Racism, sexism claims at South Bunbury Football Club leads to withdrawal of women’s team

An embattled Western Australian country football club has taken the “unprecedented” move of withdrawing its three-time premiership women’s team amid claims of racist and sexist behaviour within the club.

Almost the entire women’s team at the South Bunbury Football Club has now resigned halfway through the season in response to the alleged incidents.

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 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.

He was promptly followed by his assistant coach and more than a dozen players.

The South Bunbury women’s team forfeited its weekend match after being unable to field a team.

On Monday afternoon, the South West Football League (SWFL) announced the club had withdrawn its women’s team from the competition.

The SWFL said in a statement what was happening at the club was “obviously unprecedented” and it would work through the ramifications.

More to come.