Sport Minister, Kate Ellis, and Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, this week announced the 2008/09 Sports Leadership Grants for Women, which will enable individuals and organisations to undertake accredited training and development in coaching, officiating, governance and management.

Ms Ellis, who is in Beijing for the Olympic Games, said the Government was committed to increasing the opportunities for more Australian women to become leaders in sport.

She said the national policy paper Australian Sport: emerging challenges, new directions had recognised the need for real and practical steps to tackle the under-representation of women in sport.

“The Sports Leadership Grants for Women program is one important way the Government is addressing the under representation of women in sport,” she said.

“These grants will enable more women to undertake accredited sports leadership training in areas where they traditionally tend to be under-represented.”

Ms Plibersek said that since its inception, the Sports Leadership Grants for Women program had helped nearly 17,500 women from around Australia to develop high-level skills in their sport.

“Many of the successful grant recipients are role models in their communities or sporting clubs,” she said.

“Australian sport stands to benefit from having a greater number of women in leadership and decision-making roles. It contributes to the depth and diversity of Australian sport.

“The women leaders in sport that we provide assistance to today will, in turn, help to coach and develop the future generations of Australian Olympians who will possibly compete for Gold in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics and beyond.”

The Sports Leadership Grants for Women program is jointly funded by the Australian Sports Commission and the Office for Women. Over the seven years that the program has been operating, a total of $2.4 million in grants has been awarded.

This year 144 projects – 76 individuals and 68 organisations – received grants.

Funding of up to $5000 was available to individual recipients and up to $10,000 for organisations.

For more grants details, go to: www.ausport.gov.au/participating/all/women