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LET golfer Annabell Fuller sparked a flurry of headlines at the WPGA Championship on the Gold Coast, but unfortunately it wasn\u2019t for her stunning third round 64 or her 7th place overall.<\/p>\n
Instead it was for her crop top.<\/p>\n
Gasp, shock, horror!<\/p>\n
She dared to expose her midriff in her follow through causing an explosion of comments from punters in a sport that is renowned for its strict, and restrictive, dress code.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a golf outfit. Sleezy looking,\u201d said one comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cTacky. Classless,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n
Meantime in Fuller\u2019s home country of England, a new dress code within one of their professional netball teams, the London Mavericks, also made headlines. The team became the first to introduce a \u201cchoice kit\u201d.<\/p>\n
They haven\u2019t done away with the traditional netball dress, but instead have given their team the choice to wear either the dress, shorts, skorts (skirt with shorts) and leggings in their professional matches.<\/p>\n
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 22: Annabell Fuller of England with her \u2018crop top\u2019.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Netball dresses are traditionally short, figure hugging and exposing, while some love the dress, others find it restrictive and feel more comfortable in leggings or shorts.<\/p>\n
The groundbreaking move by the Mavericks was prompted by a 2024 study found that 64% of girls in the UK were dropping out of sport by the age of 16, while another study 58% of girls would prefer to have more uniform choices in PE.<\/p>\n
The club wanted to lead by example, redefining what a netballer looks like and what they wear.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone performs better when they\u2019re wearing kit they feel comfortable in. London Mavericks is showing that choice of kit is now a given,\u201d said London Mavericks co-owner Olivia Hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross our pyramid of players and for those yet to join us, we\u2019ll be demonstrating that the dress need not be essential to enjoy the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s bodies come in all shapes and sizes, no one type of uniform fits all. Allowing women to wear, without fear or feedback, what they move more comfortably in, can vastly impact their performance and enjoyment in sport.<\/p>\n
Back to Fuller for a moment, she stays fit for golf by doing CrossFit and Hyrox. In these sports, the outfits may be minimum in fabric (gym attire), but they do allow for maximum movement. For golf, it was no surprise then that the crop top for Fuller was something she said she feels comfortable in and played well in as a result.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as I\u2019m comfy and I feel good about myself, then I feel good to play,\u201d Fuller told Australian Golf Digest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn winter in England, my clubhead speed drops a lot because wearing lots of jumpers stops me turning freely.\u201dShowing her mid section generated a strong response among some golf fans.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Dress codes in golf for women are notoriously strict and it\u2019s something that many in the sport have been pushing to change. The Athena is an event on the WPGA tour for up and coming female golfers and is broadcast on Fox Sports and it actively encourages participants to not wear golf attire and to wear whatever they feel comfortable in, handing them a sizeable Adidas voucher to spend on the clothes. Participants have worn crop tops, bike shorts and even a NFL top in the past on course.<\/p>\n
Changing club culture when it comes to dress codes is more challenging.<\/p>\n
The latest national research into women\u2019s participation in golf shows that women make up 60% of the new players in the past two years and 42% of all golfers nationally. Yet, and here\u2019s the clincher, those figures include \u201coff-course golf\u201d – think simulators, driving ranges, putt putt etc. These facilities don\u2019t require a dress code. In fact, women now make up 50% of \u2018off-course\u2019 golf participants while only 30% of on-course participants where dress codes commonly apply. When it comes to club membership, women make up only 18% of all members nationwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cGolf is a game for everyone, but for many women and girls, strict clothing expectations can make the first step feel intimidating. When you\u2019re already unsure about golf etiquette, equipment, and playing ability, worrying about whether you\u2019re dressed correctly can be enough to stop someone from trying the sport all together,\u201d Tamara Mason, Golf Australia\u2019s Head of women and girls told Fox Sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that fear of judgement is one of the biggest barriers preventing women from getting active. That fear can start well before stepping onto the course, whether it\u2019s concerns about body image, not having the right gear, or simply worrying about doing the wrong thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clubs and venues seeing strong growth in women\u2019s participation are often those that are prioritising accessibility and belonging. Many are adopting more flexible dress codes and creating relaxed, social environments that focus on the experience rather than old traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Culture change in netball is also hard. Netball NSW made headlines in 2021 when it implemented a flexible uniform policy which included shorts, leggings and long sleeve tops which were not just gender inclusive but culturally inclusive as well. In 2023 Netball Australia adopted a similar policy nationwide. The traditional netball dress has divided players.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Super Netball uniforms, our elite competition, stuck with the traditional dress.<\/p>\n
Three years on, the netball dress remains the popular choice on grassroots courts across the country, with some, but not all, clubs providing flexible uniform options.<\/p>\n
Should that option be showcased from our elite players with Super Netball teams adopting a similar policy to the London Mavericks, the effect could ripple down to grassroots and help change perceptions of what a netballer wears. This could potentially encourage more girls into the sport, and stay in the sport.<\/p>\n
Recent research backs up the impact of flexible uniform policies. A study from Professor Clare Hanlon at Victoria University found that 48% of women and girls were encouraged to continue on in the sport if the uniform was flexible. Those who felt self-conscious playing sport fell from 41% to 11% and those who felt confident playing sport rose from 50% to 90%.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also something former Director of the Victorian Office of Women in Sport and Recreation Sarah Styles discussed in her recent TedTalk \u201cHow to close the gender gap in sports\u201d at TedSports Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr Hanlon found that what women and girls want ultimately is choice, choices that make them feel comfortable. Such as dark coloured clothing on their lower half, shirts that don\u2019t show sweat and clothing that fits their bodies not this so called unisex clothes that forgets about breasts and hips.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUniforms have a massive role to play when it comes to women and girl\u2019s enjoyment of sport\u201d<\/p>\n
The high drop out rate for girls in sport in their teenage years as well as the low percentage of women joining golf clubs are big concerns. One barrier to continued involvement could be just an outfit away. It\u2019s not about wearing one thing or another, but understanding that providing women with choice is a simple solution.<\/p>\n
Then we can all focus on reporting on the game, not on what they\u2019re wearing again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s sport has evolved beyond conversations on what female athletes wear, but two recent incidents in two vastly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581690,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[284991,64,63,689,22742,284987,284965,284969,89893,82855,1208,2057,284967,29749,40841,2105,2485,755,284979,25299,108973,1745,284982,29459,284992,284983,284980,284974,26596,284976,284968,3583,677,284988,284981,284975,701,284977,53280,264255,284978,85,284972,284970,284971,284989,284984,284966,3586,284973,284990,284986,284985],"class_list":["post-581689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-annabell-fuller","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-body-image","tag-changing-club-culture","tag-clare-hanlon","tag-clubhead-speed-drops","tag-culture-change","tag-dress-codes","tag-england","tag-europe","tag-female-athletes-wear","tag-female-golfers","tag-gender-gap","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-gold-coast","tag-golf","tag-golf-attire","tag-golf-etiquette","tag-golf-fans","tag-golf-news","tag-golf-outfit","tag-golf-world","tag-help-change-perceptions","tag-joining-golf-clubs","tag-jumpers-stops","tag-let-golfer","tag-matt-roberts","tag-netball-dress","tag-netball-dresses","tag-northern-europe","tag-oceania","tag-olivia-hall","tag-professional-netball-teams","tag-putt-putt-etc","tag-queensland","tag-research-backs","tag-sam-squiers","tag-sanctuary-cove-golf-and-country-club","tag-sleeve-tops","tag-sports","tag-strict-clothing-expectations","tag-tamara-mason","tag-traditional-netball-dress","tag-uniform-options","tag-uniform-policies","tag-uniform-policy","tag-united-kingdom","tag-victoria-university","tag-victorian-office-of-women","tag-women-joining-golf","tag-worn-crop-tops"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}