Western Australia's sports minister has put a regional football club on notice, calling on it to fix its culture after most of its women's team resigned over sexism and racism claims.
The South Bunbury Football Club withdrew its women's team from the local league earlier this week after almost the entire team walked out in response to the club's handling of sexism complaints and an on-field racial sledge.
The South West Football League (SWFL) is conducting a two-day tribunal with the club and the players to better understand the turmoil.
Sports Minister David Templeman said there was no room in community sport for racist or sexist behaviour.
"There's some people who are very hurt by what's occurred … there needs to be some restoration of relationships," he said.
"We will certainly monitor how the club is going.
"I hope that the leadership of the football club will look very closely at their own leadership and make sure that they do everything they possibly can to restore faith in them and indeed, support for the club more broadly.
"It's got to happen quickly."
Important to hear both sides
SWFL president Barry Tate asked two integrity officers from the WA Football Commission to attend the tribunal with the club.
"We will sit down and look at how it was conducted from both sides and we will receive [a report] from the football commission, and then we'll air it after," Mr Tate said.
"There's obviously a lot of speculation in the media of what's happened."
The tribunal will meet with the aggrieved women's players tonight.
Mr Tate said the issue of the on-field racist sledge had escalated away from what should have been done.
"There was a breach of media policy with the player actually broadcasting his concerns into the media," Mr Tate said.
"We've got to carry out [the tribunal] and make sure we protect both parties."
Cultural change needed at the club
In one such incident, a male club leader was forced to apologise after referring to being at a strip club during the women's season launch.
It was alleged he said "he needed bigger pants" to contain his excitement at being in a room full of "pretty girls".
Another flashpoint in the saga came in May where a rival player, Noongar man Hayden Yarran, was racially vilified by one of South Bunbury's male league players.
That led the women's team coach, Maxwell Jetta, to resign in protest of his club's handling of the incident.
Mr Jetta said South Bunbury Football Club should use the incident as an opportunity.
"It's surprising it's come this far," Mr Jetta said.
"They have this opportunity right now. They can lead the way in tackling racism and racial vilification across [the] whole [of] south west."
Mr Jetta said he hoped his resignation spurred clubs to do more to address racism in community football.
"I think [the current protocols] are just ticking a box. I think we needed to do better," he said.
"The expression of it wasn't good enough.
"No-one really learned what racial vilification is and I'm not sure what people even think it is."
Mr Tate said he thought the on-field racial sledge had now been dealt with.
"South Bunbury have given a good financial donation to a charity since then, and they've done a formal apology to Carey Park and to Hayden Yarran," he said.
"So from our side of it, we believe they've covered it off."
The South Bunbury Football Club have declined to comment.
