Media Release
February 22 2008
AFL
sex education a step in the right direction
The release by the Australian Footballl League (AFL) of an interactive DVD designed to improve player attitudes to women, has been welcomed by UniSA sport sociology expert Dr Murray Drummond, but he says it needs to be part of a more comprehensive and ongoing approach.
Dr Drummond, a specialist in the area of masculinity in sports, said that while he supports the move by the AFL, a change in the overall culture of AFL clubs is paramount and leadership must come from senior players within the clubs.
“The AFL have identified that they’re serious about the issue, but a simple DVD in isolation is too easy to walk away from, particularly if it’s shown to them as a group; they’re 17 to 18 year old boys who are likely to niggle and laugh about it and then just walk away.
“The ideal approach is one which interfaces with each of the young players as individuals, workshops the issues to open them up for discussion and offers ongoing support for the interlinked issues of drugs and alcohol.
“What we want to do is create young men who are understanding and respectful in all different forms; to women, to other men and across sexuality.
“Underpinning this is that these young players have ongoing support from the club and a culture of senior players with strong moral values and ethics they can look up to and learn from.”
Dr Drummond said that his research into the culture of South Australian National Football League (SANFL) clubs from ten years ago showed that masculinised behaviour has long been a serious cultural issue within football clubs.
“We’ve known for a long time that most team sports, particularly AFL, have a culture which creates and reinforces certain masculinised behaviours; it’s a highly masculinised domain.
“These are young men who have no experience in these new situations; they have more money, media attention and adoration from hundreds of fans without the skills to make good decisions.
“Whether players should or shouldn’t be role models, they are and
they’re in the public eye. This move by the AFL shows players as well as
the whole community that these are serious issues.”
Contacts for interview
- Dr Murray Drummond mobile 0403 509 931 email murray.drummond@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
- Linda Hein office (08) 8302 0965 mobile 0411 257 029 email linda.hein@unisa.edu.au