Vic: Officials to choose whether girls can play boys' footy

AAP General News (Australia)
02-17-2004
Vic: Officials to choose whether girls can play boys' footy

By Adam Morton

MELBOURNE, Feb 17 AAP - Teenage girls older than 14 can be legally banned from playing
in boys' Australian rules football leagues, a Victorian tribunal ruled in a landmark anti-discrimination
case today.

But the tribunal president called on football officials to give older girls a choice,
saying excluding them from boys' leagues because they may get hurt was "sexist, even when
well intentioned".

The decision came after three girls - Penny Cula-Reid, 16, Emily Stayner, 15, and Helen
Taylor, 14 - challenged a Football Victoria rule which banned them from playing in the
Moorabbin Saints Junior Football League (MSJFL) beyond under-12 level.

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) president Justice Stuart Morris
lifted the age at which girls have a legal right to play with boys to under-14.

But he ruled it was up to officials to decide whether girls could play in higher grades,
when strength, stamina and physique differences between the sexes becomes significant.

As Penny, Emily and Helen are under-15s and under-16s, Football Victoria has the final
say in whether they can play in the MSJFL.

Justice Morris stressed a rule banning girls at under-15 level did not have his support.

"The notion that females need to be protected by the football associations belongs
in another age," he said.

"For my part, the decision as to whether girls play under-15, or even under-16 football
should be left to the girls themselves.

"Not only is this consistent with notions of free choice, but also it can be achieved
without disadvantaging boys."

The three teenagers said they were disappointed with the decision but heartened it
meant younger girls could play in mixed competitions for longer.

All said they were unlikely to join a women's league.

Penny told a media conference she would probably be lost to football if not allowed
to play with boys, as she had little interest in taking on inexperienced girls.

"We have the skill, we have the passion, we have the heart that we want to play, so
why not just let us play?" she said.

"It will be awesome if I get to play football again, I'll bring up my 150th game this
season, but if they don't allow me to play I'll turn to soccer."

Helen called for teams to be picked on merit, not gender.

"If we get selected in a team then we should be allowed to play in that team," she said.

Labelling the case positive publicity for women's football, Football Victoria CEO Ken
Gannon urged the girls to accept the decision and join a new female league in Melbourne's
south-eastern suburbs.

He said it would "destroy the competition" to let the best female players take on the boys.

"There is a competition for them to play tomorrow without any interruption at all,"

Mr Gannon said.

He said Football Victoria's final response to the ruling would be made at a board meeting
next month.

Justice Morris warned his decision could have wider implications and mean officials
could not legally excluded boys from girls' under-13 and under-14 sports like netball.

He called for written submissions on whether 13-year-old boys should be allowed to
play female sports to be made before March 26.

AAP adm/dk/sco/jlw

KEYWORD: FOOTBALL NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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