'Really important work': soccer clubs join the stand against violence

That's the message from Wangaratta City Football Club as it prepares to take a stand against violence in its clash against Melrose FC at South Wangaratta Reserve on Sunday, July 7.

Senior men and women's teams from the Albury Wodonga Football Association clubs will wear purple armbands and pause for 39 seconds of silence before each match in honour of the 39 women who have died by violence in Australia in 2024.

The stand against violence is an initiative of Wodonga and Wangaratta-based service Centre Against Violence.

Wangaratta City president Kristy Mellor said the culture of the club had changed in a positive way and events like this only promoted that.

"It's really important for us to have a club that promotes equality. I think Wangaratta City has been doing that for a number of years," she said.

"It's one of those events we can really get behind. Our club is really keen to promote a safe place to play sport and we're really keen for the community to understand what family violence is and what it looks like.

"One, so we can stamp it out in our own club, but also we can then educate people to challenge violence when they see it in their own families or their own communities.

"It's the first time our club has run a family violence round. We're certainly looking at changing the culture of our club.

"We've had a lot of positive community events this year, we've got Indigenous jerseys and we're really keen to promote Wangaratta City Football Club as an equal opportunities club. This certainly fits into our values as a club."

Ms Mellor said her club's committee reached out to Melrose about the idea and that club was happy to be involved.

"The theme for the day is Purple and Melrose actually play in purple, which is helpful," she said.

"We're going to have ... silence at the start of the division one ladies and the division one men's games ... a second for each woman that has been killed through family violence this year to bring the gravity of that home to people.

"We're also going to have a best on ground for each game and the players will receive a medal for family violence round."

Centre Against Violence chief executive Jaime Chubb said sporting clubs were a great place to inform the public about the impacts of family violence.

"From Centre Against Violence's perspective, this kind of work is vital in raising the awareness around family violence, in helping people in the community have conversations and understand what family violence is and where to go for support if they need it," she said.

"I also think it's really important work around setting the standards within clubs around behaviour and conversations and how they treat each other and the kind of respect they want to hold within their own clubs as a value."

While Sunday will mark the first time soccer teams in the region have embraced the stand against violence initiative, several North East Australian rules football and netball clubs have done so in 2024.

Tallangatta and Chiltern's clash in the Tallangatta and District league on May 4 saw both clubs unite for the cause, while others involved in the stand against violence included North Wangaratta, Milawa, Beechworth, Kiewa-Sandy Creek, Yarrawonga and Wangaratta's Centrals Junior Football Club.

"It's incredible the interest we've had from clubs and I think it's a demonstration of how sporting clubs really are such a pivotal part of our community," Ms Chubb said.

"For these clubs to be having these conversations is really important, but also I think it shows how much the community as a whole want to tackle the issue of family violence, which for us is the biggest thing.

"For lots of people, the first they hear about us may be through their sporting club or through the media these kinds of games are generating."

The senior women's match kicks off at 11.20am, with the senior men to start at 3pm.