For Funsies aims to create a pressure-free space for women to enjoy sport. Photo: halfpoint.
A new program is redefining what it means to stay fit and breaking down the barriers for women in sport by removing the pressure and bringing back the joy to exercise.
Elise Sinclair has never considered herself a sporty person but as a child the enjoyment found in touch football helped her stay fit and healthy.
“I did it for four seasons; I scored one try the whole time but still I kept coming back because I did it for fun,” she said.
As an adult with a busy corporate career, finding that same motivation and joy in exercise dropped off.
“I noticed that primary school was really the last time I did sports,” Elise said.
“I tried various gym memberships; I tried to find different sports that might be for me but it’s all just so intense and it all comes with such a high level of commitment and pressure.
“I’ve really tried everything, but I just found nothing really fit.”
Elise found she wasn’t alone and countless women were putting exercise on the backburner due to the accessibility and the environment of current fitness offerings.
“A lot of it is about the competitiveness and the time that you have to invest in it,” she said.
“If you want to play in a sport you have to do the training throughout the week and your weekends are taken up with games so that’s not really accessible for most women.
“At gyms there can be a lot of gym intimidation, and coaches in traditional spaces, usually because there is quite a focus on results, are more likely to pressure you in a sense to achieve that.”
So she created a space to take women back to that pressure-free and inclusive time when the focus on fitness was fun.
For Funsies is a social enterprise centred on a non-competitive sport program for women, designed to be a carefree way to get the physical and mental benefits of exercise without the stressors associated with gyms or traditional sporting competitions.
“It’s definitely taking it back to primary school PE,” she said. “We’re going to learn some skills base things over a couple of weeks and then we can bring it all together.”
Elise Sinclair founded For Funsies after she saw a gap in the fitness offering for women in the Illawarra. Photo: Keeli Dyson.
Elise has developed the idea to fit it into the busy lives of women and is exploring partnerships with food trucks or caterers to remove the hurdle of weeknight participation.
“It’s really about getting women to reprioritise themselves but not doing it in such a way that makes it burdensome,” Elise said.
“That way if women feel like they need to cook dinner when they get home they might be able to just grab the food there and take it home for the kids or have the kids come along and watch and have the food there.
“I want to make sure we have some affordable food options there too to take that stressor away so you can really participate and take your mind off things and take care of yourself first and foremost.”
Businesses can also get involved in the concept with organisations able to create their own teams and groups to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
“There is going to be a huge opportunity for corporate wellness as well,” Elise said.
While the enterprise focuses on providing the opportunity for more women to return to exercise, it will also try to stop girls from dropping off in the first place by working with high schools through the For Funsies Foundation.
“A portion of the membership fees and also our sponsorship model will go towards funding memberships for girls in underserved communities through the local high schools,” Elise said. “And hopefully we will be able to provide some scholarships at the end of it too so they can further whatever they want to do.”
The pilot of the program is set to launch in October this year, but that is just the start, with Elise confident the concept is needed right across the country.
“I really want to build it up here and build a community around it and show people that this really does work and then hopefully we can expand it from there.
“I’d like to have branches in the Shoalhaven and the Central West, Central Coast – but big picture I want to take this nationally.”
For more information or to register your interest as a school, organisation or individual, visit the For Funsies website.
