Country football addresses homophobia

By Andie Noonan

The Victorian Country Football League (VCFL) is set to introduce landmark changes to policy and procedures within the code in a bid to stamp out sexual orientation discrimination.

The VCFL was involved last week in a Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing with Ken Campagnolo, who was famously dismissed by the Bonnie Doon Football Club because he was bisexual.

A settlement has been reached with the VCFL agreeing to imple-ment policies on sex discrimination, in addition to training programs to address the problem of homophobia in the game in rural areas.

Discussion on the changes will be centred around the VCFL’s upcoming board meeting, where the board will hear submissions from researchers on the link between depression and youth suicide rates and same-sex attracted people in the country.

There will also be a submission from Rob Mitchell, head of the RJM Trust, an organisation set up to stamp out same-sex discrimination in rural areas in Australia.

There needs to be a clear and consistent message by the administration that it [homophobia] is not okay, Mitchell said.

The issue needs to be raised front and centre and dealt with in the same way as racial vilification. Players need to be looked after and kept safe.

The VCFL covers around 80 leagues, with approximately 100,000 players across Victoria.

Campagnolo says he was met with much opposition on all levels of football administration, with both the VCFL and the Australian Football League (AFL) actively discouraging him from taking up the issue. He said he hopes that the changes will address homophobia in the sport and that no one will experience what he has been through.

This is for the betterment of sport, not just the gay community, he said.

Campagnolo also has an ongoing complaint against the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) for discrimination, which is being heard by VCAT for the third time.

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