Each year, Women in League Round celebrates the vital contribution women have made to the great game of rugby league.
As we celebrate the many women across every NRL club and in the wider rugby league community, staff and players at the Melbourne Storm recognise the long-standing partnership the club has had with the Victorian Women’s Trust (VWT).
Storm has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the VWT for more than a decade, striving towards true gender equality by helping to promote and build a society where women and girls can pursue any and all opportunities with respect, safety and dignity.
The Victorian Women’s Trust aims to create an equal future for all, by advocating for violence prevention, fair wages for equal work, and the equal representation of women and men in the decision making processes that shape our lives.
Ahead of our Women in League Round match against the West Tigers on Saturday, we will be highlighting our long-standing partnership with the Trust.
This partnership has been one built on respect and a commitment from both to achieving real results.
Over the journey, our partnership has helped develop and deliver the ‘Be the Hero’ campaign to local rugby league clubs – a violence prevention program which encourages young men to build respectful relationships with women and choose to live a life free of violence.
Together with the Victorian Women’s Trust we have also delivered education programs to under 18 and under 20 representative players and presented the ‘Storming Against Violence’ week of action in 2012.
The ‘Storming Against Violence’ campaign engaged the wider community in a dialogue around violence prevention and highlighted the key role men play in reducing violence against women and children.
Player Welfare Manager Brian Phelan and Player Wellbeing Coordinator Peter Robinson have been active members of the VWT Critical Friends Group, supporting the development of Club Respect, a community sports initiative that promotes safety and respect in clubs across the country.
This week we are encouraging the Storm community to donate to the Alma and Albert Tivendale Sub Fund – supporting disadvantaged girls in overcoming barriers to participate in physical activities such as sport and dance. For more info about the sub fund, click here.
