Our Future Female Leaders Program participants selected

by Bowls Australia on September 18, 2020

Bowls Australia (BA) has confirmed an exciting group of 15 women for its Our Future Female Leaders Program that will commence at the end of this month.

Our Future Female Leaders Program is a learning and development program that has come to fruition with the significant support provided by Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

The program itself has been designed by the AIS Performance People and Teams (PPT) branch, facilitated by the Melbourne Business School (MBS) and supported by Sport Australia through the Women Leaders in Sport (WLIS) grant program.

The women who will participate in the program come from a range of backgrounds and experiences in bowls, including BA staff and current and former BCiB Australian Jackaroos. The program is tailored to women in management, administration, advisory and coaching roles within BA, State and Territory Associations and clubs Australia-wide.

Bowls Tasmania CEO and Jackaroo Rebecca Van Asch, who will participate in the program, said she is looking forward to the program and what it will offer.

“It is a great initiative by Bowls Australia,” she said.

“There has been a real focus on women in bowls recently, with the Women in Bowls Working Party as well as other things which is fantastic.”

The program focuses on three key themes of personal leadership, collaborative leadership as well as team dynamics and leading culture.

BA CEO Neil Dalrymple said the program is another good example of BA’s commitment to supporting and developing current and future strong leaders in the sport.

“The recent establishment of the Women in Bowls Working Party has been inspiring and their leadership and ideas will set a great framework for a much better engagement of women in the sport of bowls,” he said.

“I congratulate the 15 women selected for this leadership program and I am confident that they will play a critical role in helping to administer and govern Bowls in Australia into the future. I look forward to working with them and supporting them to make bowls a sport of choice for women in Australia,” he said.

Van Asch said the program will provide a learning opportunity that can be passed on through the ranks to club level.

“Across the board women are still underrepresented in leadership positions, and that’s not just our sport, it’s indicative of club level sport across the country,” she said.

“This is a chance to upskill female leaders in the game. I know I will pass on whatever knowledge I learn from this to other women in Tassie, and I’d think that would be similar for the other women who will be involved as well.”

Having undertaken leadership training in the past, Van Asch said she is excited by the bowls-specific nature of the program.

“I have been doing other leadership courses with La Trobe throughout lockdown which I have really enjoyed, but the fact this will be bowls specific is really exciting,” she said.

“It will be beneficial for me not just as the Bowls Tasmania CEO and a Jackaroo leader, but also as a volunteer at local level.”

The program will launch on September 29, with the first module – containing four workshops and running until November – to be conducted online due to COVID-19.

Click here to learn more about the Our Future Female Leaders Program.