Even
Girls
Play
Footy
A 30-minute DVD written and
directed by Kerreen Ely-Harper,
produced by Carmel McAloon
© ATOM 2013
A STUDY GUIDE by PAULETTE GITTINS
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-224-6
http://www.theeducationshop.com.au
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FOOTBALL, FEMALES AND
HUMAN RIGHTS
Even Girls Play Footy (Kerreen Ely-Harper, 2012)
tells the story of three teenage girls who challenged the Victorian football establishment for the
right to play the game they loved. Banned because
of their gender from playing alongside the boys
in their junior football teams, they took their case
to court, ultimately overturning the rules governing mixed competition in junior football. Their
case paved the way for developments in women’s
football nationwide. This is a story that explodes
the myth that ordinary Victorians cannot change
the law. In this program, the three young women,
now in their twenties, reflect on their battle, their
landmark legal case and the changes they brought
about in this sport – and they are still playing
football!
It’s an inspiring story about being prepared to fight
for what you believe in and not giving up even
when you know you may not get what you want
in the end. It’s a story that speaks to all of us no
1: Penny Cula-Reid 2: Emily
Stanyer 3: Helen Taylor
This case is about human rights…
– Justice Stuart Morris, VCAT
The big lesson is: Don’t just put up with something.
Understand you’ve got rights. Work out who you
can go to, to get advice and help to assert your
rights.– Felicity Hampel, Human Rights Barrister
Synopsis
Background
In 2003 Emily Stanyer, Penny Cula-Reid and Helen
Taylor sparked ‘a footy war’ when they challenged
a Football Victoria ruling banning them from playing alongside their male team-members in their
local junior football team. Keen players in mixed
teams from their primary school days, they had
played more than 300 games between them. On
1 June 2003, preparing for their weekly game,
they were suddenly confronted with The Female
Participation Regulation Rule, which declared that
girls over the age of twelve were not allowed to
play Australian Rules Football ‘in mixed competition.’ Officials ordered them off the field, banning
them from further participation. The ‘sudden death’
quality of this ban amazed and devastated them,
their families and respective team-mates.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
The case is about justice, and that somebody, or an
organization can make an arbitrary decision on no
notice and stop somebody from doing something
that they love – and making sure that there’s something that can be done about that.
– Jennifer Holdstock, Junior Lawyer,
Russell Kennedy Solicitors
matter your age or your gender about the right to
participate and be given a fair go.
– Kerreen Ely-Harper, Director
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The Case
Rather than meekly accept the ruling, the three
teenagers determined to seek legal advice, first
through the Equal Opportunity Commission, then
the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
(VCAT) and ultimately gaining the pro bono support
of law firm Russell Kennedy and prominent human
rights barrister Felicity Hampel.
What the girls were to learn was that this was
a complex case and that the legal process was
challenging and lengthy, much of the legal language and terminology was confusing and, in
the end, the outcome did not provide what they
dearly hoped for – reinstatement in their respective teams.
Because the junior football season finals were
approaching, the lawyers for the girls applied for
‘interlocutory proceedings’, a legal ruling which
lifted the ban on the girls temporarily, clearing them
to return to playing junior football. In the meantime,
the legal teams researched and prepared their
arguments about the fairness or otherwise of The
Female Participation Regulation Rule. In November
2003, the VCAT full hearing took place.
The Arguments
Football Victoria governs amateur football in
Victoria and this body, together with the Moorabbin
Saints Junior Football Club were the ‘Respondents’
in this case of alleged discrimination.
Their argument was that while The Equal
Opportunity Act (Section 65) makes discrimination
in sport unlawful, Section 66 permits ‘discrimination’ if there is a ‘relevant difference in strength,
stamina and physique of participants’. They
contended that girls should be excluded in mixed
competition over the age of twelve because they
would differ from boys in ‘strength, stamina and
physique’. Expert witnesses for the Respondents
offered testimony for this, asserting:
The Applicants (the girls’ legal team) challenged
this expert testimony, bringing in experts of their
own who declared that there was ‘not enough
evidence’ to suggest that ‘strength, stamina and
Right: Articles courtesy of Fairfax Syndication
and Newspix/Herald Sun
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
• that differences in ‘lean body mass’ between
girls and boys begin appearing at age twelve;
• therefore boys are generally bigger and heavier
than girls at this age;
• on the football field, girls would possibly be
more prone to injury than boys because of their
lack of strength;
• ‘behaviour modification’ also plays a role in the
way both genders react to each other on-field.
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physique’ differs enough at age twelve to exclude
girls from junior football.
The Verdict
In February 2004, Justice Stuart Morris delivered
his verdict. He criticized the Female Participation
Regulation Rule, including its title, and that ‘the
notion that females needed to be protected by
football associations belongs in another age’.
He ordered that :
1. There was not a relative difference in ‘strength,
stamina and physique between boys and girls
under fourteen years’, and that therefore
2. mixed competition was lawful and that
3.the Female Participation Regulation Rule was
wrong.
4. Girls fifteen and over have the right to choose
to play football ‘on their merit and in the spirit
of equal opportunity.’
The Outcome
The outcome of this case meant that girls could
now play in mixed competition until the age of
fourteen. Sadly, for Emily, Penny and Helen, by the
time the verdict was delivered, it was too late for
them to gain the benefit. However, they had helped
to change a law in a ‘landmark case’ and created a
pathway for girls to pursue a career in football to a
senior level.
This case opened the floodgates for girls wanting
to return to the field. As a result, Football Victoria
created a ‘Youth Girls Competition’. Today there
are 96,000 registered women and girls playing the
game nationally and the AFL is aiming to launch a
national womens league in 2020.
The Aftermath
Of the three girls, now in their twenties, employed
or studying, two are still playing football. In reflection, they recognize themselves as enablers of all
young girls who want to pursue their dreams of
competition in a sport they love.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Left: Articles courtesy of Fairfax Syndication,
Newspix/Herald Sun and News Limited
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
This documentary is produced by Carmel
McAloon and her independent company,
Endangered Pictures. Endangered Pictures sees
its role as ‘giving a voice to people and issues
overlooked in mainstream media’. Carmel is most
interested in creating crafted, social issue documentaries and drama, exploring strong characters
and themes.
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Originally, director Kerreen Ely-Harper
was planning a fictional film script
about a young girl’s last game of football. She had interviewed a number
of girls who had been forced to stop
playing junior football because of the
ban on girls over twelve years of age.
When she heard of the real case of
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the three girls who spearheaded the
challenge to this ruling, she was inspired to tell their story in documentary form. ‘It was a story that seemed to touch the
hearts and minds of a cross-section of Australian
society, not just footy fans,’ she says, ‘and I didn’t
want that story to be lost to history.’
Curriculum Relevance
Even Girls Play Footy is suitable for secondary
students. The film is structured around interviews
with the key subjects, including the legal team who
represented the girls. Lower secondary students
will benefit from activities that introduce the key legal concepts and terminology examined in the film
prior to viewing. This film applies across a range
of subject areas, including Legal Studies, Gender
Studies, Civics and Citizenship, English and Media
Studies.
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relevance as either a set text or as supplementary
material are:
Year 10 English and Literature
EVEN GIRLS PLAY
FOOTY received
an ATOM award
Nomination for
Best Secondary
Educational
Resource in 2012.
Issues raised in this documentary:
The various subjects and relevant Study Design
Areas in which Even Girls Play Footy may be of
1: (L–R) Carmel McAloon,
Penny Cula-Reid, Kerreen ElyHarper 2: Kerreen Ely-Harper
(Director) 3: Carmel McAloon
(Producer)
1. Through this documentary students can learn
how language use can have inclusive and
exclusive social effects, and can empower or
disempower people (ACELA1564)
2. They can come to understand that people’s
evaluations of texts are influenced by their
value systems, the context and the purpose
and mode of communication (ACELA1565)
3. They can compare and evaluate a range of
representations of individuals and groups in
different historical, social and cultural contexts
(ACELT1639)
4. They can evaluate the social, moral and ethical
positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)
5. They can compare and evaluate how ‘voice’
as a literary device can be used in a range of
different types of texts. and evoke particular
emotional responses (ACELT1643)
6. They are able to analyse and evaluate how
people, cultures, places, events, objects and
concepts are represented in texts, including
media texts, through language, structural and/
or visual choices (ACELY1749)
7. They can identify and explore the purposes and
effects of different text structures and language
features of spoken texts, and use this knowledge to create purposeful texts that inform,
persuade and engage (ACELY1750)
8. They can identify and analyse implicit or explicit
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
• Human rights
• Gender equity and opportunity
• Differences in the sexes – the ongoing debate/
stereotyping of roles
• Countering discrimination/outdated and discriminatory laws
• The historical significance of certain legal cases
• The concept of justice
• Changes in the social order
• The role of the community in changing the laws
This documentary links in a number of ways to
specific study areas of the National Curriculum for
Year 10 students:
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values, beliefs and assumptions in texts and
how these are influenced by purposes and
likely audiences (ACELY1752)
VCE English/ESL Units 1–4
ώώ Area of Study 1: Reading and
Responding.
Students focus on two set texts in which ‘social,
historical or cultural values … are embodied.’ This
documentary makes excellent support material
for such texts.
ώώ AREA OF STUDY 2: Creating and
Presenting.
In all four Units of VCE English/ESL, this Area
of Study involves focus on a given ‘Context’: a
particular theme or concept that invites students
to explore and examine how certain ideas and
arguments have emerged and developed in
modern society. The study of various texts enables students to develop a broad understanding
of the Context.
A particular Context often studied at Unit 1 and 2
level is ‘JUSTICE’ or ‘THE NATURE OF JUSTICE’.
This documentary applies most appropriately to
this Context.
Legal Studies VCE Unit 2: Civil Law
ώώ AREAS OF STUDY 1&2
This documentary would address key curricular
focuses in these two Areas such as:
• Investigation of types of civil laws and related
cases and issues;
• Developing an appreciation of the role of civil
law in society;
• Developing an understanding of the process of
lawmaking by judges and courts;
• Mediation and judicial determination
ώώ AREA OF STUDY 3
Sports and the law.
ώώ AREA OF STUDY 4
Gender Studies.
While Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary
academic field and is principally the province of
tertiary institutions, this study includes a number of subsets of studies relevant to the secondary school curriculum. Examination of feminism,
gender and politics, and the study of sexuality are
all explored in the fields of literature and language,
history, political science, and cinema and media
studies. Such subjects analyse issues of race,
ethnicity, location, nationality and disability.
Media Studies – Particularly Unit 1
ώώ Area of Study 1
Media Studies involves exploring, interpreting and
responding to texts in a variety of media and forms.
The Study Design of all four Units focuses on how
media influences and shapes the way people ‘perceive themselves and others, and (plays) a crucial
role in the creation and exchange of personal,
social, cultural, national and global identities’. Even
Girls Play Footy slots in most appropriately into
Area of Study 1 as a text to analyse in this broad
exploration of the role of media. ‘An analysis of
structure and features … audience reception …
contribution to and impact on society’ are further
focuses of this Area of Study and this documentary
is eminently suitable for these analyses. Very specifically, this Area of Study requires an examination
of media ‘representations and how such representations depict, for example, events, people, places,
organisations and ideas’. Key knowledge involves
‘examining representations of values … related to
gender, age, ethnicity, culture and socio-economic
status’.
1: Penny Cula-Reid
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
Students investigate and describe an Australian
case illustrating rights, issues and the impact of
the case on the legal system. This documentary is
most applicable for this Area.
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Viewing Activity
Some Elementary Media Analysis
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1. As you watch the documentary, look carefully
at the three girls as they play in their mixed
competition teams. There’s a great deal of
footage of their teams on-field, in the change
rooms, training and singing the team song.
What impression do you have of the way the
boys and the girls work in this mixed-gender
environment?
2. Each participant tells his/her own story with the
camera facing them. What might be the intention of using this very simple technique?
3. How does the opening text onscreen, featuring
Justice Morris’ words, prepare you for what is
about to be shown?
4. How does information that appears periodically on screen throughout the documentary
provide background without interrupting
the story?
Civics and Citizenship
Civics and Citizenship focuses on the development of skills and behaviours involved in interactions with the community and in engagement with
organisations and groups. Students think critically
about their own values and those of organisations
and groups across a range of settings, and explore
the diversity of society. Even Girls Play Footy
speaks clearly to the notions of values and organisations, encouraging audiences to consider the
appropriateness of laws and regulations that have
been a part of Australian society for a long time,
and are now being challenged.
Civics and citizenship entails knowledge and
understanding of Australia’s democratic heritage
and traditions, its political and legal institutions and
the shared values of freedom, tolerance, respect,
responsibility and inclusion. This study also
supports the development of skills, values
and attitudes that are necessary for effective, informed and reflective participation in
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Australia’s democracy.
1: (L–R) Carmel McAloon,
Helen Taylor and Kerreen ElyHarper filming on location
2: Helen Taylor 3: Penny CulaReid playing in her boys team
ACTIVITIES
Pre-viewing Activity
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
1. What is a documentary?
2. What do you understand by the expression ‘human rights’?
3. Why do we have rules/laws in our
society?
4. Do you think that girls should play
football? Why/why not?
5. Do you think girls should play football in
the same team as the boys? Why/why
not?
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3. Over the months as the case was fought, the
three girls came to see their challenge as having
implications for all female junior sports players.
How did they initially feel about the outcome of the
case? How do they feel now? Did you empathize
with their situation?
4. The girls were concerned with the media attention their case caused, with ‘being chased up the
street (by reporters) during lunchtime…people turning up to (their houses) asking for an interview …
posing for pictures “like little puppets, told to look
angry … make us do things that weren’t exactly
how we were feeling …”’
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Post-viewing ACTIVITIES
Why do you think the media took such as interest in the girls’ case and why might they want to
portray the girls in ways that ‘weren’t exactly how
we were feeling …’?
Activity 1. Wider reading
1. Check out the PDF ‘Quick Guide to the Equal
5. Do you think the girls felt they had won? Why/
Why not?
Opportunity Act’ at: <http://www.humanrights
commission.vic.gov.au/index.php?option=com_
k2&view=item&id=1448:equal-opportunity-act
-2010-quick-guide&Itemid=687>
6. Do you think there are areas of life in which
males and females should not work together?
What might these be?
Can you think of any recent news/media stories in which a form of discrimination has been
challenged?
2. Did you know that women have been playing football (soccer) in Britain since the first
recorded women’s game in 1895? Women’s
football faced many struggles throughout its history. It had a ‘golden age’ in the early 1920s when
crowds reached 50,000 at some matches; this
was stopped in 1921 when England’s Football
Association voted to ban the game from grounds
used by its member clubs. The FA’s ban was
rescinded in December 1969 with UEFA voting to
officially recognise women’s football in 1971.The
FIFA Women’s World Cup was inaugurated in 1991
and has been held every four years since.
What’s your response to this, and to the slow evolution of women’s football teams in Australia?
Activity 2. Class discussion
1. On what grounds did the Applicants’ legal team
challenge the Female Participation Regulation
Rule?
2. What is ‘behaviour modification’ as described in
this case?
1: Penny Cula-Reid
It is important that you understand the meaning of
the legal terminology and other relevant vocabulary that is constantly being used in this documentary. Watching and listening carefully, you will be
able to work out what these words mean. Write
down a clear, accurate definition of each of the
following:
• The Female Participation Regulation Rule
•Pro-bono
•Applicant
•Respondent
• Injunction – temporary
• Injunction – interlocutory
•Arbitrary
• Contest (used as a verb)
•Debrief
•Compromise
•Discriminatory
• (A) hearing
•Alleged
•Conciliation
Activity 4. Writing/speaking –
constructing a debate
‘The world order that we’ve known gets
changed …’
– Felicity Hampel
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
Working in pairs, find answers to the following
questions:
Activity 3. Short writing activity –
legal language: ‘legalese’
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References
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Let’s look now at other examples of
challenges to the old ‘world order.’
As you know, the Australian Defence
Force now accepts women into most
ranks of the Army, Navy and Air Force,
although there are many Australians
who are opposed to this on a variety
of grounds.
Look carefully at the arguments that
have been raised for and against this
and construct a debate on another
contentious male-female participation issue: women in combat.
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(Look carefully at the internet references at the end
of this study guide for assistance in this debate.)
Activity 5. Written research
assignment
The following two women changed the known
‘world order’ in the Australian workplace by
challenging the law governing women working
alongside men:
• Joyce Barry
• Deborah Lawrie
1. Find out all you can about these two women
and write a short biography of each. Remember
to include their backgrounds, aspirations and
achievements.
3. In what ways did the ‘old order’ change so that
they were able to achieve these ambitions?
(The internet references to assist you in this assignment are located at the end of this study guide).
1-3: Penny Cula-Reid
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
2. What did these women have to combat in order
to achieve their goals?
1. EVEN GIRLS PLAY FOOTY: PRESS KIT
Producer: Carmel McAloon, Endangered
Pictures, <[email protected]>.
2. The following site should assist the Previewing Activity: <http://www.hreoc.gov.au/
human_rights/issues/index/html>
3. A Quick Guide to the Equal Opportunity Act:
<http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov
.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=
1448:equal-opportunity-act-2010-quick-guide
&Itemid=687>
Here it is in the form of a downloadable PDF:
<http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.
au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&task
=download&id=744&Itemid=687>
4. Study Design for VCE Legal Studies Unit 2:
Issues in Civil Law: <http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.
au/Pages/vce/studies/legalstudies/legalindex.
aspx>
This also comes in the form of a downloadable
PDF: <http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/
vce/legalstudies/legalstudiessd-2011.pdf>
5. The Australian Curriculum links to the documentary may be found at <http://www.acara.
edu.au/curriculum/phase_1_-_the_australian
_curriculum.html>. Downloadable PDF:
<http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/
Australian_Curriculum_-_History.pdf>
6. The use of ‘strength, stamina and physique’ in
assessing mixed competition:
<http://www.playbytherules.net.au/faqs#>
7.<http://www.playbytherules.net.au/assets/
docs/courtAndTribunalDecisions/>
PDF: <http://www.playbytherules.net.au/
assets/docs/courtAndTribunalDecisions/
CourtAndTribunalDecisions.pdf>
This portion of the site provides an interactive
scenario which puts forward arguments for and
against the issue of girls on mixed teams.
8. Media Studies links to VCE Study Design:
<http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/
studies/media/mediaindex.aspx>
Downloadable PDF: <http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.
au/Documents/vce/media/media-sd-2012.pdf>
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9. Civics and Citizenship links to Year 10
curriculum:
<http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.
au/cce/about_civics_and_citizenship
_education,9625.html>
10.Information about British Association
Football history:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Association_football#Women.27s_
association_football>
11.Herald Sun article on the surge in
interest of girls in junior football:
‘Oh brother, we love our footy too’:
<http://heraldsun.com.au/news/
more-news/oh-brother-we-love
-our-footy-too/story-fn7x8me2
-1226364953302>
12.‘The ruck’s crime? She’s a girl.’ This is
a news article on the response by fellow team-members to the three girls’
ban: <http://www.theage.com.au/
articles/2003/11/11/1068329558780.
html>
13.This page set out the history of
women’s football in Australia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Women%27s_Australian_rules_football
14.<http://www.theage.com.au/articles/
2003/07/27/1059244490177.html>
‘After the legal all-clear, the girls let
fly.’ This is an article from The Age
detailing the public response to the
girls’ battle.
15. Both of the following sites focus
on the case of Joyce Barry, the first
female tram driver:
(a) <http://www.hawthorntramdepot.
org.au/papers/barry.htm>
and:
(b) <http://www.abc.net.au/radio
national/programs/hindsight/
cap-234074/4208670>
16.The following two sites contain the
story of Deborah Lawrie, the first
female pilot for a major Australian
airline:
(a) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Deborah_Lawrie>
and:
(b) ‘Twenty-five years on, pilot fighter
lands softly.’ <http://www.theage.
com.au/articles/2004/06/26/108814
5020233.html>
17.‘Women have no place in combat.’
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
national-affairs/opinion/women
-have-no-place-in-combat/
story-ebfrgOx-1>
This sets out arguments against the
issue of women in combat.
18.<http://www.theage.com.au/national/
women-to-try-before-they-buy
-combat-roles-20120825-24tl7.html>
This informs readers of the developments of policy to encourage women
into the Australian military and the
involvement of the Sex Discrimination
Commissioner.
19.‘Women in Combat: why operational
capability must be the prime determinant of employment policy.’
<http://www.ada.asn.au/commentary/
formal-comment.html>
This site provides a ten-point summary of the Australian Defence Force’s
views on women in combat and a
response to the media focus on the
issue.
20.<http://education.theage.com.au/
cmspage.php?intid=135&intversion=
364>
‘Women in combat’: an article by
Colleen Ricci.
Paulette Gittins is a novelist and freelance
writer living in Melbourne.
SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2013
This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2012)
ISBN: 978-1-74295-224-6 [email protected]
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