FFA CEO David Gallop AM said that, in partnership with Member Federations, football will use its influence to extend the principles of equality and fairness beyond the field.

“Our aim is to ultimately increase female participation in the game; players, coaches, administrators and referees to reach 50:50 participation by 2027,” he said.

“This funding boost, via the Move It AUS program managed by the Australian Sports Commission, will help FFA and Member Federations all over Australia provide additional resources to increase female participation by a further five per cent.

“This will include delivery of training and workshops to build national and state capability when leading cultural change and addressing the barriers for participation by women and girls.”

Member Federations will be supported in developing resources to meet the needs of their community including, templates, marketing materials, workshops, and auditing tools.

The funding will be directed at three safe, inclusive and social football programs; 'Soccer Mums', 'Kick On' and 'Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Women and Girls'.

Soccer Mums is an initiative of Football Victoria, supported by VicHealth with is designed specifically for women, where participants have fun, meet new people and learn basic football skills without knowing it. A no-judgement and no-experience-required program.

Kick On is currently managed by NNSWF and is planned in line with school terms to support women with children. The weekly session allows women and girls to get active in a confidence-building environment while learning the basic skills and rules of the game. 

The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) program will see FFA partner with specialist agency Settlement Services International to design specific football programs for women and girls within CALD communities.