My name is Katrina Higham and I am the Female Operations Coordinator for Edithvale Aspendale Junior Football Club, and I am a long-time resident of our community.

EAJFC is an inclusive community football club that strives to provide a safe, fun and educational environment for over 875 junior football players (including 200 Auskick kids) and their families within our local area each season.

For two years, our club has received approval to be a signatory on the AFL Womens and Girls Football Charter and are driven to develop girls and women in sport in our community. Within our Action Plan that was provided to the AFL, one of our key areas to be address is to improve the change rooms at Glen Street Reserve, to ensure they are safe and appropriate to not only girls and women but to all abilities.

Glen Street club rooms provide our ever-growing community facilities for a range of community sports, including both AFL and Cricket, to bring the local players, paretns and their support networks together.

Whilst the club rooms have provided this service for decades, they have not kept up with the changing sporting environment, the evolving needs of our community and the need for redevelopment of these facilities is urgently needed.

The change rooms in the facility do not allow for privacy when you need to go to the bathroom as the toilets, showers and changing area is all within the same small space. This is not progressive to the needs of our girls and women, who represent 22% of our club, where privacy is paramount to their psychological safety. They are often going to the bathroom at the same time as team members getting changed, without the privacy to be able to use feminine products. Additionally, the toilets are often broken; the showers are unusable, and the changing facilities do not have any area for privacy.

Further to this, the outdoor toilets do not provide the appropriate access to individuals with a disability as there is a step to enter the toilet. Recently, Glen Street Reserve has had a ‘demountable’ provided by the City of Kingston which has toilet facilities within. This building is not accessible for persons with a physical disability and does not provide the appropriate facilities for girls and women who often need privacy when going to the bathroom as mentioned above.

Our club prides itself on bringing our community together for the love of sports, being active and enjoying our local area, however, Glen Street do not provide facilities that are appropriate to our growing community.

Glen Street should reflect the diversity of our community, meeting the needs of everyone, regardless of physical ability. We need updated facilities that include accessible bathrooms with appropriate handrails, sufficient space for maneuvering mobility aids, and clear signage to assist those who need it.

The good news is that making Glen Street more accessible is entirely achievable through community awareness and support. By signing this petition, you're advocating for necessary changes that will benefit many and improve the quality of life within our community.

Let's work together to make Glen Street a welcoming and inclusive place for all. Please sign and support our call for action to update Glen Street’s facilities to accommodate everyone in our community.