Dedicated Lives - Downes, Greg

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Résumé :
The Matildas are now one of the most beloved national teams in Australia. But who were the women and men who helped build and develop the women's game locally? Greg Downes profiles 18 people - some well-known in the football fraternity, others not so well-known - who have made contributions, big and small, to help make the women's game what it is today. 'Dedicated Lives' is a living history to be treasured. Based on his PhD dissertation, Greg has talked with, and interviewed, the individuals at length about what brought them into football and, importantly, what has kept them in it. At a time when women's football is riding as high as it has ever been, and with Australia sharing co-hosting responsibilities for the 2023 Women's World Cup, 'Dedicated Lives' is a must-read for anyone interested in football history, women's football, or women's sport fighting and winning against the odds generally.

Biographie:
Greg Downes became interested in women's football (soccer) due to the involvement of his youngest daughter Caitlin. Greg was involved in many roles over the years his daughter played club, school and regional representative soccer in northern NSW with the Byron Bay club. He has been both club- and representative-team manager, club treasurer, regional-committee member, supporter and general dogsbody. As a parent Greg became aware of the many injustices and discriminations faced by young girls and women in their pursuit to play the game. During this time he became involved in the fight to make his daughter's involvement in soccer an inclusive one. While studying for his Masters, Greg used examples of these injustices faced by women involved in football as topics for his research. He came to realise that little or no research had been done on the history of women's football in Australia. The voices of the women were unheard and were yet to be written into the history of the game. Greg's PhD research topic, An oral history of women's football in Australia, addresses this shortage of knowledge by asking the question - 'What can the oral history of women who played and play the game of football contribute to the understandings of gender and football history in Australia?' Greg plans to use the research to recognise the pioneers of the game in Australia and to acknowledge the sacrifices they made in order for them to play a game they loved. Dr Greg Downes is a sessional academic and completed his PhD thesis in 2016 with Victoria University, in Melbourne Australia. Greg currently writes, teaches and researches in women's sport history, sport management and human services. Greg lives in Lennox Head on the far north coast of NSW Australia.