Archers of Warrnambool aims to increase female participation

Archers of Warrnambool is looking to encourage more women to get involved in the sport.

The club is based at Duram Park near Allansford.

AOW committee member Denise Burrell said the club was awaiting a grant outcome.

"The main message is we'll be targeting women who want a fun time trying a new sport," she said.

Burrell is in a great position to encourage women to take up archery because she started it in the past five years.

She and her husband Jim have been in the dairy industry for many years and work commitments precluded them from getting involved in sporting clubs.

"It's our first opportunity to get involved in a club and we're really enjoying it," Burrell said.

"There were plenty of times I would have loved to become involved in various clubs and things but wasn't able to because the times weren't good for me."

The pair first tried archery when working in Sri Lanka in 2016 and they joined a club when they moved to Indonesia.

They eventually relocated to the south-west and have been part of AOW for two and a half years.

"We were so pleased there was an archery group in Warrnambool we could join," she said.

The couple, based on a hobby farm just outside Warrnambool, now compete in club competitions.

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Burrell said the plan was to host three or four introductory sessions for women when the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions allowed.

She said the club was targeting groups of women who normally wouldn't try a new sport due to being time-poor.

The committee member said that included professional women who work all day and women looking after young children who can't easily get out the house for exercise.

Burrell said a sub-committee would work out session times.

"For example, whichever groups we end up targeting, we'll go to people in that group and ask which time would suit them best," she said.

AOW researched the Warrnambool 2040 plan which captures the community's goals for the city's future.

One of the aspirations is for residents to be more active more often.

Burrell said one her key takeaways from the data was women wanted to play sport for fun.

"Most importantly, we want to make this program something that's fun and social so women really feel welcome and want to come along," she said.

Burrell added it would be a bonus if participants wanted to join the club after the introductory sessions.

AOW is one of the south-west clubs on the rise.

It had less than 10 members two years ago and now has more than 60.

Burrell said about a third of members were women and she'd love to even up the gender balance.

The club recently reopened its 90-metre outdoor course to members after a two-month break due to the pandemic.

Members can attend shoots under restrictions on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The club also has a new field course as well as indoor range.

Burrell said it was lovely to be back on the outdoor course again.

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