NEW South Wales sporting organisations can apply for a share of $500,000 funding for innovative initiatives that will increase participation in sport by women and girls, on and off the field as part of the Play Her Way innovation program.

The Play Her Way women’s sport strategy is a four-year plan to facilitate opportunities for women and girls in New South Wales to get involved and stay involved in sport.

The innovation program will provide funding to recognised state sporting organisations and state sporting organisations for people with disability for initiatives that enhance career pathways, build cultures of diversity and inclusion, and increase participation.

Sporting organisations can partner with sporting academies or organisations that work with women and girls or under-represented communities to deliver the initiatives.

The Program features four streams.

Career Activations: Projects that promote information on roles and careers in sport;

Career Offerings: Projects that build or enhance career offerings and support sport career pathways for young women;

Participation: Projects that reduce barriers to participation for women and girls and create innovative, inclusive sport experiences; and

Capability: Projects that build the capability of organisations to increase participation of women and girls on and off the field, and projects that build gender inclusive sporting cultures and environments.

Grants of $3000 – $45,000 are available across the four streams.

The Play Her Way women’s sport strategy is a four-year plan to facilitate opportunities for women and girls in New South Wales to get involved and stay involved in sport.

Sporting organisations can apply for multiple grants with the maximum funding available to an organisation capped at $50,000.

Applications close Thursday, April 30 at Play Her Way Women’s Sport Strategy.

Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said the Play Her Way program is an initiative to ensure sporting organisations address the low rates of participation among adolescent girls and working with the sector to develop new and innovative opportunities for teenage girls to play sport their way.

“These grants will assist to create future pathways for female participation in sport and better equip the sports sector to respond to emerging trends and challenges for women’s sport into the future,” he said.

Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said the government is working to increase women and girls’ participation in sport – on and off the field, in leadership and coaching roles.

“The Play Her Way Innovation Program is part of the wider effort to empower sporting organisations to come up with new ideas to provide safe, inclusive and supportive environments for women and girls to participate and develop personally and professionally,” she said.