In May 2025, FIDA were successful in our application for a grant through the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program to develop a business plan for a stand-alone women’s FIDA competition.
Consistently over the years at FIDA, the number of women playing in FIDA has been about 10%, which in 2025 was about 100 players. FIDA recognised we needed to do more to encourage women to play in FIDA and create pathways for participation.
With the successful grant, FIDA engaged Impact Co. to develop a business plan for a stand-alone women’s competition in the FIDA league and participation pathways for women, girls and gender diverse players. We wanted to go about this in the right way and not set-up a competition which then wouldn’t succeed. It needed to be done in a way which reflected the experiences of players and clubs, and which would be achievable.
While the aspiration of increasing participation was clear, the path forward was, and is, complex. Stakeholders who were involved with the business plan development were energised by the idea of a standalone competition but also grappling with competing priorities – including volunteer capacity, infrastructure readiness, safeguarding requirements and the need to maintain inclusive mixed-gender participation alongside future standalone pathways.
Impact Co. and FIDA created a clear plan to promote safety on and off the field, increase participation and champion targeted initiatives and programs. FIDA will need to work its way towards creating dedicated participation pathways and competitions for girls, women and gender diverse players, and it will take some time and patience.
A Working Group was established to guide and inform the business plan development – the Working Group comprised player and club representatives from the Mazenod Panthers and Ballarat Bulldogs; the AFL and AFL Victoria; and Sport Inclusion Australia. We would like to thank them for their involvement and continued enthusiasm for being a part of developing a FIDA women’s competition.
Over six months, Impact Co. surveyed and spoke with over 70 stakeholders, including FIDA players, family members and carers, coaches and volunteers, FIDA staff, the AFL, FIDA partners and other key stakeholders to understand:
- Their hopes for a dedicated competition for women, girls and gender diverse players
- What challenges are impacting current players and clubs and preventing potential players from joining
- Key supports needed to help more people know about and feel safe to play
- This engagement blended lived experience with evidence, allowing Impact Co. to synthesise diverse perspectives into a coherent, shared picture of what was needed and what the practical next steps were.
Through extensive engagement and close collaboration with FIDA staff, Impact Co. developed a Business Plan that provides a clear roadmap for FIDA to:
- Promote safety and accessibility
- Increase participation
- Move towards its ultimate vision of creating a standalone competition for girls, women and gender diverse players with intellectual disabilities and other support needs.
The Business Plan does more than articulate a vision for a standalone competition for women, girls and gender diverse players – it creates decision-ready clarity that is shared across key stakeholders. It sequences priorities, strengthens alignment and establishes the foundations for sustainable progress over the long term.
FIDA would like to thank Impact Co. for their work on the business plan and for their commitment to diversity and the aims FIDA was wanting to achieve with this business plan.
FIDA are committed to increasing women’s, girl’s and gender diverse people’s participation in FIDA and are looking at how we can link with the AFL to make progress in 2026 and 2027.
Click below to open the Business plan:
