Like many AFL fans, we were glued to the recent women’s footy match between the Western Bulldogs and the Melbourne Demons.
Sitting with our daughters, we cheered these strong and fearless women on, impressed by their drive and athleticism. Then we discovered just how little they’ll be paid during the inaugural women’s AFL league, compared to their male counterparts. To say it left us feeling blue is an understatement.
(Photo L-R back row: Joy Hay, Carolyn Parnis, Maryanne Gruar. Front row L-R: Tilly Gruar, Isabelle Orosz, Zahara Gruar.)
As we were explaining to our (rightly) confused children that female players make $1,000 a game and men make $12,000, we knew we had to do something.
Yes, there are arguments about sponsorship deals and TV rights boosting men’s pay. We get it. But come on, $1,000 a game? The exhibition match went out to over a million viewers. That’s a lot of ad revenue right there.
Let’s dig deep and pay those girls what they should be paid. Let’s send a clear message that it’s not acceptable to pay women footy players 12 times less than the boys.
If you agree, then please pledge what you can.
We want to raise at least $200,000, with 80% of funds going to the female players from the eight teams that compete in the inaugural league and 20% going to women’s footy at grassroots level. We would love if it was $500,000 and the AFL matched that dollar for dollar so we can make a real difference.
It’s an ambitious target, but that’s how we roll. We want to raise a meaningful amount.
We’re country Victorian born and bred – sisters, mothers and proud businesswomen. Together, we runTrue Blue Migration Services, one of Australia’s leading migration agencies, which we built from the ground up, starting in WA and then expanding to Melbourne.
We’re proud of everything we’ve achieved and want to set the best example for our sons and daughters. We were led to believe that anything was possible as long as we dreamed big. No one mentioned that being a woman might hold us back. Why would it?
(Photo L-R: Tilly Gruar, Isabelle Orosz, Zahara Gruar)
Now we’re in a position to create awareness and stand up for something we believe in., so that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’ve put our money where our mouths are and pledged the first $5,000. Can you help us out with the rest?
(Photo L-R: Joy Hay, Carolyn Parnis and Maryanne Gruar)
If we reach our goal of $200,000, 80% of funds will go to the female players from the eight teams that will compete in this summer’s inaugural AFL women’s league. The remaining 20% will go to grassroots women’s footy.
We will require a written agreement from each club that receives funds, stating that 100% of it will go towards women’s footy before we make any disbursements.
If you dig really deep and we exceed our target, we’ll split the surplus funds in the same way.
If you’re not an AFL fan, don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you. Please consider making a pledge all the same though. We’re trying to send the message that women deserve fair pay in everything they do, not just the footy.
Fair pay in women’s footy has been a hot topic recently. You’ll find more information in the articles below:
People may be disinclined to donate to a million dollar enterprise such as an AFL club. They may feel that the clubs should distribute funds better, and it’s not up to ordinary people to top up salaries. We agree! Nothing would make us happier for the campaign to be unnecessary and for the AFL to come to the party and pay the women players properly. In fact, we are calling on the AFL to match us dollar for dollar and pay the players more.
We are also giving 20% of funds raised to grass roots women’s footy, helping emerging clubs and young women access and enjoy AFL competition.
People may think we should be fighting the bigger fight – equal pay in employment – and backing that instead, but we want to raise awareness and this is a good place to start..