Today marks 2021 International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Women make a tremendous contribution at all levels of our football club and the ‘Advancement of Women’ is a key pillar our Diversity Action Plan (DAP).

The Sydney Swans are proud of our existing gender diversity and committed to creating even greater opportunities for women, as well as developing pathways to help female staff reach their aspirations.

Across the commercial part of our business, half of our staff are women, while there are two women who help lead the club as part of our six-person executive management team and two women on our Board. 

There has also been an increase in women in our football department this season, with new additions to the team in operations, high performance, medical services and player development.

We're fortunate to have a strong female supporter base, with our L@SS (Ladies @Sydney Swans) group offering female members the opportunity to share their passion for the club with like-minded female supporters. 

On the field, an AFLW team remains a priority, and in 2017 we started building a talent pipeline for a future Sydney Swans women's team by expanding the QBE Sydney Swans Academy to include a Youth Girls program.

In 2021, 326 female athletes will participate in the QBE Sydney Swans Academy. Of those, 224 will participate in the Youth Girls program (U12 to U15 age groups) and 92 in the new Top End program (U16 to U19 age groups).  

Recently the Top End girls teams created history, becoming the first female teams to play for the red and white. Both sides marked the momentous occasion by defeating cross-town rivals GWS in their opening matches.

On this International Women’s Day we're celebrating all the women who play a part in our football club. If you're among them - thank you for your contribution.

You can hear from some of these women in a special edition of our podcast below.