The increased participation of women in sport is prevalent amongst many sporting codes originally known to be "just for men" and gridiron officiating is no exception. AGOA as the national training body of Gridiron officials in Australia has established a development program for women officials.

 

Currently, there are active female officials in most states of Australia and AGOA support the goal to have female officials actively working in every state where Gridiron is played in Australia. The 2022 Women's Development plan was established in 2018 and the end goal is to field a fully female crew in the championship game of the Women's National Gridiron Championships by the year 2022. The key to achieving this outcome is offering female officials development and training opportunities nationally to ensure the crew is highly competent and suitably experienced for the national stage.

 

In the 2019/2020 season, AGOA funded travel for active female officials to work in other states to offer a broader view of officiating and extend their on-field game experience. All participants agreed this was a great opportunity and the learning and varied game time were highly beneficial to their game knowledge and confidence on the field.

 

Currently, AGOA has provided the following opportunities to women nationally:

• Development positions on national tournament officiating panels

• Interstate travel for female officials to work games in another state to their home state

• Mentoring from high-level AGOA officials both on and off the field

• Attendance at Sport Australia Women Leaders in Sports workshops

• Assistance with grant applications for female officials from Sport Australia to develop their leadership skills in sports

• AGOA funded training workshops with senior women in sports.

If you are interested in either starting your journey in officiating or are an active female official in Australia, feel free to contact AGOA to learn more about how we can assist you.