Russell Matheson wants local women to become the sport leaders of tomorrow.
“We are lucky to have so many outstanding women involved in sport but there is still room for many more to pursue leadership roles,’’ says the federal member for Macarthur, himself a champion Aussie Rules player and coach in his younger days.
Mr Matheson wants local women to consider applying for grants under the Women Leaders in Sport program.
He said there is $400,000 worth of grants available to support and develop women leaders in Australian sport.
“I encourage all women who are interested in and have a commitment to their sport and local community to apply for the grants of up to $5000 for individuals and $10,000 for organisations,” Mr Matheson said.
The program, which is now in its 14th year, 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.
“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,” the federal MP said.
The program provides women with opportunities to undertake intermediate to advanced training in the areas of coaching, communications, media and marketing, governance, management, administration and officiating.
Supported by the appropriate sporting organisations, grants can be used by volunteers, sport sector employees and organisations for a range of activities to support women in their leadership aspirations in sport.
There are two types of grants available under the WLIS program – individual grants of up to $5,000 a year and organisation grants of up to $10,000 a year.
The WLIS grant is jointly funded by the Office for Women and the Australian Sports Commission.
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.
