Northern NSW Football has concluded the 2025 Women’s Leadership Program, aimed at empowering women involved in football to have a stronger, more positive influence on sport.
The program provided five weeks of online and face-to-face networking and learning opportunities for aspiring and established female leaders across northern NSW.
The Women’s Leadership Program helps to increase the capacity and number of women in decision-making roles across all levels of the sport.
All 12 participants attended a two-day conference in the program’s third week at the Novotel in Newcastle. The conference allowed all participants to come face-to-face with each other and build relationships between club volunteers, committee members, administrators and NNSWF staff for improved support.
Football Australia’s Media Manager – Women's Football & Community Ann Odong facilitated the program.
Kahibah FC and Mayfield United JSFC’s Mel Elliot and Heidi McGregor from Weston Bears and Kurri Kurri FC took valuable experiences and learnings away from participating in the program.
“I think the main takeaway for me is to challenge myself, keep providing positive leadership and to maintain my goals and values moving forward,” Elliot said.
“Some of my other main learnings were to have the courage to raise issues early and deal with them before they become a bigger problem. I need to trust myself and my values.”
“I genuinely enjoyed the entire conference. While speaking about myself I felt vulnerable and it pushed me out of my comfort zone. It was incredibly empowering to receive feedback from a group of like-minded women,” Mcgregor said.
Northern NSW Football Participation & Women's Football Officer – Regional Helen Moseley was thrilled with the program’s success.
“Northern NSW Football’s Women’s Leadership Program is a fantastic opportunity for women in different roles across football to network and connect,” Moseley said.
“We had 12 participants take part in our 2025 program which takes it to a total of 85 women from across northern NSW that have participated in the program.
“It is great to see so many women influencing our game in positive ways and the impact they can have when given the opportunity to learn in a supportive environment.
“The skills explored and developed in this program include effective communication, understanding personality traits and team dynamics. These skills are transferable for our participants to apply their new knowledge and skills in their personal and professional lives as well as in their roles in football.
“Through connecting these women in football, we are building a network that saves them time and resources across all levels of the game as shared experiences allow people to adjust and implement new processes and systems that have been successful elsewhere rather than re-inventing the wheel.
“I look forward to seeing the positive impact from the latest cohort, whilst continuing to connect with and support more women in future programs.”
