The Just Play Programme has four objectives as it works to make social change throughout the Oceania region, one of which is the promotion of gender equality.
With 8 March 2014 marking International Women’s Day, the inroads this programme makes all year-round in the realms of gender equality and female empowerment comes under the spotlight.
Just Play is designed and monitored by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Social Responsibility department, in partnership with the Australian Government through the Australian Sports Commission, Football Federation Australia and UEFA, and new partner UNICEF.
The programme promotes physical activity for children aged 6-12 years old through football related activities, while also addressing endemic issues such as non-communicable diseases, poor nutrition, gender equality and stigma and discrimination towards children with disabilities.
As well as providing a safe environment for young girls to take part in physical activity, OFC head of social responsibility and international relations Franck Castillo says it is a chance to empower women.
“A perfect example is our technical coordinator Emmie Sope,” he says.
“That role could easily have gone to a man, but Emmie is the perfect fit. She has the qualifications to do the job,
understands the people she’s working with and is a role model for each and every young girl who participates in this programme.”
Further to this, the chance to become community leaders is on offer to women throughout the region.
Of the 11 Just Play Project Managers in OFC’s Member Associations, six of those roles are being carried out by women. This is on top of the development officers and instructors, of which the 2,600 who have been trained includes more than 1,000 females.
This is helped by making a key requirement of the programme being introduced to any community or school, including the proviso that one of the two teachers or volunteers recommended for training, must be a female.
Castillo says this not only provides leadership positions for females, but also helps to change perceptions toward women in such a role.
“It helps motivate girls to take part in the programme and also encourages improved interaction and respect between boys and girls, changing the boys’ perception of girls,” he says.
What Just Play has proven is not just that women should be offered these opportunities, but that they have the capabilities, the drive and the passion to succeed.
But Just Play is not alone in providing opportunities for women to take on leadership roles.
OFC and its Member Associations have women in a number of key roles, none more prominent than that of Football Federation Samoa CEO Sarai Bareman.
Leading by example, Bareman is proof that football offers opportunities of leadership to women, which is uncommon. But with more and more females, like Bareman, proving they are capable of successfully taking on such high-powered roles, perceptions are slowly changing.
The Just Play Programme will continue to promote gender equality throughout the Oceania region as it aims to change the perception men have of women, encourage the participation of women and promote respect from a young age.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2014 is Inspiring Change, and activities are being held around the world in celebration of women on 8 March. In Oceania events have been confirmed in Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
