What a transformational year 2023/24 has been for Women Sport Australia, our members and the Australian sporting community at large.
The year kicked off with the FIFA Women’s World Cup being held on Australian (and New Zealand) shores in July and August 2023. The third largest sporting event in the world galvanised our country, elevating women’s sport - the female athletes, high performance staff, media and support personnel, to a level of notoriety not experienced before but where they rightfully belong.
Download our full annual report here.
During the tournament, Women Sport Australia;
• Supported the launch of It’s a Penalty’s #keepkidssafe campaign in collaboration with the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, highlighting the importance of child protection and safeguarding, particularly in sport.
• Director, David Bond and representatives from Football NSW met with the Brazilian Minister for Sport and their delegation to discuss their upcoming bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, providing insight into the sporting landscape for women and girls and legacy planning post-tournament. Brazil have subsequently been awarded the next hosting rights; and
• Then President Gen Dohrmann and her fellow Directors participated in many events and provided comment to a range of publications throughout the tournament, advocating for and celebrating women in sport.
The celebrations continued at Marvel Stadium in October 2023 for the 10th annual Women in Sport Brunch, hosted by Women Sport Australia (WSA) in partnership with Victoria University. WSA recognised a number of community heroes and discussed the topic ‘What Women Want’. An insightful panel moderated by sports journalist and presenter, Rana Hussain fueled networking discussions and debate between the 500 strong audience in attendance.
The female centred conversations, insights and networking continued at The Sport Bra Project’s annual CeleBRAtion lunch in Sydney in November. WSA has continued to work with The Sports Bra Project (TSBP) as the Australian shop front of the US organisation hosted on the WSA website and fundraising platform via the Australian Sports Foundation.
In March 2024, Women Sport Australia were delighted to be a part of the Women. Sport. The Future luncheon hosted by Pullman Melbourne
on the Park for the second consecutive year and in May 2024, we continued to shift the discourse surrounding female athletes by hosting
WSA’s Women In Sport Photo Action Awards (WISPAA) for the first time in Sydney.
Throughout 2023/24, Women Sport Australia have continued to advocate for women and girls in sport. Our independent and peak body status was recognised on many occasions seeing WSA, represented by Tamatha Harding, Chantella Perera and others invited to a number of Government roundtable discussions and workshops, most notably;
• Australian Government’s Gender Equity in Governance and
Leadership Industry Workshop;
• Sport Australia Hall of Fame Round Table; and
• Federal Ministers Round Table - National Sports Plan.
I would like to thank our board for all their dedication:
Chantella Perera – Deputy President
Tamatha Harding – Secretary
David Bond – Treasurer
Iain Roy – Board Director
Isaak Dury – Board Director
Jessica Ivers – Board Director
Ruth Holdaway – Board Director
Demelza Fellowes – Board Director
Holly Bailey - Board Director
Laura Byrnes - Board Director (Jan 2024)
We also want to thank Maria Cabeliza who assists WSA with casual administration requirements and our various WSA partners News Corp Australia, ISPT, Global Institute of Sport, Pullman Melbourne on the Park and Victoria University.
Yours in sport,
Helena Dorczak
President/ Chair
Download the 2023-2034 WSA Annual Report here.
