Girls making big move National spotlight shining brightly on women’s sport
KEEN netballers Shea Banner, 13, and Lily Spethman, 12, are ecstatic women’s sport is finally getting the airtime it deserves.
The pair, who play for the Palmerston Magpies, said they were sick of only hearing about sport being a career for boys.
“Right now I have to pay to play netball but it would just be incredible if I could be paid to play,” Shea said.
“Some people think boys are better at sport but we can do it too and everyone needs to know that.”
The emphasis on sport comes as the Turnbull Government redoubles its efforts with the Girls Make Your Move campaign, after some early success in the first year.
Female footballers, rockclimbers and water polo players will feature in a new $7 million advertising blitz designed to inspire more Australian girls to take up sport.
New television and cinema advertising, and a new Facebook page, will go live today 12 months after the campaign launch. An independent analysis of the initial Girls Make Your Move campaign by market research group GFK found it reached more than 80 per cent of its target audience of girls aged 12 to 19.
One in five respondents to a survey of 1800 girls said the campaign had inspired them to do more physical activity.
“Nine out of 10 girls don’t move enough,” Federal Health and Sport Minister Greg Hunt said.
“We need to change that culture so that our young Australian women reap the enormous benefits of making exercise a part of their day and a part of their life.”
Mr Hunt said the second phase would capitalise on the hype around the new AFL Women’s competition.
“I think this year is the year of women’s sport cracking it at the national level in a way it hasn’t done in a long time,” Mr Hunt said .
The campaign will run alongside other initiatives to boost girls’ participation in sport including efforts to boost junior cricket and football competitions.
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