Sporting festival highlights contributions

LOCAL sporting stakeholders will get the opportunity to receive insight from some of the region’s most prominent female sports figures tomorrow morning at GMHBA Stadium, in a breakfast of “empowerment and motivation”.

The Female Festival of Sport Breakfast, running from 6.30-9am tomorrow (Friday, May 12), is AFL Barwon’s headline event for its week-long (May 8-15) Female Festival of Sport program, celebrating the impact of local women in sport.

The Breakfast will feature a panel of speakers including Geelong Cats coach and Channel 7 commentator Daisy Pearce, program manager for the 2026 Commonwealth Games Sarah Albon, and AFL national indigenous program manager Lily Graham.

“The Breakfast will aim to highlight the different roles women can play in local sport,” AFL Barwon Commission chair Michelle Gerdtz said.

“To have someone like Daisy speak at this week’s event is just phenomenal, what she’s done in the AFL space is astounding and lifting the profile of women’s sport is fantastic.

“I really can’t wait to hear what she has to say.”

AFL Barwon Commission chair Michelle Gerdtz says the Female Festival of Sport is pivotal to shining a light on female contributions to local sport.

Other festival activities held earlier in the week ranged from a Geelong Falcons x AusKick Buddy Night on Monday to a Community Club Champion Celebration Night tonight.

Breast Cancer Awareness Round will also be played across football and netball in the Geelong/Bellarine Football Netball League competitions on Saturday.

“Highlighting female participation in sport in this way is really key, and we’re seeing a massive uptake in female football across the region at the moment,” Ms Gerdtz said.

“To any person that’s involved in a club, there’s many ways to contribute to local sport, whether that’s through volunteering or in administration.”

The breakfast’s MC and Geelong Cats VFLW player Bree Beckley has been in sports administration since 2021, starting as a regional support administrator at Leisure Networks, before becoming AFL Barwon’s Female Football Coordinator.

Ms Beckley was then appointed talent operations lead at Geelong Falcons at the beginning of this year.

“The festival is the recognition piece of sports being quite male dominated over the years, it also recognises that there are lots of girls and women who still love to be involved in sport,” she said.

“I personally played in the inception year of AFL Barwon’s Female Football Competition with St Mary’s, and seeing from an administration point of view the league continuing to grow, particularly after COVID-19, is terrific.