Pre-Forum Survey

The Goulburn Murray Women and Girls competition has grown significantly in recent years through the commitment of players, families, clubs, coaches, volunteers, officials and umpires across our region. As we look ahead, we have an important opportunity to come together and shape what the future of women and girls football looks like in the Goulburn Murray.

With the competition set to come under the newly established Goulburn Murray League, we are entering an exciting period of transition and growth. This presents a unique opportunity to take a longer-term view of the competition, ensuring we are not only meeting the needs of participants today but also planning for a strong, sustainable and inclusive future.

To support this process, we will be hosting a Women and Girls Football Forum that brings together all existing and future clubs, members and key stakeholders to collaboratively explore the future of football pathways for junior girls, youth players and open women's participants. The forum is intended to be a genuine co-design opportunity, where clubs and participants can openly share ideas, experiences and aspirations, helping to identify opportunities and priorities that will strengthen the competition for years to come.

Our goal is to build a stronger, more sustainable Goulburn Murray Women and Girls competition that supports and enhances our current youth and women's programs while exploring how a junior girls pathway could be developed to welcome more girls into football, provide clearer participation opportunities, and create a stronger long-term talent and participation pipeline.

Ahead of the forum, we are seeking feedback from players, parents and carers, coaches, volunteers, umpires, club officials, administrators and anyone with an interest in the future of women and girls football in our region.

We want to understand:
  • What is currently working well across the competition.
  • What challenges or barriers need attention.
  • Where opportunities exist to improve participation, development and retention.
  • How competition structures can best support clubs and participants.
  • The future role of junior, youth and women's football pathways.
  • Opportunities for innovative participation models, including Sunday hub-style football.
  • The potential ongoing role of Friday night matches within the competition.
  • How we can best position the competition for sustainable growth under the Goulburn Murray League structure.

Importantly, no decisions have been made. This survey is designed to gather feedback, identify common themes and inform discussion at the upcoming forum. The insights collected will play a critical role in ensuring future planning is shaped by the people who are directly involved in and impacted by the competition.

Please answer the questions based on your own experiences and observations. There is no expectation that you have knowledge of every aspect of the competition. When providing feedback, please focus on issues and ideas rather than naming individuals.

For the purpose of this survey, the term "junior" refers to a potential football pathway for younger age groups prior to youth football. It does not indicate that a specific age group or competition structure has been determined.

Thank you for taking the time to contribute. Through collaboration, feedback and co-design, we can work together to create a stronger, more inclusive and sustainable future for women and girls football across the Goulburn Murray region.

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