+ As a new year dawned Australian WomensSport and Recreation Association (AWRA) was rebranded to Women Sport Australia (WSA), a more relevant name to align with our Purpose. In line with this change WSA launched its new website devoted to providing members with access to the key information about advancing women in sport.
+ WSA also reconfigured its board structure, gaining approval for 8 elected and 3 independent directors to continue to drive the strategic priorities of gender pay equity, equal access to facilities and equal media time and space.
+ In conjunction with 2017 being a breakthrough year for women-in-sport in Australia, WSA experienced unprecedented growth in profile and national prominence via our growing social media channels and engagement and exposure in traditional media, becoming the go-to advocacy authority to comment on women-in-sport issues. The main issues have been the golden era of women’s sport, deep-rooted sexism, a living wage and fair workplace conditions for the growing number of professional and semi-professional women’s leagues and government funding and cutbacks.
+ Social media is one of WSA’s main advocacy platforms and 2017 saw WSA followers on Twitter reaching over 5000 and Facebook nearing 1,500. WSA directors worked hard to ensure an ongoing presence via a rotating seven-day roster.
+ During 2017 WSA created and issued 11 media releases/campaigns and appeared on national TV and in national, state and regional media discussing women-in-sport issues including on Channel Seven, The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian, SBS, ESPN, The Daily Telegraph plus in various other academic publications and magazines.
+ WSA directors were asked to attend, speak at and convene many events including: Girls Can! Women Can! Sport Summit; Australian Associated Press -Women in sport panel; GWS Giants Ladies Luncheon; Women of the World Festival; Vic Sport awards night; Football Federation Victoria –Women in football breakfast; Championing Women in Sports Conference; Victorian University annual sport dinner; ASSH Sydney Conference; OSF Conference –Gold Coast.
+ The WSA Mentoring Program was successfully relaunched with Bron Madigan, from Dynamix Sports Projects, employed as program administrator. A launch event in Melbourne 28th July following the Mentee Workshop was attended by more than 40 people including past President Janice Crosswhite and past Vice President Julie Anderson. Nike generously donated vouchers for all attendees and Hall & Wilcox generously provided the venue for our Workshop and the launch. 13 Mentees participated in Melbourne 7 in Sydney. In Sydney participants who were invited to network at Margot Foster’s Women In Sport lunch afterward their workshop.