confidence, motivation, and skill of participants to drive gender equity.
• Further gender equity activities.
• Local relationships and partnerships to seek advice, guidance, shared learning and networking.

We worked with Merri-bek Council, YMCA, Tennis Victoria and Women’s Health in the North to engage staff, volunteers and community members from local leisure centres, public pools, and four local sports clubs.

Together, we co-designed action plans to ensure the settings are as safe and welcoming as possible. Having more women in leadership, more inclusive messaging and better facilities are some positive changes the centres, clubs and pools can make.

Safer spaces and more respectful relationships in our community mean that more people can enjoy the physical and social benefits of sports and active leisure. Score!

Read the full report by RMIT here.