New funding for university researchers will identify ways that make it easier for women and girls to partake in sport and recreation, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.

Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today officially launched the 2023/24Change Our GameResearch Grants Program. Providing grants of up to $25,000, the program is set to assist Victorian university researchers to identify tangible, evidence-based solutions that make it easier for women and girls to partake in sport and recreation.

The program will fund research projects across three streams, with six areas of interest identified:

• Participation in Community Sport and Active Recreation: fair access to community facilities; active recreation participation; sport participation as a driver of future career success.

• Women in Sport Leadership: gender equality in the sport job market; retaining women leaders in sport.

• Visibility of Women in Sport: women in sports media.

The program also supports the career development of early career researchers with an interest in gender equality in sport and recreation.

Since 2018, the Program has provided more than $390,000 in funding to vital research projects that have influenced women’s sport to make a meaningful change.

A project funded through this Program and led by RMIT University’s Social and Global Studies Centre explored the experiences of Muslim women and girls participating in sport and physical activity.

The research project highlighted approaches to overcome barriers to participation, and worked to bring together families, schools, communities, councils, sports clubs and policymakers to collectively enable more Muslim girls to participate in sport and physical activity.

The Change Our Game Research Grants Program is offered through the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, the only one of its kind in Australia. Applications for grants close at 5pm, 23 October.