Your voice, your game: Launching the Australian football gender equality survey

From the record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2023, to the thousands of grassroots teams playing across the country every week, women’s participation in football in Australia has never been stronger. Yet despite these great strides in visibility and representation, there is still so much more to do to achieve true equality across the game – and progress isn’t moving fast enough.

That’s why it’s vital to understand what playing and working in football really looks like for women and gender-diverse Australians – on the pitch, on the sidelines, and behind the scenes. By amplifying these voices and experiences, we can celebrate what’s working, shine a light on the barriers that remain, and push for the change that is so urgently needed to make football fairer and more inclusive for everyone.

The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) and Women Onside invite you to the launch of a landmark national survey designed to capture these experiences across all levels of Australian football. This new survey will provide critical insights to drive action, influence decision-making, and help build a stronger, more equal game.

This online event brings together players, professionals, and advocates from across the football community to celebrate the survey’s launch and reflect on why equality matters for football’s future. Together, we’ll look at what’s shifting, what still needs to change, and how we can ensure the game truly lives up to its values of fairness, inclusion, and community.

About the speakers

• Erin Clout – Head of Player Relations - Women at Professional Footballers Australia, with prior roles supporting the Cricket World Cup and involvement with Capital Football. 

• Isabella Nimmo – A graduate of the Women Onside Getting Onboard program, Isabella is a club president, player, coach, and referee in North West Sydney. She’ll share her personal story and lived experience in community football. 

• Sarah Styles – former Director of the Office for Women In Sport and Recreation Victoria.

• Michelle Ryan – A world-renowned gender equality expert, Professor of Social and Organisational Psychology, and the inaugural Director of GIWL. Her work centres on understanding the psychological processes underlying workplace gender inequality, and designing and implementing innovative and evidence-based interventions to increase gender equality. She leads the development of the current national survey. 

• The session will be moderated by Kate Anthonisz, the Director of Women Onside.