Feature Story: Women

LC Football Ladies

Supporting and thriving: the story of women and girls in our local sports clubs

It is an amazing time to be a girl playing what were male-dominated sports and across LC there has been an explosion in the number of girls out on the fields each week. Fortunately for them, there is no shortage of role models as LC boasts some of the hardest working female board members, presidents, coaches, registrars and more.

WORDS: NICOLA RICHES

It’s Saturday morning, freezing cold (or boiling hot) and you’re running around the house hunting down the shinpads which have mysteriously disappeared since Tuesday night’s training session. Your kid/kids are bundled into the back of the car faster than you can say, “where did you put your drink bottle?” and you arrive on the sideline within minutes of the whistle being blown. Being the taxi driver and sideline supporter is one thing – keeping this whole kids’ sport show on the road, another thing entirely.

It's not as though women have been absent from kids’ sports clubs until now - far from it. What has happened, though, over the last decade is the rise of women on boards in local club sports that were traditionally seen as male-only, fuelled by the phenomenal rise of girls and women playing those sports.

Next year, the Matildas will represent Australia as it co-hosts the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. Captain Meg Lanning guided Australia’s women's national cricket team to a World Cup win this year. But it all starts at the local clubs, where parents, carers, families, kids and volunteers come together to, at a bare minimum, lend an extra set of shinpads and fetch a spare water bottle from the car.

Lane Cove (“LC”) is of course no different and the prevalence of local women on the boards and committees has coincided with more girls running out onto the fields. Among those ladies are Karen Clarkson - the secretary and registrar at Lane Cove Cricket Club (and until recently held the same position for the Lane Cove Tigers); Sally Tremlett – the president of LC Rugby Club; Lisa Doumit who was president of Lane Cove Tigers until this year, and despite stepping down, continues to support new president, Matt Antoniolli, and

They’re busy has also remained on the committee while sitting on the District Junior League Board. women with Meanwhile, there’s Megan Sweeney who is families, jobs and co-president and treasurer of LC Football Club and Fran Hahlos, who looks after a raft of other communications for the Tigers, while also commitments being employed as digital and commercial manager for the North Sydney Bears. They’re busy women with families, jobs and a raft of other commitments that extend beyond sports clubs, but alongside their committees and volunteers, they nurture their female players and run the clubs in such a way they can keep growing female participation. Running new programs and games within the codes has been key to this.

LC Tigers Girls

LC Girls Rugby LC Cricket Girls

They bring a gorgeous, smiling energy into the club

Megan, who joined LC Football as a player more than 10 years ago, explained how at the start of this year, the Club put together a specific female football strategy within the overall strategy; not easy for a Club that boasts 80 teams with more than 1100 members.

“We have been working on the girls’ teams for a long time; getting the mini roos through into juniors and it’s been great to form those teams.

“This is the first year we have been awarded a position in the Diamond League competition for girls under 12s and up. It has been a big thing for us, and something we’re really proud of.

“Diamond League is a quality level girls-only competition that enables the girls to develop their technical football skills and confidence far more quickly in a girlsonly environment,” she explained.

It's a similar situation over at LC Rugby Club where Touch Rugby started six years ago and has massively boosted the number of girls playing at the Club.

Sally, who has rugby running in her veins (her father was Ron Graham who played for Australia), explained that the biggest highlight of their calendar is the six-week Touch competition in term four.

“We have between 600 and 800 players come along and 60 per cent of those are girls.

“It’s one of the biggest social events for us, bringing together kids from different schools and different backgrounds.

“Female participation is an evolving space for us. Tackling doesn’t apply until the kids are over nine. It comes down to us making people feel safe when it comes to contact. Our motto is: you’ve got to make it social and you’ve got to keep it real,” she said.

Lisa is a seasoned junior club volunteer pro, sparked by a childhood that saw her accompany her Dad to North Sydney Bears games.

Now a mum to four boys, it was a given they would play League and, under their own steam, continue to do so. Lisa helped steer the growth of female players at the Tigers. Continued over page >

LC Tigers Girls LC Girls Rugby

One of those drivers was the introduction of Blues Tag - an inclusive-style of Rugby League open to players from all backgrounds and abilities, with a focus on improving the players' fundamental skills – catching, passing and ingame communication.

Unlike Touch, the kids grab and pull a tag from their rivals’ uniform. It’s fast and kids can make more linebreaks which helps keep focus levels up.

“Three years ago, we introduced our first Blues Tag team. Before that we had a smattering of girls under sixes, or under nines, but then the District Board got behind Blues Tag and we’ve seen girls involvement increase each year. Now we almost have three girls’ teams,” she said.

Setting an example at a professional level is the North Sydney Bears, who introduced its first women’s team in 2018.

Fran explains that the District has seen a 300 per cent year-on-year growth in female participation.

“One of the things we talk about often is aiming for equality in the game.

“Just before Covid hit, we did an event for the North Sydney District Junior Rugby League at The Alcott where women in league who have senior roles told their stories.

“Then we had our Women in League round in late May with 70 girls from clubs across the district join us at the Bears game.

“They bring a gorgeous, smiling energy into the club and a whole new set of volunteers.

“Mums aren’t just team managers any more, or running the canteen. They’re coaching and they’re loving it,” Fran enthuses.

One of the benefits of having women run the boards and committees – for example, there are six women on the board of Lane Cove Football Club - is that the girls coming through can be reassured that there are no barriers to entry in the sports they wish to play.

Lisa Doumit explains that when she first started with the Tigers, there were only men on the committee.

“I think there are different positives women can bring to the boards, and I think it improves the dynamics,” she said.

Karen explained how, at LC Cricket and the Tigers, she witnessed what the power of a mixed male, female board has.

“It’s not a girl vs boy, or a women vs men thing, it’s whether women have been welcomed into the Clubs and in my experience here at LC Cricket and at the Tigers, we have been. “It’s about having pathways available for girls; for younger girls to see older girls play, and women playing a bigger part in the operations. It’s important for them to see there is a progression for them, and that they can continue to play as they grow up.” It's a strategy in place at all the local clubs. Megan said that it’s of particular focus at LC Football Club too. “It’s a huge priority for us - providing a visible pathway for the girls. “We have at least half a dozen women

It’s about from the ladies team coaching the juniors,” she explained. having North Sydney Bears makes a point of devising ways that equality is visible to pathways the girls. For example, the Bears alternate available for between male and female focused news and lead with the most newsworthy story, girls regardless of gender – something that would have been unheard of until at least five years ago. Fran at the Bears explains that the Club has been leaders in introducing female teams and have been addressing barriers to entry. “I’m hoping that if the Clubs below see what we’re doing, they will follow suit and more girls will be inclined to join their local clubs, whatever sport they choose,” she said. All five of the local ladies will tell you that attracting and retaining volunteers is hard. LC has a history of kids who leave local clubs to play for their private school teams, but that is changing. Along with that comes the challenge of managing increased numbers and teams. Most will tell you that it is the same families giving their time week after week. What these ladies accomplish – hours upon hours of volunteered time – is nothing short of incredible. Above all, they say they don’t do it alone and they are backed by an army of superstar parents. If your girl wants to turn up on the field, having mislaid her shinpads and having forgotten her water bottle, don’t hesitate to sign her up. They’re a welcoming bunch.

Making Ripples

Looking for examples of the Spirit in our natural surroundings, we headed to the nearby rock ledge by Lane Cove River. What a beautiful sight awaited us! By Karen Paull, Community Chaplain.

The recent rain was trickling in narrow, vertical streams from the edge of the overhang every few centimetres. Turning my attention from the beauty coming from above us, I noticed the effect upon the water below. Ripple patterns were everywhere – intersecting and forming ever-widening, complex patterns. Here was my illustration to share with our Sacred Space group – and Village Observer readers! There is a mystery about the Spirit – what it is, how it works, spreads and interacts with us. We have some clues from our experience: those mysterious moments where something speaks deep inside of us in an uncanny way. Or the way we feel so ‘connected’ with others at times. Or we just ‘know’ something and we can’t explain why. My mother wasn’t a religious person, but one night she knew there was something wrong with me while I was overseas. She was very worried, having no way to contact me. She asked on my return what happened that night. I had been very ill, amidst a new group in a foreign land. Her ‘mother instinct’ just knew her daughter was in trouble. Ripples, like the Spirit, move outward in waves of power, interact with others to reshape, and change course. Their destination is a mystery, dependent upon what lies in their path. There is power there, capable of being harnessed, but mysterious too. The ripples don’t choose their interactions, but adapt as they happen. Maybe we can learn from the adaptive behaviour of ripples? In our interactions with others, we can be open to being changed and adjusting our course to complement theirs. We can accept those with whom we are thrust together and make the best of it, acknowledging we both have a right to be there. We can choose to emanate a positive spirit, rippling warmth and kindness to those around us. Even though our actions may be small, the ripple effect can magnify them to create extraordinary change. Who knows what effect your smile or affirmation really means to someone? As a Chaplain, I am often surprised how meaningful small acts of kindness can be in someone’s life. If we can uplift another, they in turn, will be encouraged to do likewise, creating ripples of inspiring change. Don’t underestimate your power to create the change you want to see in the world! Small acts of decency ripple in ways we could never imagine. CORY BOOKER

Our Sacred Space community celebrates the wonder of life, seeking connection with the Spirit who enlivens us in our midst. We value all people, our environment, and the First Peoples who preceded us. We are inclusively Christian, welcoming all who wonder about spiritual things each fourth Sunday of the month at 3pm.

Rev Karen Paull 0400 299 751 lanecovechaplain@gmail.com www.lanecovecc.com Lane Cove Community Chaplaincy