Pride on display for inaugural AFL CW Round

Orange Tigers celebrate inaugural Pride celebrations in 2023. PHOTO: Supplied

Article originally published to Good Sports by Tahlia Sinclair

For years, members of the Orange Tigers women’s football club had been calling for a Pride

Taking matters into their own hands in 2023, the Tigers ran the first AFL Central West Pride game, and with support from every club in the women’s competition, expanded to league-approved Pride Round in 2024.

With immediate support from the rest of the clubs in the competition, Bathurst Bushrangers, Bathurst Giants, Cowra Blues, and Dubbo Demons, Tigers committee member Cara Jordan said the celebration of pride has been a long time coming.

“Last year, I was doing the club’s social media and some of the event stuff, we approached the league, said we’re going to run a game, and it was just meant to be a pride game for us.

“But we did a social media video and involved all the other clubs on the recording.

“We made the decision at that time it wasn’t just about Orange, it wasn’t just about us running one game, and that there were obviously players across the clubs that would want to be part of it and it just evolved.”

Dubbo Demons president and women’s player Kaitlyn Waldie was a big advocate for the league endorsing the round.

Reflecting on a podcast she had recently heard, she said the act of being visibly inclusive goes a long way.

Jumping on board to support the Pride Round, she hopes that the broader Dubbo community, and communities of the towns within the league, can see these teams are places to play sport without fear of prejudice.

“I listened to a podcast recently and they said people can’t hear your pride or acceptance,” Waldie said.

“Simple things of wearing an ally lanyard or small item can just show acceptance and drastically impact someone else’s life.

“If the league or our team weren’t to do this, would people know our club or team is accepting?”

“There are Facebook pages where people go to ask and check if a club is accepting or kind to LGBTQIA+ people. And I think it’s really sad.”

Creating safe spaces in times of unease

With every club in the competition jumping on board, when it was put to the league to sanction the round in 2024, Jordan said she wasn’t surprised they said yes.

“There was some feedback shared after last year’s game and I think to see it come out and be recognised in the draw, it was a relief for some of the girls, to be honest.

“We don’t have to sit there at the start of every year and have them have to ask anymore, it’s going to be there. And it should be there.

While AFL Central West’s Pride Round is still in its infancy, Jordan said this year’s edition feels particularly poignant for her team.

“It’s important that people know that the club itself, the sport itself, is accepting and that it doesn’t really matter what your sexuality is,” she said.

“It doesn’t have to be made a big deal of, but the community should have a chance to be put on a pedestal and see the club supports them.”

Bathurst Giants women’s leadership player Elise Gullifer said as their club grows, it’s important to signal to the LGBTQIA+ community they have a place at the Giants.

Gullifer said by being visibly in support of the community, she hopes more people will feel safe to play sport.

“It’s important we provide a safe space for the community just to be themselves, to have a place to go that’s not work, not a home, somewhere where everyone gets around each other and can be themselves,” Gullifer said.

“Being visible is super important, mental health is a big thing, and we want the community to know they can come here.”

From a league perspective, AFL Central West alongside several other NSW/ACT leagues including AFL Sydney, AFL Canberra, AFL North West and AFL North Coast partnered with Pride in Sport to deliver online education and inclusion training for club people.

Casey White, Competition Manager – Central West explained the purpose of these sessions playing an active role in creating inclusive clubs. “Whilst what the clubs did last year was fantastic, as a league there was a commitment to our clubs to not just talk about inclusion but give people the skills to be inclusive.”

“The first people someone engages with at a football club is usually a player or coach.

“By providing these people with the opportunity to learn, they can drive cultural shifts within their teams to ensure their environments are as inclusive as possible.”

Emulating the inclusion seen at higher levels

In both last year’s game, and the game to be played this weekend on June 12, the Tigers played Bathurst Bushrangers. Women’s team coach Patrick Fisher said it was an easy yes to be involved.

Echoing Jordan’s sentiments on the importance of hosting Pride rounds, Fisher said participating isn’t just important to the players already in his team, but those who are yet to come.

Emulating the community and inclusivity championed in the AFLW is important at the local level, he said.

“We’ve had a few youth girls play for us this year, and they look up to some of the people playing AFLW, they are their idols, so to emulate these rounds at a lower league is super important,” Fisher said.

“We’ve got a lot of people in the LGBTQIA+ community, so to get involved and included, and spread awareness, is super important.

“We want everyone to feel they can show their colours.”

A research study of LGBTQIA+ youth in Victoria in 2023 showed that just 33% of respondents participated in sport, down from 47% in the previous reporting period.

Running Pride Rounds, the clubs hope, will help encourage members of the LGBTQIA+ community to their sport.

Gullifer said the support of AFL Central West this season is essential, showing that not just clubs are committed to being inclusive places, but that from the top down, everyone is welcomed.

While the round is being championed by the women’s league for the 2024 season, she said she would like to see even more buy-in from the men’s competitions within AFL Central West in coming years.

“Having that support from everyone is very important,” she said.

“It’s important for people to feel they’re supported rather than just hearing people saying they support them.”

The 2024 AFL Central West Pride Round coincides with the middle of Pride Month. For more information on building an inclusive club, visit Pride in Sport’s website.