'The biggest indictment' on Matilda's abuse allegations

3 years ago 272

Netball fable Liz Ellis has urged Australia's sporting administrators "to enactment successful systems" to assistance athletes amended code their wellbeing concerns.

Ellis' plea comes aft Matildas large Lisa De Vanna said she suffered maltreatment astatine the hands of different players during her 20-year career.

De Vanna, Australia's second-highest goalscorer, earlier this week claimed she suffered intersexual harassment, indecent assault, grooming and bullying from elder players, successful what she described arsenic a toxic civilization wrong the sport.

De Vanna's comments were supported by chap erstwhile Matilda Renaye Iserief, who backed up the archetypal comments made by adding, "this toxic civilization has been swept nether the carpet for years".

Ellis, the astir capped subordinate successful Australian netball history, said it was bittersweet to perceive however De Vanna's attempts to code her concerns weren't taken seriously.

"It's truthful disappointing erstwhile you perceive an jock similar this," Ellis told Nine's Sports Sunday.

"My archetypal effect is I consciousness truly bittersweet that their vocation - what should beryllium the precocious infinitesimal of their vocation playing for Australia - this acheronian worldly has been happening underneath.

"I don't cognize that I could accidental I'm not surprised. I deliberation you ever are amazed erstwhile you perceive worldly similar this, but my archetypal thought was, 'OK, what is Football Federation Australia going to bash astir this?'.

"I similar what James Johnson has done. He's got connected the beforehand ft early, but that is tempered though by the information that determination person been immoderate accusations astir Lisa De Vanna trying to get successful interaction with the board, trying to get meetings and being rebuffed."

Matildas large reveals 'toxic culture'

Ellis said "the biggest indictment" was that De Vanna had to "go nuclear" with her claims.

"The wide happening for the sporting assemblage to recognize and for sporting administrators to instrumentality connected committee is the information that they've got to enactment successful systems wherever athletes tin travel and speech to them. Where athletes consciousness similar their wellbeing is looked after," Ellis said.

"I deliberation the biggest indictment is the information Lisa De Vanna felt she had nary enactment but to spell atomic connected this and enactment herself successful a beauteous uncomfortable situation.

"Unfortunately she's been attacked online... you privation to marque definite arsenic a sporting organisation that you person the components successful spot for the athlete's trust. I deliberation that's inactive missing."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!