April marks World Autism Understanding Month (WAUM), a time to move beyond awareness and focus on building meaningful, practical understanding of autism across all areas of the community.
Since 2021, Aspect has led the way by recognising 2 April as World Autism Understanding Day, celebrating Autistic people and encouraging a shift towards deeper understanding. In 2026, this has grown into a full month of recognition, reinforcing that genuine inclusion takes time, education, and consistent action.
Football Victoria (FV) is proud to continue its partnership with Aspect, working together to create more inclusive and accessible environments across our programs, competitions, and community initiatives.
For the past year, FV and Aspect has delivered a range of initiatives aimed at improving accessibility, education, and lived experience understanding across the football community.
As part of the 2025 Football For All Gala Day, Aspect conducted an environmental assessment of The Home of The Matildas prior to the event. This process helped inform the creation of a Visual Story, designed to make the venue and event experience more accessible for participants with autism.
A similar approach has been applied through FV’s GO Camps program, with Visual Stories developed to support participants and families in better understanding environments before attending.
Environmental assessments have been completed across multiple programs and match days, including Collingwood City FC and the All-Abilities League match day at Northcote City FC. These assessments identify accessibility improvements and provide practical recommendations to enhance inclusion across football settings.
Aspect has delivered multiple education sessions for coaches, supporting them to better understand autism and adapt their coaching environments to be more inclusive.
On April 20, FV and Aspect also delivered the first dedicated education session for referees, extending learning and awareness across match officials and strengthening inclusion across all parts of the game.
FV has also recently joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Initiative and will be rolling out training and education across the organisation in the coming months. This step further strengthens FV’s commitment to recognising and supporting individuals with non-visible disabilities.
FV is committed to ensuring football is a place where everyone can participate, belong, and enjoy the game.