Football NSW to host Women in Football Forum at Valentine Sports Park
More than 160 administrators, coaches and executives are set to attend the inaugural Women in Football Forum being conducted at Valentine Sports Park this week.
The Forum – titled ‘How the Game is Changing’ – is part of a week-long list of activities leading up to the sold-out Westfield Matildas and Brazil match at Pepper Stadium in Penrith on Saturday.
Amongst the guest speakers are FFA Chief Executive David Gallop, Westfield Matildas Coach Alen Stajcic, Chief Executives of Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, former Matildas legend and now PFA representative Kathryn Gill and Christina Yates, Executive General Manager NAB Private.
Special guest from FIFA, Corporate Communications Manager, Ms Honey Thaljieh, will be the highlight of the two days when she is set to speak of her role as a previous player and captain of the first Palestinian women’s team and her experiences as she travels the world empowering young girls and women involved in the game.
Previous Westfield Matildas including Julie Dolan, Julie Murray, Tal Karp and Sarah Walsh will take part in a panel discussing the development of the national team over the past thirty years, and Mark Falvo and Jane Fernandez who are heading up the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup bid will update participants on the FFA’s campaign and how it will leave a legacy for the game. Women in senior positions in the Football NSW community will also discuss the challenges faced at grassroots level.
Football NSW Chief Executive, Stuart Hodge stated how pleased he was with both the quality of speakers and the interest from the community.
“The response to the Forum has been phenomenal and it is pleasing that we have been able to work with the FFA in making this week a huge event for the sport.
“Interest in girls and women’s football and indeed the Matildas is at an all-time high and this Forum will challenge participants to consider how best the sport can capitalise on this and propel it to even higher levels of participation and success both on and off the pitch”.
Attending the Forum are representatives from local clubs and associations, interstate member federations, Westfield W-League clubs, the Australian Sports Commission, NSW Office of Sport, the PFA, sponsors and overseas guests from several South East Asian countries.
The Women’s Football Forum is a joint initiative of Football NSW and Football Federation Australia.
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