Ms Sally Northcroft, Director of Sport
From the earliest days, competition in sport has been woven into the historical fabric of Brisbane Girls Grammar School. Tennis matches were played on the court at the front of the Main Building, a sports uniform was designed for girls to compete in the Queensland Girls Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA) and sporting awards were highly sought-after in recognition of sporting excellence (Harvey-Short, 2011).
The founding principles of sport at the School were based on the informed desire of the early ‘Lady Principals’ to include physical activity and competition into the girls’ daily routine. The advanced thinking of these women was remarkable, as this was occurring at a time when women were not even afforded the right to vote in Australia. Then as now, Brisbane Girls Grammar School represents a different picture to statistics for girls’ participation in sport.
Sophia Beanland, Principal from 1878–1888, persevered with the Board of Trustees to have a gymnasium built and established tennis as a competitive sporting activity, awarding a silver bracelet to the winner. Charlotte Pells, 1888–1895, believed education should be threefold: mental, moral and physical. She could not understand ‘how a careless, slouching walk, narrow chest and weak muscles can be considered things of no importance’ (cited in Harvey-Short, 2011). Kathleen Lilley, 1925–1952, believed that ‘physical activity and sport had the capacity to develop initiative and self-reliance in the individual and acted as a balance to academic stresses’(cited in Harvey-Short, 2011). As outlined by Pauline Harvey-Short in her book To Become Fine Sportswomen: The History of Health, Physical Education and Sport at Brisbane Girls Grammar School 1875–2010 (2011), by the start of the twentieth century the extensive Physical Education and Health programme at the School was ‘incorporating the most modern components of the subject used worldwide’.
With such a solid foundation, it is no surprise that physical activity and sport are so integral to the life of a Girls Grammar student. And now, when media outlets are drastically under-reporting the recognition of our successful female athletes, Grammar girls are defying the national and international trends by continuing to participate, pursue and actively engage in the challenge of competitive sport. Harvey-Short (2011) summarised the tangible reasons as to why this continues at the School:
- The strength of the Interhouse programme and the inter-school competition. Brisbane Girls Grammar School was a founding member of QGSSSA (originally the Sports’ Association of Secondary Girls’ Schools), which developed in to the first secondary school sports association in Queensland.
- Access to top quality venues, including the recent purchase of the thirteen-hectare sports campus at Fig Tree Pocket.
- Prizes for achievement in physical education and sport: an awards system designed to recognise the many sporting achievements of the girls.
- Dedicated, qualified staff to deliver the teaching, coaching and development of sporting programmes.
As a result, over 700 girls participate in eighteen competitive sports for Girls Grammar each year. In research conducted into participation rates over the past decade, 70% of the student population has represented Girls Grammar in competitive sport. In the winter months, more than 600 girls are involved in Rowing, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Athletics, Hockey, Netball, Tennis and Volleyball. Most notably, in stark contrast to the national and international trends, there has been no decline in the rate of participation for Brisbane Girls Grammar School students in the past decade.
National trends have reflected a decline in sports participation rates for girls aged 12–14 years from 2003 to 2012. The only improvement is the narrowing of the gap between girls and boys participation rates. In 2008, 56% of girls aged 12–14 years participated in organised sport, while over 71% of boys did so (ABS, 2008). In 2012, the gap and the rates have decreased: 66% boys and 53% girls (ABS, 2012). When compared to girls aged 15 and over, there is no ABS data associated specifically with competitive sport, which is often where a decline in participation in organised sport occurs for girls. In the United Kingdom, participation rates are even lower for girls, 40% for those aged 12–17, and the decline in girls’ participation in organised sport from Year 10 to Year 13 is drastic: 39% in Year 10 to 15% in Year 13 (Quick, Simon, & Thornton, 2010). Sadly, the same gap in gender participation exists in the United States of America, where girls make up just 42% of those involved in sport, compared to the 58% who are boys (National Federation of State High School Associations, 2013).
The levels of participation in organised sport at Brisbane Girls Grammar, in terms of our School population, are impressive in comparison to the national and international data. Surely participation rates across the country and the world would soar if more leaders embraced the same sentiments as the leaders at this fine educational institution.
Looking beyond participation rates, it appears that there is an absence of women in decision-making positions in sport. Women who could contribute to the strategic planning, allocation of funds and guiding philosophies of sporting organisations are particularly under-represented in coaching at the elite level, as well as in administrative positions. In Australia, only 24.4% of board directorships of national sport organisations (NSOs) are held by women. Five out of the fifty-five NSOs recognised and funded by the Australian Sports Commission did not appoint one woman to their board in 2013(Women on Boards, 2013). In the United States, 80% of the universities who compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association employed a male as the athletic director (Irick, 2011). In the United Kingdom, thirty-one out of fifty-seven boards surveyed do not meet the 25% minimum female representative expectation, and six sports boards do not have any female representation at all (Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, 2013).
It appears that, over the past fifteen years, very little progress has been made for women to be represented equally at the decision-making level in sport. At a time when the future of our girls’ involvement in sport could be quite seriously affected, it behoves this Director of Sport to try to address this issue within the microcosm of society that is Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
The School is committed to offering girls not only the opportunity to be involved in sport during their school days, but to further their engagement after they have graduated. Over the last decade, alumnae coaches have increased to over 80% of our total coaching staff and assistance is given to coaches who wish to pursue formal coaching qualifications. Connections with alumnae are a natural progression in sport, and opportunities to network and mentor coaches exist in many unofficial avenues. In numerous ways, Grammar girls are better equipped to become leaders in sport based on the structure that they experience while playing sport at the School.
In order to change what has become the status quo for women in leadership positions in sport, there needs to be a greater focus on preparing girls for opportunities to develop leadership skills in sport while they are still in school. Principal Milisent Wilkinson, in 1908, stated:
It is sometimes said that women in their ventures into life do not display the qualities which men possess, self-restraint, good fellowship when pursuing a common aim, ability to take defeat in good part, esprit de corps, qualities which men first gain as boys, from their games. If this be so, there is all the more reason why girls should be given, equally to boys, the chance to receive such beneficial effects and be no longer debarred from the education of the playground. (cited in Harvey-Short, 2011)
The playground of the twentieth century has become the boardroom of the twenty-first century. In order to best prepare our girls, Brisbane Girls Grammar will use sport to capture their boardroom skills while they are beginning to imagine their future careers. Employed coaches will continue to be encouraged to gain qualifications while engaging with a network of qualified and accomplished alumnae. This helps to develop greater bonds and creates more opportunities for women to support each other in the process of pursuing a position of leadership. Experienced coaches will mentor younger coaches, not just in the skills of coaching, but in decision-making and professional behavior as well. Built-in leadership from tiered and transparent coaching structures — including formal reviews, coaching workshops and feedback opportunities — will be a refinement that will be introduced. Events such as the Sportswomen of Excellence Celebration in October this year will showcase all sports teams and their achievements, highlight our excellent coaches and recognise our alumnae who have benefitted from participating in sport well beyond their time at this School.
These strategies will educate and encourage girls, coaches and teachers to be prepared to challenge for national leadership positions in coaching, administration and beyond. They will also continue to educate our staff and girls on the importance of ‘taking a seat at the table’, (as advocated by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook CFO) in order to be heard. Without delay, the representation of the decision-makers in sport must be the participants — all participants. It will come as no surprise that our girls will be very well represented.
The Sportswomen of Excellence Celebration will be held on Wednesday 23 October at Brisbane Grammar School’s Centenary Hall, starting at 4.00 pm. You are cordially invited to attend. Guest Speakers Alissa Burgess (née Castrisos 2001) and Geordan Shannon (2002) will give their personal reflections on their experience of leadership and service in sport.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2008, October 2). Sports and physical recreation: A statistical overview, Australia, 2008 (edition 1), cat. No. 4156.0. Canberra: ABS.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012, December 20). Survey of children’s participation in culture and leisure activities, Australia, 2012 (CPCLA), cat. no. 4901.0. Canberra: ABS.
Harvey-Short, P. (2011). To become fine sportswomen: The history of health, physical education and sport at Brisbane Girls Grammar School 1875—2010. Brisbane: Brisbane Girls Grammar School.
Irick, E. (2011). NCAA race and gender demographics, 1995–2011. Retrieved from http://web1.ncaa.org/rgdSearch/exec/main
National Federation of State High School Associations. (2013, June). 2012–13 High School Athletics Participation Survey. Retrieved August 2013 from http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=3282
Quick, S., Simon, A., & Thornton, A. (2010, September). PE and sport survey 2009/10 (rep. no. 978-1-84775-794-4). Retrieved April 2013 from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181556/DFE-RR032.pdf
Women on Boards. (2013, January). National sporting organisations 2013. Retrieved September 2013 from http://www.womenonboards.org.au/pubs/bdi/2013/nso.htm
Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation. (2013). Trophy women? NGB leadership audit 2013. Retrieved from http://www.wsff.org.uk/system/1/assets/files/000/000/474/474/49193d130/original/Trophy_Women_2013_(3).pdf