“IT’S A very powerful thing the Club is doing and we fully endorse it.”
Senior Coach Daniel Harford will lead his team into his third AFLW Carlton Respects game on the weekend, and he’s fully aware of the importance it holds at Ikon Park.
It was announced earlier today that the Game Changers’ rescheduled Round 4 clash with Richmond will also mark the annual AFLW Carlton Respects game.
It will be the fourth incarnation of the AFLW version of the contest, and the ninth Carlton Respects game the Blues have played in total.
Harford said the opportunity to pull on the orange socks and represent a cause far greater than four points was one which his playing group fully embraces every 12 months.
This week just received added significance.
— Carlton Women's (@carltonfc_w) February 16, 2021
We're proud to confirm we'll be pulling our orange socks up this Saturday for the fourth AFLW Carlton Respects game. ??
“It’s a really important program which the Club initiated in 2016: it’s about promoting gender equality for the prevention of violence against women,” Harford said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“All the research shows us that gender inequality is the biggest factor in leading to domestic violence — one woman a week dies at the hands of a current or former partner, which is totally unacceptable.
“It’s a really powerful initiative which the Club has got into schools and it reaches 4,000 kids a year, as well as being in workplaces.
“We wear orange socks as it’s the international colour of harmony and it’s actually my favourite colour, so that works for me as well.”
Harford has first-hand seen the importance of the progression of women’s football in recent seasons, having been in the women’s coaching landscape for four years after previously coaching men’s amateur football following his playing career.
He said the benefits spread far and wide and weren’t just limited to the elite game, citing his previous experience in local football as an example of its ability to drive inclusion across the board.
“I remember speaking to some players that I coached at amateur level at St Kevin’s a couple of years ago. They had just initiated a couple of women’s teams and I asked them how it affected the footy club,” he said.
“In five separate conversations, they all said ‘It has changed our football club for the better’. ‘We’re a much more rounded club, we’re much more inclusive, it’s just a better place to be.’
“If you haven’t got a women’s team, you do miss out a bit I reckon.”
