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Innovation Case Study: Fair Access: Sport Inclusion Program

Whittlesea Shire Council

Building stronger clubs and thriving communities

Council's Fair Access Policy was an opportunity to change the way sport is managed in the City of Whittlesea. Through consultation, consideration and embedding Gender Equity, the Fair Access Policy and its implementation is helping build stronger club and thriving communities by wholistically breaking down barriers to sport.

2026 MAVlab Innovation Awards Finalist:
The Connector Award for Inclusion and Community Cohesion, supported by Ylab.

YLab

Whittlesea Shire Council, Inclusion at Thomas Street Reserve

Project goals:

  • Gender equitable access to Council sporting infrastructure
  • Build sporting club capacity on Gender equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Create connection between sporting clubs to network, share challenges and success stories
  • Make sport feel safe for our community
  • Allow community members to participate in ways that work for them by educating club administrators on how to understand community needs.

Project team:

Two Council Officers (larger supporting team though).

Project duration:

An integral part of Council's Fair Access Policy and implementation is flexibility to work around sporting club volunteers. Internal actions that align with operations, advocacy and infrastructure are ongoing to embed these principles into processes and procedures however the club development focus areas allow clubs to work through the phases in 18 months.

Challenge and context:

The City of Whittlesea ranked 73rd of 79 Victorian councils for women and girls’ participation in sport (Sport Participation Trends Across Victorian LGAs 2019–2021, VicHealth), highlighting significant access inequities to sport and recreation across the municipality.

This participation rate reflected decades of historical inequity in the design, allocation and operation of sporting facilities and programs, largely developed around male participation. Resulting in women, girls and gender diverse people to often face barriers to accessing facilities, leadership opportunities and welcoming sporting environments.

The challenge was amplified by Whittlesea’s diverse and rapidly growing population, where barriers to participation intersected with cultural expectations, socioeconomic disadvantage, disability and other forms of exclusion. Addressing these issues required more than infrastructure upgrades or policy compliance; it required systemic change across the local sporting ecosystem.

Achieving equitable access involved reforming Council policies and processes, facility planning, sporting club culture, volunteer leadership and community perceptions. This presented a complex challenge involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities and deeply embedded behaviours.

Key challenges:

Cultural resistance: Long-standing male-dominated sporting norms required clubs to examine established practices and assumptions. The program was designed to drive systemic change rather than simply raise awareness.

Political sensitivity: While Council could influence outcomes through funding, facility allocation and policy settings, these mechanisms required stakeholder management and community engagement.

Shared accountability: Meaningful progress depended on Council and sporting clubs recognising and addressing historical inequities, including Council’s role in past infrastructure and service decisions.

Compliance risk without change: Audits and action plans alone wouldn't deliver cultural transformation. Ongoing commitment, resources and leadership were required from Council and clubs.

Data limitations: Participation data did not fully capture lived experience, leadership representation or equitable access, making progress difficult to measure consistently.

Community trust and engagement: Rebuilding trust with groups historically excluded from organised sport required sustained engagement and visible, long-term action.

Solution and innovation:

Unlike traditional compliance-based approaches, the City of Whittlesea embedded Fair Access Across policy, operations, infrastructure and club development simultaneously, creating a system wide change rather than isolated interventions. These were designed to work simultaneously across every level of the sporting ecosystem, rather than sequentially.

Driven by data and community

The policy was grounded in VicHealth data ranking Whittlesea 73rd/79 Victorian LGAs for participation and shaped through community surveys, club consultation and input from the Youth Council and Council.

Focus areas:

Advocacy

This focus area ensured State Sporting Associations and local leagues actively understood and engaged with the policy. Fair Access criteria were embedded into the Sports Infrastructure Renewal Manual, linking facility prioritisation to clubs actively participating in the program.

Operations

All Sport and Leisure policies and conditions of hire undergo Gender Impact Assessments, with documents rewritten in line with Fair Access principles. Seasonal ground allocations were directly linked to clubs completing a Fair Access pledge and registering in the Club Development Program.

Infrastructure

New infrastructure, renewals and upgrades embedded Fair Access into planning from business case to construction. The Mernda Regional Sports Precinct (RSP) is a purpose-built facility to support women and girls, targeting 70% usage by women and girls and a 50% increase in netball participation. Council also committed to removing all urinals and open shower blocks across sporting facilities in a new Fair Access Renewal Program.

Club Development

Over 18months, nominated Fair Access Leads progress through a four-phase roadmap (Preparation, Education, Readiness, Progress – aligning with Sport and Recreation Victorias Fair Access Roadmap), completing Gender Equity Audits and Fair Access Action Plans. Graduates join the Fair Access Sports Club Network (FASCN). The FASCN is a self-sustaining peer community across codes and equity maturity levels. The program's scalability positions it as a replicable model for other Victorian councils.

Since adoption, the Fair Access Policy has driven a 13.6% rise in women and girls' participation across the City of Whittlesea, with clubs now viewing participation more broadly, encompassing leadership, coaching, officiating and volunteering, not just playing.

Project impacts and short-term outcomes:

Since adoption, the Fair Access Policy has driven a 13.6% rise in women and girls' participation across the City of Whittlesea, with clubs now viewing participation more broadly, encompassing leadership, coaching, officiating and volunteering, not just playing.

Program milestones:

  • 192 of 313 actions completed across the 4-year Implementation Plan.
  • Groups 1 and 2 completed the Education Phase; successful evaluations received.
  • Sports Club Information Night hosted (80 attendees across all clubs).
  • Inaugural Fair Access Sports Club Network (FASCN) established - a peer-led community of Fair Access Leads driving gender equity across codes.
  • Bystander training delivered in partnership with Women's Health in the North (WHIN) to FASCN members.
  • Meadowglen Athletics Stadium hosted Olympian Jemima Montag for a women and girls' performance session (60 attendees).
  • Presented the Fair Access model to the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) - signalling its potential as a statewide replicable model.

Operational & process changes:

  • Gender Impact Assessments (GIA) completed on all Sport and Recreation operational policies, with documents updated accordingly.
  • GIA template created for the infrastructure planning team to embed equity from design stage.
  • Epping Soccer Stadium Management and Use Policy redeveloped to enable more women and girls' access – changes to usage prioritisation.
  • EOI forms and processes redesigned to embed Fair Access expectations for clubs.
  • Female Inclusion in Sport Grants rebranded as Fair Access Grants, aligned to club Fair Access Action Plans.
  • Gender Equity and Bystander training delivered to all Sport and Leisure staff.
  • Internal Fair Access Working Group and PCG established to maintain strategic alignment.
  • Dedicated Fair Access budget line created.
  • Regional Sports Precinct construction awarded with Fair Access embedded in the EOI process.

Capability and long-term impacts:

Strengthening council capabilities and establishment of gender equity practice

The Fair Access Policy has created enduring organisational change that extends well beyond its initial implementation within sport, strengthening Council's capabilities, systems and ways of working across four key focus areas. Through the direction of the Fair Access Working Group and PCG, this added another layer of accountability to all internal departments.

The skills, methodologies and analytical frameworks developed through this project now form part of Council's institutional knowledge, ensuring continuity regardless of staff turnover or shifts in political priorities.

New ways of working and stronger partnerships

Implementation required cross-departmental collaboration. Externally, it forged formalised partnerships with State Sporting Associations, local sporting associations/leagues and local sporting clubs, creating enduring partnerships that strengthen Council's ability to coordinate, advocate and influence decisions at every level of the sporting system. Having each module facilitated by Council Staff enables sporting clubs to understand the knowledge within the team and build these relationships to improve community outcomes.

Organisational resilience and adaptive capacity

The policy's built in accountability structures including biannual reviews, annual club reporting and compliance linked ground allocations create a self-sustaining governance cycle that does not depend on any individual staff member to function. The evidence base built through participation data and GIAs has enhanced Council's ability to anticipate trends, identify emerging barriers and adapt its approach in response to changing community needs which are learnings we may use in other teams/units/departments.

Sporting club education and capability

Through the development of the FASCN, Council has also set up an online platform for Fair Access Leads to share their wins, challenges and other items to network with their fellow FASCN Members. This ensures Fair Access continues to be for community; led by community and builds their capacity and capability to ensure well run sporting clubs.

Scalability and transferability:

The Fair Access Policy Framework was built with transferability and scalability in mind from the outset.

The Club Development Program is the most transferable element. Its structure is deliberately universal:

  • Six facilitated modules use discussion-based activities to build genuine understanding of gender equity. Any council officer can facilitate them with the provided content, noting foundational knowledge in gender equity is desirable.
  • Gender Equity Audit templates use targeted prompts to facilitate real conversations within clubs, making the process accessible regardless of a club's size, sport or prior gender equity experience.
  • Fair Access Action Plan templates walk Council and clubs through translating audit findings into practical, club specific actions.

This four-stage approach (Preparation, Education, Readiness, Progress) allows clubs to progress at their own pace, accommodating the reality of volunteer run organisations.

What makes the overall policy highly transferable is that it addresses universal systemic barriers including cultural resistance, infrastructure gaps and operational inequity which exists in many municipalities. The four focus areas (Advocacy, Operations, Infrastructure, Club Development) provide a ready-made framework that other councils can adopt and adapt to reflect their own community.

Currently the Sport and Leisure Team are working on a “Sports Club Hub” on Council’s website which will include Fair Access resources and knowledge sharing.

UN Sustainable Goals reached by this policy:

  • Good health and wellbeing – increasing access to sport.
  • Quality education – education supplied to Fair Access Leads and clubs.
  • Gender Equality – fair access to sporting infrastructure.
  • Industry innovation and infrastructure – rethinking the way we build based on Fair Access principles.
  • Reduced inequalities - fair access to sporting infrastructure and minimising education gaps regarding gender equity.
  • Partnerships for the goals - collaboration at all levels of sport.