Respect Starts Here

Progressing Gender Equality and Promoting Respect in Sport

Sporting clubs and organisations can play an active and positive part in preventing violence against women and children.

Sport in Australia and around the world has traditionally been dominated by men and boys, and clubs were therefore designed for their needs – from the physical spaces to the club culture and governance. As sport changes and becomes more gender inclusive, the norms, practices and structures within a club can be barriers to equal integration of girls, women and gender diverse people with the club and their sport.

That is why we have developed Respect Starts Here, a program for sporting clubs and organisations to take action to promote respect and equality and challenge disrespectful attitudes and behaviours.

Respect Starts Here offers two streams designed to support clubs and organisations who are either exploring what gender equality means for them, or a more advanced stream for clubs ready to go All in. Both streams help clubs to identify goals and actions to support gender equality and build capacity of members to stand up for equality and respect within the club.

The program is currently being delivered across seven AFL Barwon Football & Netball Clubs across the 2025 season free charge thanks to the Geelong Community Foundation Major Grants Program. Respect Starts Here is run by The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What does All In include?

  All in supports your club to take an in-depth approach to understanding and addressing gender equality in sport. This collaborative and tailored program spans two seasons, building the knowledge and capacity of all club members from the age of 14.

  The All in leadership group (Club Action Group) participates in 4 collaborative in-person sessions across the first season:

  1. Respect Starts Here information session and inaugural planning meeting
  2. Poster display and key messaging workshop – a collaborative session to tailor gender equality and respect messages for your club. Along with club photos/images, the key messages will be turned into posters for display around the club and on social media to communicate the values and priorities of the club.
  3. Gender Equity Needs Assessment workshop and member survey – this session aims to understand the current state of gender equality in the club, the club’s priorities and goals for gender equality and respect within the club. It includes a whole of club member survey that provides an opportunity for all club members to contribute to the process.
  4. Gender Equity Action Plan workshop – building on the data collected through the needs assessment and member survey, this workshop supports the club action group to create an achievable plan for action to meet the club’s gender equality goals.  Action plans are then brought to the club committee for approval.

  The program expands to whole-of-club in the second year/season:

  1. Bystander action and responding to disclosures workshop for club leaders – this session builds the capacity of leaders to speak up against disrespectful attitudes and behaviours. It will teach the core elements of responding to someone disclosing an experience of sexism, bullying, sexual assault, or violence within the home.
  2. Bystander action workshops for members – the 90min workshops build the capacity of members to stand up to disrespectful attitudes and behaviours. Workshops are generally delivered in place of a training and are for members 14 years and up.
  3. Action plan implementation sessions­– up to 3 meetings of the club action group with The SAFV Centre to check in on the implementation of the action plan (developed in the first half of the program) and identify areas for further support.

  All in is a whole-of-club program. A Club Action Group of 8-12 people from across the club is convened to lead the gender equality work. Representatives from the various groups within the club are encouraged to join including committee members, coaches, coordinators, captains, parents, and other engaged members from football and netball, and junior clubs if applicable. Active bystander workshops are delivered to all players 14 years and up and can be extended to include parents and social members upon request.

• Why Active Bystander workshops?

  A central component of promoting gender equality is the ability to take a stand against disrespectful language, attitudes, and behaviours. Active bystander workshops build the capacity of club leaders to respond in the moment and uphold the club’s commitment to gender equality. The workshops include useful tools and real-life scenarios to build confidence to take action. While the content in this training focuses on attitudes and behaviours that disrespect women and non-binary people, the tools can be applied to any disrespectful behaviour and comments including bullying, that go against the club’s values.

• Why include responding to a disclosure of violence training?
• What is the time commitment?

  All In takes place over two seasons to keep the per-season time commitment down. In season one, Club Action Group Members will participate in approximately 8 hours over 4 sessions. In season two, Club Action Group members will have 3 meetings of 1-2hrs in length, and players and coaches will participate in 1x Active Bystander workshop (2hrs for club leaders, 90mins for players).

  Based on cohort sizes and consultation with clubs an additional Wrap Up & Celebration session may be added for Getting Started and All In (Year 1) to come together one final time.

• How do I register?

  Registrations are currently closed for 2025.

  If your clubs is interested in participating in Respect Starts Here, please complete the Expression of Interest form and we will contact you when a new registration period opens.

• How do I know which stream to register for?

  If you are not sure, reach out to us and have a chat. Our general advice is if you club committee has made a strong indication that they want to focus on gender equality, and/or making the club a more respectful and inclusive space for women, girls and non-binary people you may be ready for All in. This stream also requires a committed group of people from across the club to support the implementation of the program. The Club Action Group will be required to attend 4 sessions in the first season and 3-4 session in the second season.

  If gender equality matters to your club, but you are unsure if you have the resources to support All In, then contact us to talk about other program options that may be available.

• How much does it cost?

  The program is offered free of charge thanks to funding from the Geelong Community Foundation.

Current & Former Clients

Our client’s safety and privacy are paramount.

The SAFV Centre is committed to stopping violence before it starts and in doing so you may see our Impact and Engagement team out in the community.

We know that in working with the broader community, and with sporting clubs through the Respect Starts Here program, there may be people who have been impacted by violence who are engaging with The SAFV Centre or who are not connected with a support service. We also know that we may be interacting with people who are, or are at risk of, using violence.

We assess sporting clubs on their genuine commitment to prevention of violence before delivering the program, but we do not know the background of every club member.

If you are a current, past, or potential client and have concerns around the program, please reach out to your practitioner or contact the primary prevention team.

For additional information on The SAFV Centre’s commitment to the safe and respectful handling of personal information please visit the Client Information  page available on The SAFV Centre website.