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Gender equality in toilets at top sporting venues is now one step closer thanks to a $ 2 million investment to upgrade facilities at New Zealand’s top cricket venues.
Sports Minister Grant Robertson announced the investment to remodel player facilities, including toilets, to be gender neutral at Basin Reserve, Seddon Park, Hagley Oval, University Oval and the NZ Cricket High Performance Center in Lincoln University. The basin reserve has already been updated.
Robertson said the refurbishment would be of a standard “in line with the best players in the world” and that work will be completed for the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
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Sports Minister Grant Robertson, ICC Cricket World Cup 2022 Executive Director Andrea Nelson, Bowler Blaze Dhriti Girish and former White Fern Liz Perry with the Cricket World Cup
“This is an important day because it is another recognition of the simple, basic and long-standing things that we can do to support the participation of women and girls in sport in New Zealand,” she said.
“It means having accessible facilities and gender-neutral facilities available in all venues that we will use for the 2022 Cricket World Cup.”
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The announcement of the new financing came on Thursday at the Cuenca Reserve where the new changing rooms were revealed. Showers and open urinals have now been banished to history, with fully enclosed single-user showers and toilets, and a new ice bath in their place.
Robertson said sports facilities designed for men “were not always suitable for women” and that these new facilities were necessary to help athletes feel “safe and comfortable and perform at their best.”
She said it was “surprising and challenging” that gender-neutral toilets had not previously been introduced in sports facilities.
“Gender neutral facilities are lacking at all levels of the sector and this needs to change to encourage more women and girls to participate in sport,” she said.
“In addition to providing safe, high-quality facilities for the Cricket World Cup teams, they will provide an example of what good inclusion looks like for everyone who uses the changing rooms regardless of gender, reducing barriers to participation.”
Ross Giblin / Stuff
Public sanitary facilities in the basin reserve still need to be improved.
He said the government would “strongly encourage” other sports venues, including clubs, to adopt gender-neutral facilities.
“This is the mindset shift… we are leading that. We have set this as our top priority. We have expectations of the National Sports Organizations, which will also lead the way, ”he said.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2022 Executive Director Andrea Nelson said how world-class cricketers are expected to perform at their best if they don’t have access to proper facilities.
She said planning for the upgrade has already begun, with work on the University Oval in Dunedin “this summer,” along with upgrades to the two Christchurch and Seddon Park facilities. Work on Eden Park has already started in time for the 2021 Rugby World Cup.
“Equality is really important to us as a tournament, and we are really delighted that this is being added to a package that includes our athletes flying business class to New Zealand, just like the men; staying in four to five star accommodations, just like men; and competing for a prize package of around $ 5 million, which represents significant growth for a women’s world cup event that only a few editions ago was only a few hundred thousand, ”she said.
“Big events like this are a catalyst for change.”
The new changing rooms at Basin Reserve are a huge change for former White Fern Liz Perry. She called today’s announcement a “game-changing” moment and a “line in the sand” for women in sports.
“It is monumental that we are here to celebrate gender neutral installations,” he said.
“I know that it will be welcomed and appreciated by all athletes using these facilities.”
Perry said female athletes previously felt “uncomfortable,” with some running home to shower after a game because the previously open showers were in the locker room. There was only one toilet, so players “left the room” to use the bathroom.
“You always felt [the changing room] it was designed for the comfort of male athletes, ”he said.
“The simple act of putting a door in the showers, resonates for me. It means that female athletes are being considered. They are being valued and that cannot be underestimated.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
The Basin Reserve has upgraded their changing rooms to accommodate international players such as White Ferns captain Sophie Devine.
“We don’t have to go anywhere else. We are going to feel comfortable, we are going to create a sense of belonging here for the athletes of tomorrow ”.
Dhriti Girish, Queen Margaret’s Year 10 student, is a net thrower for the Wellington Blaze. He said these new facilities allow athletes to focus on what is important: cricket.
“When young girls like me arrive, we can focus on a game instead of just being uncomfortable using the toilets,” she said.
“Playing for senior teams, toilets were a problem, but now we have both men’s and women’s toilets, so it’s exciting that we can focus on our game and win.”
Women in Sport Aotearoa Executive Director Rachel Froggatt recognizes the importance of Thursday’s announcement.
“Inequalities in the bathroom in sports facilities lead to inequalities in access to sport as a player and as a sports fan,” she said.
“As we approach the delivery of the ‘Big Four’ women’s sporting events in Aotearoa – the cricket, rugby and soccer World Cups and the IWG World Conference on Women and Sport – it is fabulous to see these events continue to generate changes that will inspire more positive change for women and girls. “
The new round of facility improvement cash follows an initial allocation of $ 7.3 million for accessible venues for the World Cup announced as part of the $ 265 million Sports Recovery Package.
Total funding will cover facility upgrades at the match venues and training grounds for the 2021 Rugby World Cup, as well as the scope of the upgrades for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and Cricket World Cup. .
