Gaining Ground WA Board Appoints New Directors
Diversification of skills to drive organisational growth and impact
Fremantle – 31 October 2024 / - In a momentous year for women’s sport following the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Australia New Zealand, Gaining Ground WA is growing its impact and reach to ensure community soccer is accessible, inclusive, and joyful for women and girls living in Western Australia.
To govern and guide strategic direction, Gaining Ground WA is diversifying its volunteer board with three new appointments as the organisation marks 18 months as an incorporated association in Western Australia.
“In this exciting new phase of growth, I’m thrilled to welcome three exceptional women leading game-changing work in community empowerment, community sport, and youth psychology,” said Chair and Executive Director Kris Marano. “At the core of what we do and how we deliver is our people, so that from the ground up we’re value-led and thriving.”
At its inaugural AGM on 8 October, Gaining Ground WA recognised departing board director Logan Griffiths, program coordinator, Centre for Stories, for her impact since September 2023 and welcomed three new board directors fulfilling one-year terms:
Marly Batenburg, Principal – Place-based Community Empowerment, Minderoo Foundation
Marly has worked throughout the Asia Pacific supporting young people to be active citizens in their community through education and sport. Marly has held key roles with the North Melbourne Football Club and Purple Hands Foundation to use sport as a tool to foster social inclusion and belonging. Now at Minderoo Foundation she works to enable positive transformation using place-based approaches in Australian communities.
“My values and approach to this work focuses on the long game,” said Marly Batenburg. “Inequity in sport is complex and entrenched in mental models that don’t value women’s and girls’ contribution to sport. To ensure that our programs not only increase participation but also build a supportive environment where future leaders and role models can thrive, I’m driven to support Gaining Ground and our partners to work with all levels of the system to ensure the game is accessible for everyone.”
Marly is supporting organisational capacity and capability building and the development of a collective outcomes framework for gender equity in community soccer.
Emily Randall, CEO, Swimming WA
Emily has a track record of leadership and consulting roles with state sporting organsations and peak bodies, including as current CEO of Swimming WA, former CEO of Gymnastics WA and as General Manager of TrueSport, SportWest’s capability building program for sporting organisations in the state.
“I’m proud to support this organisation that is championing women in sport. Local community clubs play a critical role in the development of our young people. It is vital that girls are encouraged to remain in sport and see other girls and women playing, coaching and leading at community sporting clubs.”
Emily is supporting and guiding risk management and governance of ethical and value-aligned partnership building.
Leesha Monson, Psychotherapist and Gender Educator, Leesha Monson
Leesha’s work specialises in relationships, sexuality and gender and support of young people. As an educator she works to improve community understanding of the links between relationships and wellbeing, and gender stereotypes and inequality. Leesha will be guiding Gaining Ground WA to integrate a gender policy roadmap in our program and workshop delivery and governing the training of facilitators, volunteers, and staff.
“So often in women's sport, inequality exists in small things that are explained away as innocuous and not gendered. When you start to look at things through the gender lens, you see a multitude of ways young women are told that their sports are less important than the boys sports. Left unaddressed for decades we are now left with huge inequalities between men and women's sports. I look forward to supporting Gaining Ground to make both big and small changes to address this and empower young women to know they deserve equal opportunities and access to a quality football experience in WA.”
Leesha is guiding a gender inclusivity framework, including training and resources to support Gaining Ground WA facilitators, volunteers, and staff, as well as players, parents, and clubs.
Looking ahead
Gaining Ground WA’s 2024-2025 financial year will focus on strategic growth in organisational capacity and capabilities, value-aligned partnership building, and embedding an evaluation framework for impact measurement. All objectives work towards the organisation’s vision of a future where every woman and girl is supported to lead to her true capabilities on and off the pitch.