The AFL today welcomes an exciting new partnership, announcing one of Australia’s leading building, infrastructure, rail and transport companies, John Holland, as a new partner of the NAB AFLW Competition in an exclusive three-year deal.
An industry game-changer, the partnership is centered around the joint vision of increasing opportunities for women in both sport and construction and strengthening sustainable pathways for careers on and off the field.
The deal will see John Holland become the official presenting partner of the AFL’s Workplay, a leading careers and networking platform designed to empower female athletes in sport and business.
The Workplay powered by John Holland partnership will provide an even greater platform for female athletes and business leaders to connect to a range of flexible employment, education resources, career development and mentoring, and other opportunities which accommodate their sporting commitments.
Addressing a key industry challenge, the partnership aims to boost female participation within construction and help John Holland reach its target of 40% women by 2025.
With more than 6,000 employees nationally, the partnership will also put the spotlight on John Holland’s flexible working options and diversity of roles – with a range of benefits available to players including variations to work hours, job sharing and more.
Together, Workplay will be relaunched in November with a range of new resources to help AFLW players pursue exciting career opportunities off the field.
Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial, Kylie Rogers, said the partnership is a true reflection of value alignment.
“We are thrilled to be announcing our new AFLW partnership with one of the nation’s leading infrastructure and building companies, John Holland.
“Both our organisations acknowledge we have a role to play in the creation of long-term, sustainable pathways for women and girls in our respective fields, and together we are committed to furthering the opportunities for women across both our sectors with tangible assets such as Workplay,” Ms. Rogers said.
John Holland CEO, Joe Barr, said the partnership provides an opportunity to attract, develop and retain top female talent in the construction industry.
“This is a truly game-changing partnership as we look to disrupt the business-as-usual approach to recruitment within our industry and get more female talent within our ranks.
“Our aim is to provide sustainable career pathways into construction for female athletes, with workforce integration and training, industry leadership, development and mentorship, and flexible working arrangements to ensure we are getting the diversity we want in our business.
“We’re looking for more great women to join construction, and the AFLW is looking for fulfilling and flexible careers for their players – this partnership seeks to achieve both,” Mr. Barr said.
Gold Coast SUNS player and John Holland Safety Coordinator, Tara Bohanna said:
"Female athletes should be empowered to be their absolute best on and off the field – and that means having access to great career opportunities.
“Working with John Holland has helped me develop skills and experience in construction and set up an exciting future on projects both big and small.
“Most importantly, I’ve still got the flexibility I need to train and play my best footy.”
The partnership announcement follows the AFL’s recent investment into the NAB AFLW competition, including the ground-breaking Collective Bargaining Agreement.
