Football NSW statement

Football NSW has today sought guidance, support and leadership from the Federal Minister for Sport, the Hon. Anika Wells MP and key government agencies, around gender diversity in sport.

Football NSW is an active and supportive organisation when it comes to equality and inclusion, continually striving towards making football accessible to all who wish to play.

In the 2024 environment, Football NSW holds serious concerns as to the safety, inclusion and wellbeing of all sporting participants and our sport has received no support from government agencies, notwithstanding Football NSW’s adherence to current Australian Human Rights Commission Guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport (Guidelines) and Anti-Discrimination legislation.

Football NSW has called on the Federal Government to review existing legislation and the Guidelines with consideration to the growing gender diversity issues faced by sport and the community more broadly in 2024 to ensure they remain fit for purpose. In the alternative, we have called on the Federal Government to, at the very least, publicly re-affirm the current framework in place for Australian sporting organisations.

Gender diversity spans far beyond the boundaries of Football NSW and represents an ongoing challenge faced by the sporting industry and the community at large. This cannot be seen as an issue affecting one sporting body, one community group or one government agency.

Football NSW welcomes all sports in our request for clarity and looks forward to a collaborative solution amongst industry leaders, government agencies and Parliamentarians in support of the safety, inclusion and wellbeing of all community sport participants.