Investigating women's sports in Western Sydney: how can organizations, facilities and policies facilitate inclusion and increase participation

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Abstract

Despite recent wins, women and girls continue to be underrepresented in sport, recreation, and physical activity, both on and off the field (Sherry & Rowe, 2020). Indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTIQ+, and girls and women with a disability confront further disadvantages in terms of both access to and discrimination in sport and physical activity (Maxwell & Stronach, 2020). With this in mind, this paper presents the preliminary results of a collaborative project to map and better understand sporting opportunities for women and girls in Western Sydney. Our specific focus is Western Sydney’s Blacktown, the largest local government area (LGA) in NSW, home to an estimated 403,000 residents with a projected population of 612,000 by 2041. In the project, an interdisciplinary team from Western Sydney University worked with the Blacktown City Council to first ‘map’ current sporting ‘assets,’ including spaces, facilities, and organisational knowledge and capacity. The project considers the quantity, range, and accessibility of sporting spaces in Blacktown as well as the history and symbolic practices that shape access to and participation in these spaces. To better understand how these spaces are understood, experienced, and governed we undertook interviews with key stakeholders in the region and then conducted focus groups with members of the Blacktown community. Using thematic analysis, discuss the intersectional disadvantages face by women and girls within the community and consider how key stakeholders might better meet the diverse needs of both current and future participants. Our hope is to provide important insights into current experiences of, and future trends related to, the spatial and facility use and needs of Blacktown to help guide the development of council strategies moving forward. Our hope is that the project is of more general interest for scholars and practitioners seeking to provide safer, more inclusive, and more equitable spaces for women and girls to be able to participate in sport and physical activity.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2024 International Women in Sport Symposium: Books of Abstracts
Place of PublicationPenrith, N.S.W.
PublisherWestern Sydney University
Number of pages1
Publication statusPublished - 2024
EventInternational Women in Sport Symposium - Sydney, Australia
Duration: 8 Aug 20249 Aug 2024

Conference

ConferenceInternational Women in Sport Symposium
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CitySydney
Period8/08/249/08/24

Notes

WIP PL

Keywords

  • Women
  • Sport
  • equity
  • inclusion
  • recreation
  • Leisure
  • facilities

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