The Women of Phoenix

 Today is International Women's Day and we celebrate all the amazing women across our industry, communities and club.

We are very fortunate here at South East Melbourne Phoenix, we have a number inspirational women who play an integral role across the club, in both administration and high performance capacities.

"We have a number of amazing women at our club and all of them have been a big part of our success," Phoenix CEO Tommy Greer said.

This International Women’s Day theme is Break the Bias and it a critical message that we can spread through our platforms to our members and beyond. Recognising bias isn't enough and it is important that we all take action and try to change things for a better future. Here at Phoenix, we are committed to learning, moving forward and making the club a better place to be.

This year’s IWD asks us to imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together both men and women can forge equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Meet the women of Phoenix:
Candace Duthie – Consumer Services Coordinator
Candace started her career in sport by volunteering at an AFL club, when the same club offered her a job she was studying at university. She accepted and has worked in the sporting industry ever since. Duthie found that even though university gave her a great education, volunteering set her up for a path in sport which led to her landing a job at the Phoenix in their inaugural year.

“It is so powerful for young girls to know that their career choice is not determined or defined by their gender and to see that there are opportunities at every level, across every code, on- and off-field. Being a mother myself, I want my own daughter to know she can strive for any dream she has and not let anyone, or anything stand in her way,” Duthie said.

“Bias, whether conscious or unconscious, needs to be challenged and can often become a teachable moment. It is through education and accountability that we will see real change and one day, hopefully, this conversation will no longer need to be had.”

Maddie Biondi – Commercial Partnerships and Events Executive
Maddie stumbled into the world of sports while applying for an events role at the MCG which entailed match day evets for the AFL and Cricket. She then joined Phoenix in early 2021 as part of the Commercial and Events team.

“The sports industry really is full of women in leadership roles, we just haven't generally been called up to join a panel to talk about it...ever. What I found invaluable was being mentored by high level women in executive roles who helped me navigate the industry and teach me that it's about your passion and experience, not gender,” Biondi said.

“Breaking the bias means to challenge the norm; and in the sporting industry it's male sports on TV, it's males in executive roles and it's the assumption women aren't passionate about sports. Change comes from awareness and if young girls see women in leadership roles within a male dominated industry, that can quickly become the new norm.”

Claire Castle – Community Manager
Claire landed in the sport industry almost by accident. Her first role in sport came about after someone pulled out of a placement role which she was filling and then moved the football world working with Carlton FC. She found herself in a similar situation when she applied for a job at Carlton FC. Initially missing out on the role she was offered it  after someone pulled out.

Claire changed sporting codes from the field to the court and landed at Phoenix in 2021 as the Community Manager. 

“The sports industry and has come leaps and bounds when it comes to opportunities for women. There is still a long way to go (on and off the court) but I have been fortunate to work with and learn from so many incredible women in the industry. The perception that there are no opportunities can be a strong deterrent for girls wanting to pursue a career in sport, so it is important that we change the stereotypical picture of what a sporting club is.” she said. 

“Breaking the bias is critical in creating equal opportunities for all genders. There are so many advocates (of all genders) across the industry, and we are more powerful when we stand together.”

Catherine Rossiter – Education Programs Coordinator
Catherine joined Phoenix after 17 years working in various roles in schools, including sport. It was her Her passion for wellbeing and advocacy for children’s sport that landed her the role at Phoenix.
It was Rossiter's dream role, finding herself mixing her two passions, wellbeing and sport.

“It is extremely important for young girls to see women working in all fields, including sports clubs.  We want our daughters, sisters, nieces, friends, and all little girls to believe they are important, have skills that are valued and can contribute to organisations just like anyone,” she said.

“I have been in many situations where being a female meant you weren’t good enough, strong enough or couldn’t throw the ball as far. Quite often these comments were made about children. It is so important for all people to change the way they talk, change the way they view women and young girls.”

(Catherine Rossiter teaching a grade 6 class a Phoenix Soar program.)

Kadek Thatcher – Digital Communications Coordinator
Kadek made her entry into sport through working as a volunteer photographer at a VFL club, Box Hill Hawks. While volunteering she completed a communications internship. 

Her passion for capturing and communicating the action, emotion and passion of sport motivated her to continue striving for the chance to do what she loved and get paid for it. Her hard work paid off and she landed her current role starting with the Phoenix at the beginning of this season.

“Young girls seeing not only women on the field in sport but also in off-field roles shows them that nothing can stop you from achieving your dream of working in an often male-dominated work environment. I want to be able to show young girls that you can make it, I never had any females role models to look up to particularly in sport photography. I hope I can get girls to see me and dream of doing what I do,” she said.

“Breaking the bias is important, it is important to give young girls a chance to live in a world where women are seen as equals. It should be a norm for women to be in higher roles or working in male-dominated fields and breaking that mentality that they aren’t capable of those roles. Communicating all of this is the first step in seeing real change for future generations to come.”

Leah Harcourt – Team Doctor 
Leah is the team doctor for Phoenix. She is passionate about family medicine, mental health, and sports medicine.   

(Doctor Leah Harcourt during a game with Phoenix.)

Lisa Middleton – Dietitian
Lisa has been at Phoenix since the clubs inaugural year. She has always loved cooking and was interested in food from a young age, she also had a love of sport. A lot of hard work and perseverance was required as she started her journey in the sporting industry, making her way from local teams to amateurs and finally landing in the world of professional spot.

“I have mostly worked in male-dominated sporting environments, and I have to say have had mostly pretty positive experiences.  However, I also work in a profession where a lot of dietitians are female, so it's not unusual to have a female dietitian in a predominantly male club,” Middleton said.

“I think there are benefits to having females in male-dominated environments, because there are gender differences and there are advantages to this - having a varied and inclusive workforce can be a great strength. The more well-recognised this becomes, the more confidence young girls in the future will have, with broader opportunities and scope to make a difference in areas they are passionate about."

Kadek Thatcher for Phoenix Media (8/3/22)