Who Are We?
This is a MZU subcommittee that was formed in 2015 to encourage equal participation between all members of a team, regardless of gender, on and off the field. Composed of 8 members, male and female, who volunteered to enhance the mixed ultimate experience of MZU.
Why Are We Here?
In 2014, Toronto Ultimate Club established a Women’s Committee and allocated resources for the purpose of engaging, empowering, developing, and improving the member experience for recreational and intermediate level female members. MZU Board Members first heard of this initiative at Ultimate Canada Conference and came home inspired to make this happen in St. John’s.
What Are We Doing?
After some successful brainstorming and planning meetings, the MZU Equality Committee has come up with the following initiatives:
- Women’s Week – July 13-17 2015 will officially be known as Women’s Week for the MZU Flaherty Cup and Summer Leagues. In an effort to encourage female players to pick up the disc, each female-assisted point will be worth two (2) points for one week only, and defense will match the gender ratio of the offense on the field.
- Captain’s Tip Sheets – At the start of the season, included in each captain’s bag will be a laminated sheet with suggestions on how to get all players more involved on the field.
- Questionnaire – An online questionnaire has been created and will be circulated to all players in MZU. The survey is intended to gather information on current perceptions of gender equality in MZU. The survey can be administered seasonally or annually to gather information on changing perceptions of equality in the league, and to evaluate the success of initiatives of the Equality Committee.
- Team Evaluations – A unique evaluation has been created that will be conducted by a member of the committee to qualitatively assess a team’s equality in a game situation. Once completed, the team will receive feedback and suggestions on how they can improve moving forward.
When Are We Doing It?
The efforts of the Equality Committee will be put into action for the start of the Summer League and the Flaherty Cup League, beginning June 2015.
How Can You Learn More?
If you’re interested in learning more about the Equality Committee, please send us an email at hi@milezeroultimate.com
