St Kilda is extremely proud to have lodged it’s submission for a National Women’s League (NWL) team license today.

CEO Matt Finnis said the Saints were driven by the belief that women can do anything and deserve this opportunity in football.

Click here to watch the video that was part of St Kilda’s submission.

"I am confident that we have a very compelling case to win one of the inaugural licences – our submission is driven by a genuine belief in the power of what this competition can achieve and the important message it sends,” he said.

"Every club needs to put forward a detailed submission and tick all the boxes, but if there is a group that really deserves it, we think it's actually the young women of bayside Melbourne.

"They are demonstrating through their playing numbers, passion and talent that they need a team to represent them and we want to be that team.

"We're really keen to be part of the inaugural National Women's League. We think the League itself is a really powerful opportunity for our game to contribute to what is a belated shift across the community, in terms of demonstrating that women can do anything.

“This is not something we have just discovered as a club – we have been living it for years. Celebrating diversity and equality is part of our DNA, it comes from the unique place where this club was born.”

Click here to watch Matt Finnis discuss why St Kilda has bid for a license.

In 2014 St Kilda appointed the first female full-time AFL coach in Peta Searle. The club also has three female executive members, two female board members and a CEO who is a male champion of change.

The club’s commitment to equality and diversity is also shown by its support of the annual Pride March and the push to play in the inaugural Pride Match in Round 21.

"One of our submission’s advantages is that we have a long demonstrated commitment to equality and diversity – I believe we are one of the real leaders amongst AFL clubs in this way,” Finnis said.

“We have also had the advantage of being able to draw on the wisdom of a five-time VWFL premiership coach and champion player in Peta Searle. I am not sure there would be a better person in football to guide us through creating and developing a women’s team.

"Peta is an AFL coach in her own right so we need to make sure she is supported to be able to continue to do that; but when you're a five-time premiership coach in women's football, you know one or two things that might be useful for a women’s team. She will play a central role guiding the team."

Finnis said participation in women's football was growing rapidly in the bayside area and that two of the seven VWFL premier division clubs (St Kilda City Sharks and Seaford Tigerettes) were from the region.

"One in every six females playing footy in Greater Melbourne does so in the bayside and one in four females playing ‘club’ footy does so in the bayside. It really is the engine room of female football and it’s growing fast,” he said.

“For us, the opportunity to provide role models and an aspirational team to provide that pathway is absolutely fantastic and we want to be a part of it.”

For the past four months an internal St Kilda subcommittee – made up of GM Football, Jamie Cox, GM Customer and Community, Lisa Laing and Searle – have been diligently working on the NWL proposal.

St Kilda's model is based around creating an integrated coaching and high performance network for one club, fielding three teams in three leagues (AFL, NWL and VFL).

The St Kilda submission is built the following key elements (which the club has provided the AFL extensive detail on):

• Our brand and values are built on a belief that all people should have the opportunity to be ‘How I Want To Be’. This is not a narrative we’ve developed for this submission, but one that begun more than two years ago, and stems from our unique heritage and is etched in our DNA.
• Our club strategy is perfectly aligned to having a NWL team. A women’s team will significantly enhance each of our strategic pillars. And importantly, our strategy will support and enhance the NWL.
• We have a deep connection to a massive bayside region community. Our heartland stretches 110km, from Port Melbourne to Portsea. There are over 800,000 people in the Bayside region and 60,000 girls aged 5-18. The Saints are by far the most supported club in the region. And one in six females that play football in Greater Melbourne does so bayside.
• We have a unique talent pool in Bayside that we will develop, support and nurture through a four-part talent pathway program. For those not wanting to play competitively, we will encourage and support them to stay active through the AFL recreational pathway. And we will extend our support and development to include coaching, umpiring, administration and volunteering.
• We are acutely aware of the challenges that will face the players. We have developed a comprehensive welfare and development program to support the players and give them the very best opportunity to achieve their sporting dreams.
• We believe that the NWL will only be truly successful if the players are treated as equals. As such, the organisational structure we propose truly integrates the women’s team into the football department. Regardless of which team you represent at the club, you will receive the same support and opportunities – we are all equal.
• Our state of the art, purpose-built base at Moorabbin has been designed for female athletes and will be without peer.
• Our unique facility network, which includes Moorabbin, Seaford, Sandringham and St Kilda will become a football hub used to deliver elite playing and training and/or grass roots development programs which will connect with our bayside Community.
• Peta Searle, a pioneer in women’s football, has played a key role in the development of our submission and will play a central role overseeing the women’s team (whilst still retaining her current coaching position). Her experience, insight and passion will nurture our team’s evolution and the development of the game at the grass roots level.
• We will lead the industry in improving the understanding and sophistication of the women’s game.
• Our award winning marketing and PR team will develop campaigns to attract and mobilise the support of the bayside community and existing Saints fans.