Grants to develop female sport leaders

Sydney : The Abbott Government has today opened applications for a $400,000 grants programme to support and develop women leaders in Australian sport.Minister for Sport Sussan Ley and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash announced today the Women Leaders in Sport (WLIS) programme, now in its 14th year, is offering grants of up to $5000 for individuals and $10,000 for organisations.Minister Ley said the programme is targeted at increasing female representation in sport leadership roles and has provided support for more than 22,000 Australian women since its inception in 2002.“One of the constants we see in Australian sport is the outstanding achievements of our female athletes, coaches and administrators on the international stage,” Minister Ley said.“We are lucky to have so many outstanding women involved in sport but there is still room for many more to pursue leadership roles.”Minister Ley said she hoped the recent impressive performance of female Australian athletes would drive interest in the programme.“We know our national women’s teams are often among the best in the world including the Diamonds, Opals, Southern Stars, Matildas and leading sportswomen such as Anna Meares, Cate and Bronte Campbell and Sally Pearson,” Minister Ley said. Minister Cash said women were part of the fabric of sporting clubs across Australia and this programme aimed to promote not only athletes but other officials.“Australian sport needs committed women coaches, officials and administrators who nurture our athletes every step of their careers,” Minister Cash said.“This programme is about ensuring that these talented female leaders are given every opportunity to reach their potential in sport.”Minister Cash said last year the programme supported 700 women from 32 different sports to reach their leadership potential.“Under the programme grants are available for women to undertake sport leadership training in the areas of coaching, communications, media and marketing, governance, management, administration and officiating,” Minister Cash said.“We want to encourage as many women as possible to be part of our national sporting success and we are pleased to assist through these leadership grants.”Further information, including the eligibility criteria and details on how to apply, is available at ausport.gov.au/wlis. Applications close on September 9, 2015.