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Every female member of St Kilda's staff is undertaking an empowerment course as the club seeks to encourage women to rise into senior positions at Seaford and within the broader football community.
While still smarting from being overlooked for one of eight AFL women's teams for the inaugural competition starting early next year, the Saints have continued to try to advance the cause of women within their organisation. All of the more than 30 women on the club's books are involved in the program – which involves mentoring, workbooks and an online-learning component. The three-month program started this month. The pro-female push is part of the club's broader focus on diversity, an ideology that led the Saints to pioneer the AFL's first gay pride game against Sydney in August. St Kilda were the first club to appoint a woman on their coaching staff, signing Peta Searle in 2014.
Whew! For a minute I thought Eli was transitioning! Back on topic, it still rankles that Carlton was awarded a women's team licence ahead of us. Look at the relative merits of the two clubs. The Saints have been leaders in social issues, especially the involvement of women in the game. We are also a major player in developing the fastest growing area of female player involvement, the bayside and Mornington Peninsula. We've also been the better performed club over the past 20 years. We are not a shitstain of a club. Mike Fitzpatrick, or Darth Vader as I prefer to call him, used his influence to look after his old club. A whiff of cronyism and corruption around the whole fiasco. Old habits die hard, don't they, Darth?
I started with nothing and I've got most of it left!
