Women Onside began work on our first three-year strategic plan in October 2021, informed by member stories, participant feedback from our 2021 webinar series and our thought-leading 2021 Women in Football Leadership Conference (read the report here). This inaugural plan builds on the progress of our current work. It maintains the overarching themes that guide our organisation daily: advocacy, professional development, networking for special interest groups and policy development. This roadmap will help us focus even more purposefully on our strategic priorities for the upcoming years.
"This plan outlines Women Onside’s roadmap to support women’s football and women in football to achieve their potential to lead and succeed" - Kerry Harris, Chair
Our strategic pillars are:
Advocacy
Women Onside advocates for social change to achieve equality for all women involved in football. Through advocacy, we aim to effect positive change by interrupting the systemic barriers faced by women. Our advocacy is grounded in work we do each day and informed by current research and evidence.
Strategic Goal: Advocating for improved/positive engagement, access, opportunity and empowerment for all women involved in football.
Members
We aim to provide value for money and benefits to members through engaging webinars and events, relevant professional development and access to leading figures to give a platform for connection and knowledge sharing among members.
Strategic Goal: Develop and implement a member engagement strategy to grow and retain Women Onside members.
Networks
Providing a platform for our special interest groups to network and share their stories in a supportive and safe environment.
Strategic Goal: Provide networking, story-telling and mutual support.
Professional Development
Encouraging continuous learning and conversations about women in football and women’s football by providing quality professional development programs that develop inclusive and relevant skills to our members and the football community.
Strategic Goal: Deliver a high-quality professional development program.
Research and Policy
Policy and evidence are critical ways in which Women Onside supports its advocacy work. We issue the WO Index (number of women leaders in governance roles) and the Coach Tracker (number of women in head coach roles) to provide statistics on the gender balance (or lack thereof) in football leadership.
Strategic Goal: Undertake and communicate research into women in football and women’s football development program.
Organisational Sustainability
Women Onside is an organisation built on good governance, a positive culture and strong financial management.
Strategic Goal: Women Onside has a reputation as a credible, trustworthy and sustainable organisation.
Read the full 2022-2024 Strategic Plan here.
For questions about our strategic plan, please get in touch with Kerry Harris at chair@womenonside.com.au