South Australian football community gathers together for Women in Football Breakfast

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Adelaide United Final 3 Membership 2018/19

Adelaide United together with Football Federation South Australia (FFSA) were proud to hold the Women in Football Breakfast at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Thursday morning, as part of celebrating Female Football Week.

The event, hosted by Network 10’s Kate Freebairn, served to highlight the women’s game ahead of the Women’s National Premier League (WNPL) Round 1 on Friday night.

Several politicians were in attendance including the Honourable Corey Wingard MP, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, who addressed the 250 guests.

He talked about the growth in participation numbers in women’s sport, while suggesting the need for improved pathways to assist athletes in reaching the elite level.

FFSA Chief Executive Officer, Michael Carter, also spoke to those present and believed 2019 would be an exciting year for women’s football, coinciding with the impending Women’s FIFA World Cup in June.

After the opening formalities concluded, a panel of guests discussed a range of topics concerning women’s football and more broadly women’s sport, in addition to women in leadership roles.

Adelaide United’s Westfield W-League Head Coach, Ivan Karlović, Flight Centre Sales Operations Leader, Kelly Spencer, Global Recruitment Consultant for Sportspeople, Leanne Grantham and FFSA Women’s NTC captain, Zoe Tolland were all on the panel.

Karlović stated that continued hard work, support from corporate partners and increasing the professionalism of the Westfield W-League will only improve the product.

Meanwhile, Grantham was a great proponent of Westfield W-League and Matildas players using their profiles to help market the sport which will also impact aspiring footballers. She further underlined the challenges of working in sport and the difficulties she encountered as a leader.

From a leadership perspective, Spencer hoped to see more women have the opportunity to hold positions of authority as they are generally articulate and good communicators.

Keynote speaker and former Matildas vice-captain and ex-FIFA Executive Committee member, Moya Dodd, was also present and gave an inspiring speech to conclude the event.

Dodd highlighted the importance of gender diversity in closing the gap between women and men’s sport, as well as the challenges women have faced in their fight for equality in the game.

Adelaide United Final 3 Membership 2018/19