Play Her Way Innovation Program 2025/26 - Tier 2

To be eligible for funding you must:

• be an NSW Office of Sport recognised State Sporting Organisations (SSOs) or State Sporting Organisations for People with Disability (SSODs). The current list of recognised SSOs/SSODs are shown at Appendix A
• include a declaration by the applicant organisation that if successful they will provide Public Liability Insurance with a minimum $5 million cover.

Eligible Organisations are encouraged to partner with other organisations, including those with specific experience working with women and girls and under-represented communities.

Career Pathway Support

Projects that aim to support young women to advance on their sport career pathway.

• Offer traineeship and transition opportunities through partnerships with training providers, tertiary institutions encouraging student placements
• Enhance mentoring programs to ensure young women and girls feel valued, empowered and a place where they belong

Participation

Projects that aim to reduce barriers to participation for women and girls and create innovative, inclusive sport experiences that reflect what women and girls want.

• Initiatives designed to attract new women and girl participants e.g. where a new program is created or adapted to address specific barriers for women and girls
• Initiatives that engage with adolescent girls and are designed to address adolescent drop out e.g. initiatives that are designed and led by adolescent girls
• Projects or programs that are based on or include consultation with women and girls to inform a new program or adaption of participation offering
• Programs that engage key influencers to facilitate girls’ participation in sport, such as parents, coaches, and teachers 

Capability

Projects that aim to build the capability of Organisations to increase the participation of women and girls both on and off the field, and projects that build gender inclusive sporting cultures and environments.

• Initiatives that engage with adolescent girls to guide policy and product development e.g. peer to peer platforms and youth advisory groups  
• Projects that build a positive, gender inclusive culture across the Organisation
• Research projects that contribute to the information/evidence base about women and girls as participants to assist sport organisations make decisions about operations, planning and future delivery options e.g. facility audit; data collection; consumer insights.

The project must be completed by 31 December 2027.

Ineligible applicants are any organisation types not listed in the ‘Eligible Applicants’ section, and include (but are not limited to):

• any organisation not recognised as an SSO/SSOD by the Office of Sport
• sporting clubs and associations
• individuals and groups of individuals
• schools, universities and TAFE’s
• parents and Citizens (P&C) Associations
• NSW Institute of Sport, Australian Sports Commission (incorporating the Australian Institute of Sport) and Regional Academies of Sport
• State and Federal Government departments and agencies
• an organisation named: (i) by the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse on its list of institutions that have not joined or signified their intent not to join the Scheme; or (ii) in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that has not yet joined the National Redress Scheme

Projects or project components ineligible to receive funding include:

• Projects that are not aligned with or contribute to Play Her Way objectives.
• Project location is not in NSW.
• Retrospective funding, where projects have commenced or are completed prior to the execution of a funding agreement.
• Projects that have already been funded by the NSW Government unless significant new and additional project scope is identified.
• Any costs associated with preparing and submitting the application.
• Project administration costs and staff wages not directly related to the project.
• Appearance fees, prize money, trophies and presentation functions.
• Entertainment, hospitality and catering not directly related to the Project. The purchase of alcohol will not be funded in any circumstances.
• Events that are organised for the primary purpose of fundraising, including charity fundraising events.
• Purchase of land, rental of premises for the organisation’s administrative and operational requirements, or associated occupancy payments.
• General running costs, maintenance or replacement including capital equipment or office equipment.
• Insurance costs (public liability, general liability, etc.)
• Costs associated with feasibility, design, or development stages including feasibility studies, business cases and masterplans.
• Infrastructure projects (e.g. construction, upgrade, maintenance, and repairs).

Project budgets should not include any ineligible costs, and these will be removed by assessors if included, at the absolute discretion of the Office of Sport.