For International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting women who are achieving great things in the Manly Warringah FA community. In November, Jo Sloots was announced as the new President of St Augustine’s FC after six years performing various roles for the club, most recently as Registrar (a role she still holds). Jo stepped forward to fill a vacancy and is excited for the start of the season.
“Chris, our previous President, had decided that he would like to step down. We had a discussion about me doing it and it fit in with what I was doing at the moment, in terms of the Registrar role, on the junior and the senior side. I put my hand up and said I’d be happy to do it.
“I’m looking forward to the start of the season and getting all these kids and men out on the pitch. For me, that first weekend when everyone starts playing is amazing and we really look forward to that day.”
The biggest day in the Saints calendar is the club’s Ladies Day, which will be held on Saturday 8 June at Cromer Park. Jo spoke about how this fundraising event is a great chance to show appreciation for the women who are involved with St Augustine’s.
“It’s mainly organised by our Men’s Premier League team and Ryan McLean takes the lead in that role. It started out as a fundraiser for breast cancer in memory of Helen Anglicas, who was a member of our community, but it’s turned into a much bigger event where we recognise all women that have played a part in the Saints football community.
“I think what Ladies Day really shows is we have a lot of women who are part of our community, whether they be coaches, managers, on the committee, or supporters. It’s a fantastic event and it raises a lot of money for breast cancer. Last year, we raised just over $20,000, which is incredible.”
As Jo looks to the future, she sees her Presidency as an opportunity to encourage more women to participate, whether that be with Saints or another club.
“I hope that I can inspire other women in our Saints football community to come forward and volunteer in what they thought was a male-dominated club.
“The thing I’ve noticed after coming to the Council of Club meeting is that there are more women now. Since we had that (Saints Facebook) post on me becoming Club President, I’ve been approached by many women that have said, ‘Now you’re Club President, what can I do? I feel like I could be more involved now that there’s another woman in this particular role.’ I hope across all the clubs, not just ours, we see that more and more.”
