1. 34 Moreland Leader November 29, 2010
ED:COPUB:COVDATE:29/11/10PAGE:34COLOUR:CMYK
SPORT whereilive.com.au
Panthers
take leadMoreland Council and the Pascoe Vale
Football Club are pushing for a greater
balance between males and females in
sports participation, writes DANIEL PHAN
Sunbury and St Albans players contest a
mark in youth girls’ football. S09MT981
THERE is a new lot down at Raeburn
Reserve.
Thanks to the determined efforts of
the Pascoe Vale Football Club,
coupled with Moreland City Council’s
push for gender equality in sports par-
ticipation, a junior girls’ football team
has joined the Panthers ranks.
Newly appointed club president
Faye Biedukiewicz admitted it took a
strenuous effort assembling the team,
which will compete in the AFL
Victoria Girls’ Youth League from
next season.
‘‘Next year we will be entering a
women’s team who will play in AFL
Victoria’s women’s competition,’’
Biedukiewicz told Leader.
‘‘We were initially under the pump
to approach players and coaching
staff for the team but now we’re really
pleased about having the team up and
away.
‘‘For the football club it definitely
sends the message that the time has
come (for women’s sport to be more
widely accepted).’’
The creation of a Panthers girls’
team ensures the club meets the coun-
cil’s Grounds Allocation policy
whereby it will get access to the
necessary training and playing facili-
ties.
‘‘We know from our point of view
that it can help us with the council
and we also want to be inclusive with
everyone in the community,’’
Biedukiewicz said.
It also means gender-appropriate fa-
cilities must be built to accommodate
the girls. ‘‘Now we just have to wait
for the council to install new
changerooms and toilet facilities to
a c c o m m o d a t e f o r t h e g i r l s , ’ ’
Biedukiewicz said.
Moreland City Council’s pressing for
a greater balance between males and
females in sports participation has
been praised by senior sports lecturer
Johanna Adriaanse of the University
of Technology Sydney.
Adriaanse said a change in attitude
towards women in sport can only be
realised if sporting clubs subjected to
stringent council policies.
‘‘Traditionally sport is male domi-
nated, and you have to take certain
measures to provoke some change,’’
she said. ‘‘Naturally, change won’t oc-
cur so quickly.
‘‘Clubs need to have a plan in place
that is open to both genders and con-
nects all the people in the community
who pay council rates.’’
According to Moreland councillor
Stella Kariofyllidis, the response to
the Grounds Allocation policy has so
far been overwhelmingly positive.
‘‘It’s been very positive – the sport-
ing clubs are doing the most they can
(to embrace female participation at
on-field and administrative level),’’
she said.
Pascoe Vale Football Club has in-
deed set a healthy example for other
clubs.
A n i n h e r e n t f o o t b a l l b u f f ,
Biedukiewicz said her gender would
not define her ability to oversee the
club’s operations as president.
‘‘It’s time people realise that the
passion for females is as much as
men,’’ she said. ‘‘My job involves
negotiating with the club for players
and everything else.
‘‘(And) hopefully I’ll become the first
female president in the EDFL to bring
home a premiership.’’
What do you think of Moreland
Council’s push to increase the
participation rate of women in
sport? Send us your thoughts at
morelandleader.com.au or email
winnellc@leadernewspapers.com.au
It’s been very positive the
sporting clubs are doing the
most they can (to embrace
female participation at on-
field and administrative
level).
STELLA KARIOFYLLIDIS,
Moreland councillor
Half a dozen
off to the US
Taekwondo | Laura Jolly
TEAM Taekwondo will send
six of its athletes to the
United States Taekwondo
Open next year.
Three men and three women
from the club will head to
Austin, Texas, in February
for the event.
Eighteen-year-old rising
stars Daniel Safstrom and
Rohan Davis will represent
the team, alongside Isabella
Paolacci, 11, Madeline
Shoebridge, 12, Cassandra
Willox and Askin Ovali (13).
Team Taekwondo head
coach Murat Eryurek said he
was pleased the club would be
well-represented at the open.
The Coburg-based club has
a l r e a d y k i c k e d o f f i t s
fundraising efforts, aimed at
helping the players reach
Austin.
‘‘We’ll be raising money all
the way up to the event,’’
Eryurek said.
T h e c l u b w i l l h o l d a
barbeque outside Safeway in
Coburg on December 11 and
an end-of-year celebration on
December 19.
‘‘We’ll hold a few games and
competitions and give away
prizes,’’ Eryurek said.
The club has also applied for
grants from Moreland Coun-
cil.
‘‘The club is trying to get
players channelled into elite
(Taekwondo) programs but to
get them there, we need to get
them funding now,’’ Eryurek
said.
jollyl@leadernewspapers.com.au
New tennis courts
Funding | Patrick O’Meara
Moreland councillors Kathleen
Matthews-Ward and John
Kavanagh, with Member for
Pascoe Vale Christine Campbell
and Glenroy Tennis Club secretary
May Adams. S22CO973
GLENROY Tennis Club has
received a grant to upgrade
courts and lighting.
The club will complete a
$270,000 project to replace
four en tout cas tennis courts
with two sand-filled artificial
g r a s s c o u r t s a n d t w o
p l e x i p a v e c u s h i o n
multipurpose courts.
The multipurpose courts
will also be used for netball
competitions. New lights will
also be installed on all courts.
The project will be a part-
nership between Moreland
Council and the State Gov-
ernment. A $60,000 grant was
also tipped in by Sport and
Recreation Victoria.
Club secretary May Admans
said the project was a major
boost for the ‘‘struggling’’
club. ‘‘We are very excited,’’
she said. ‘‘We need a bit of
support. We have been going
for over 50 years and we
haven’t had much support
from anyone up until now.
‘‘We have had dwindling
numbers of people playing
tennis and this is an injection
that could really boost us
back up to the good old days.’’
Cr John Kavanagh, who
oversees city infrastructure
at Moreland Council, said the
project would be a boost for
sport in the area.
‘‘We look forward to seeing
the club maintain current
membership levels and estab-
lish a larger competitor,
member, casual and social
user base,’’ he said.
The club competes in the
NSTA and runs weekly social
competitions.
Coburg Tigers players run laps at Craigieburn’s Highgate Reserve earlier this month. Picture: SUPPLIED
Tigers hit field
for hot summer
VFL football | Patrick O’Meara
COBURG Tigers’ 2011 pre-season
campaign is under way.
Under the watchful eye of new
coach Adam Potter, the Tigers took
the field at Craigieburn’s Highgate
R e c r e a t i o n R e s e r v e o n
November 8.
More than 70 players hit the
track, including skipper Nick
Carnell, best-and-fairest Sam
Power and recruits Luke Cartelli
(Williamstown), Michael Tanner
(Williamstown), Jayke Barrack
(Bendigo Pioneers) and returning
former captain Travis Ronaldson.
Also on the track were several
players selected to participate in
pre-season after a rookie day ident-
ified local talent to battle for a spot
on the VFL club’s list.
Among those were 10 members of
the Calder Cannons TAC Cup
under-18 premiership team.
The group will train up until
Christmas, with sessions at
Highgate Reserve, Punt Road Oval
and the Melbourne Sports and
Aquatic Centre.
The Tigers have released practice
match dates.
All practice matches will be
played at Highgate, with games
against Bendigo Bombers on
M a r c h 5 , B o x H i l l H a w k s
(March 12), Casey Scorpions
(March 19) and Sandringham
Dragons (April 2).
The Tigers’ annual general meet-
ing will be held on Tuesday,
December 14, in the Council Cham-
bers at Coburg Town Hall from
7.30pm.