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National Film and Sound Archive of AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive

A Sporting Chance documentary

1980

A Sporting Chance documentary

1980

  • NFSA IDDPM19TC4
  • TypeFilm
  • MediumMoving Image
  • FormInstructional
  • GenresAnimation, Children
  • Year1980

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.

Courtesy of
Tasmanian Film Corporation

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.

Courtesy of
Tasmanian Film Corporation
  • Excerpt from A Sporting Chance 1980. Tasmanian Film Corporation. NFSA title: 484226.

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