A Sporting Chance: Women in sport

A Sporting Chance, part of the Improving Education for Girls project, is a Tasmanian documentary from 1980 that challenges the idea that girls must conform to traditional sex roles. We see high school girls playing AFL and defying the notion that it's a 'man's sport' and that women should stick to netball and softball. Vox pops with the players reinforce the point of the footage: sport can empower girls and redefine stereotypes of femininity. While women have a long history of participating in the various football codes in Australia, the early 1980s marked a significant transition point, leading to the mainstream acceptance of women playing AFL, rugby and soccer from the 1990s onwards. The Victorian Women's Football League was formed in 1981.