Purpose
Australian sport delivers power and privilege to men through practices that are normalised at societal and organisational levels. The ascendancy of women’s professional sport has created a unique opportunity to reshape and reconfigure professional sport management through consideration of gender, socio-cultural and societal relationships. This project, funded by the Australian Research Council, will examine professional women’s competitions (AFL, cricket, football, Rugby League and Rugby Union), their co-existence within their respective national associations and the experiences of contracted women athletes. The result will be development of a new model of women’s professional sport, advancing knowledge of inclusive gender relevancy at the individual, team and organisational levels.
Background
Understandings of contemporary women’s professional sport management is in its infancy. The recent growth of Australian women’s professional sport, and ‘new’ entrants operating within organisations that previously had only men’s professional teams provide a contextual and timely platform for research relevant to the Australian environment. This research will contribute to the ability of sport organisations to deliver on commitments to inclusion and empowerment, and assist in sustaining the ongoing development of women’s professional sport in Australia.
Approach to research
Our approach applies qualitative methodologies in line with the traditions of gender, inclusion and sport research. We will push beyond previous individualistic approaches to inquiry by considering women professional athletes as a collective and develop evidenced-based implications for sport organisation which are transferable and actionable.
