THE AFL has received $400,000 in funding towards the Rudd Government's $9 million 'Respectful Relationships' initiative.
The minister for the status of women Tanya Plibersek made the announcement at Punt Road Oval on Wednesday, supported by AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson, Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale, club great Matthew Richardson and emerging forward Jack Riewoldt.
"To prevent violence against women in the future, we need to change attitudes and behavior and one of the best ways to do that is to work with young people in schools and sporting clubs," Plibersek said.
"The AFL reaches large numbers of young men through its network of community clubs across Australia, so they are an ideal partner for this initiative."
The AFL launched its Respect and Responsibility Program in 2005 and runs across all states and territories, including the 16 AFL clubs. About 9000 players have undertaken the program.
Among those players are Riewoldt and recently-retired Richardson, who said the program struck a chord with him.
"Any behaviour that you would find unacceptable towards your girlfriend, your mum, your sister or your wife - basically that's a good rule to abide by and that's one of the things I really got out of the program," he said.
Nearly one in three Australian women experience physical violence in their lifetime.
The new funding from the federal government will enable a further 65,000 players to be involved in the program.
The program is based around a 90-minute discussion with players aged from 16 to 21. It addresses issues such as sexual assault, family violence, harassment and abuse.
Riewoldt, 21, said the program was particularly beneficial to younger players.
"We've just completed the program. They run through situations and scenarios that are really helpful and they run through the laws of what a lot of our guys don't actually understand," he said.
"It's a very interactive program and it's a great program. It's teaching young players about what is right and what is wrong and I really enjoyed doing it over the last three weeks."
Former players will be trained to co-present the program with facilitators who are not footballers.
In addition to the AFL's Respect and Responsibility Program, the government will fund an additional nine projects across Australia in round two of the 'Respectful Relationships' initiative at a cost of over $2.3 million.
In a statement, AFL chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou said the League had invested significantly in challenging and changing the cultural behaviors and attitudes of players and clubs in relation to the issue of violence against women.
"The AFL recognises the responsibility it has to provide information, education and support to all levels of state league and community football to help create safe, secure and welcoming environments for all females," he said.
