THE AFL is proud to launch the Challenge W, a new women and girls focused adaptation of the Challenge within its Ahead of the Game program, as Medibank joins Ahead of the Game as a supporting partner.

Ahead of the Game was developed by Movember and with its support, the league has funded and led the adaption of the program for women and girls, while remaining inclusive of all genders.

Like the Challenge, Challenge W is designed to strengthen resilience both on and off the field through the power of football, with the adapted workshop also placing emphasis on team connection and peer support.  

As a proud partner of NAB AFLW, Medibank’s support helps bring the Challenge W to young women and girls across Australia, strengthening their mental health literacy, resilience and practical mental fitness skills. 

The Challenge W is delivered by the AFL through local partners, including NAB AFLW players who have been trained as facilitators, using their positions as role models within the community to share their experience and connect with participants.

St Kilda AFLW captain Serene Watson and teammate Olivia Vesely hosted the first pilot session of the adapted Challenge W program at Beaumaris Football Club on Tuesday 23 June.

St Kilda AFLW Captain Serene Watson said:

"As AFLW players we know the important role community football plays in helping women and girls build confidence and a sense of belonging so it’s really rewarding to give back through this program," Watson said.

"The Challenge W creates a space to have conversations about mental fitness and resilience, and I hope that we can share the practical tools so that more women and girls feel confident to reach out, support teammates and navigate challenges both on and off the field."

Since launching in 2024, the AFL has delivered Ahead of the Game to football communities nationwide, making it one of the world's largest mental health literacy and resilience programs, reaching more than 40,000 community football participants.

AFL Head of Health and Wellbeing, Dr Kate Hall said:

"On behalf of the AFL, we’re thrilled to welcome Medibank as one of the supporting partners of Ahead of the Game," Hall said.

"The Challenge W harnesses the power of team sport for young women and girls to protect and strengthen resilience.

"The Challenge W was designed with and for young women and girls in our game to help them build practical mental fitness skills, including emotional regulation, problem solving and healthy coping strategies they can use on and off the field, with the support of their team.

"With Medibank’s support, we’ll continue expanding the reach and impact of the Challenge W, helping more women and girls build vital mental fitness skills through community football clubs across Australia."

Group Medical Director and GP, Dr Shona Sundaraj, said connection through community sport can play a key role in building mental fitness.

"Being part of a sporting community is about more than physical fitness, it's an opportunity for young people to connect and feel part of something," Sundaraj said.

"The Challenge W program places emphasis on team connection and peer support which is so important for young women and girls when facing challenges both on and off the field.

"We're proud to partner with the Ahead of the Game program, so that more young players across the country can learn valuable mental fitness skills and grow their knowledge in how to look after their mental health and wellbeing."

With a vision for everyone to love and connect with Australia's game, women and girls' participation continues to soar, and now accounts for nearly a quarter of all participants in Australian football as the AFL strives to reach 1 million registered participants by 2033.

Medibank joins Toyota and BHP as a supporting partner of Ahead of the Game, with a shared commitment to improving the health, wellbeing and resilience of young people through football.

Learn more about the Ahead of the Game program here.

About Ahead of the Game

• Movember's Ahead of the Game was originally developed by leading Australian experts in mental health and sport from the University of Wollongong and is backed by a five-year international program of scientific evidence
• It was the only youth mental health literacy program endorsed in an evidence review commissioned by the AFL in 2020, and the AFL has been working with Movember to implement the program to scale across football communities since June 2023
• The program was originally designed to help young men understand the importance of looking after their mental health, teaching skills on how to overcome life’s challenges, build resilience and support their peers through tough times
• Challenge W is an adapted version of ‘the Challenge’ which forms part of the Ahead of the Game program.  Ahead of the Game is a community sports-based mental fitness and resilience training program that educates young players about mental fitness and gives them the tools to deal with challenges, both on and off the field
• Ahead of the Game features interactive mental health literacy workshops that teach young players how to spot the signs of mental health challenges, how to talk about mental health with their teammates and those around them, and when and where to seek help
• It's delivered to young players during or immediately after a regular training session in their local club and engages the whole footy ecosystem, including young players' support networks such as parents and club volunteers

About Medibank

Medibank has looked after the health and wellbeing of people in Australia for almost 50 years. From our beginnings as a health insurer, we’ve grown to become a health company focused on delivering on our Better Health for Better Lives purpose. This focus extends to our investment in mental health as we seek to improve access, innovation and prevention for our customers and all people in Australia. 

About Movember

Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men's health. Movember and the University of Wollongong developed Ahead of the Game with a focus is on improving the mental health and wellbeing of boys and young men through sport. Movember recognises that effective mental health programs need to be gender responsive, and has supported the AFL in its adaptation of our world-leading Ahead of the Game content to meet the needs of women and girls in community football. This adaptation has been funded and led by the AFL.