Southern Hemisphere Solidarity

Hi! I hope everyone’s well and surviving the slow descent into the winter months. Or if you’re reading this from the southern hemisphere, I hope you’re sufficiently smug about the impending sunshine.

Speaking of the southern hemisphere, we’re going to be staying in Australia this week following the interview with A-League star Fiona Worts in the previous newsletter.

At times, Australia can seem a bit of a utopia for women’s sport, and while that might not actually be the reality of the situation, the country has indeed hosted some of the world’s biggest women’s sport events over the past few years. This includes the Women’s T20 World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup and Women’s Basketball World Cup. All of these events have been excellently organised and have done much to advance women’s sport. Many of the country’s domestic competitions are also very successful, such as Super Netball. Stars from around the world are attracted to the league, widely considered as the place to play netball at the highest level.

But the league is currently in crisis. Negotiations over the collective playing agreement between Netball Australia and the players, represented by the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA), have broken down. The situation is complex, so I really recommend reading this excellent explanation by Megan Maurice in The Guardian. But, to put it simply, the ANPA wants a revenue-sharing mode implemented, giving the players access to the money they are bringing in from their labour. Netball Australia, which claims it is cash-strapped, wants a profit-share model. It has been argued that the future of netball in Australia would be in doubt if they handed over too much money to the players.

With negotiations dragging on, the players' contracts at their respective clubs have expired, and they aren’t able to sign new ones for the 2024 season. Entering an unexpected period of unemployment is certainly not ideal, but the stress has been somewhat alleviated by an astonishing act of solidarity.

The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), which was in a similar dispute with Cricket Australia over its female players in 2017, have set up a “fighting fund” for Super Netball’s unemployed players. According to ABC, this fund is around AUD $200,000 (£104,000), which is indirectly coming out of the pockets of the cricketers. The idea reportedly came from the executive level of the ACA, but is fully backed by both the male and female players.

“What is disappointing is that the netballers’ requests are modest and affordable for the sport,” said ACA chief executive Todd Greenberg. “The ACA believes they should be given the same partnership opportunities as our players – the same opportunities that has seen cricket thrive. The ACA stands with the netballers and will continue to do so until this campaign is successful.”

We’ve seen lots of examples of solidarity in women’s sport. It is particularly prevalent in women’s football right now, as national teams from various countries battle for fair treatment and adequate pay. In my opinion, it is one of the best things about women’s sport. Female athletes across the world are constantly fighting for their rights, and many probably have very similar experiences. They make themselves stronger by coming together, lifting everyone to the same level, and using a unified voice to overcome these challenges.

The ACA has gone one step further in this instance, providing financial support to the stricken Super Netball players. This not only allows the players to stay afloat financially during negotiations, but it also means they have the breathing space to stick to their guns during talks with Netball Australia, and win the battle for what they deem to be fair pay. The ACA has also encouraged other player unions across multiple sports to create a similar fund.

It is this kind of solidarity which is going to help female athletes around the world finally receive equitable treatment, but even if we get to that stage, I hope these selfless acts in women’s sport will forever continue.

Winning Women

Celebrating the impressive achievements of female athletes across the world

• Spain’s Marta Garcia won the inaugural F1 Academy, the latest attempt to increase female participation in motorsport. Garcia has now been given a fully-funded seat with PREMA Racing for the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.

• Natasha Jonas, a light-middleweight and welterweight world champion, has become the first black woman to obtain a British Boxing Board of Control manager's licence. Jonas will continue her career in the ring as she manages young boxer Mikie Tallon.

• Congratulations to referee Stephanie Frappart, who became the first woman to take charge of a men’s international fixture at Wembley. She officiated England’s 1-0 victory against Australia, adding yet another historic milestone to her achievements.

Bits and Bobs

Women’s sport news and content that you may have missed

• Racial inequality in women’s football has been a much discussed topic this week, after Arsenal admitted a diversity problem following their all-white women’s team photo. It’s well worth watching this new film from Versus and Spotify, which speaks to three women’s football players to examine the role of racial inequality in the game.

• A study has found that women’s sport now makes up 15% of media coverage in the United States, rising from 4% in 2018. It predicts this share could hit 20% by 2025, although I think we should be a bit more optimistic than that. Read the full report here.

• More than 55,000 fans attended an encounter between the University of Iowa and DePaul University at Kinnick Stadium, smashing the record for a women’s basketball match. Iowa’s coach Lisa Bluder had the genius idea to stage the game outdoors, allowing for the record crowd.

• Hockey legend Sam Quek has given rugby a try, visiting the RFU’s Allianz Inner Warrior camp at Hove RFC. The Inner Warrior initiative has seen more than 25,000 women and girls start playing rugby since its launch in 2017. Find out how you can get involved here.

• Take a look at this brilliant moment involving Australian cricket player Grace Harris, who smashed a six with a broken bat while playing for Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League.

• If anyone works or lives in London, make sure you get to Bloomsbury Football’s Game Changers photography exhibition. It champions the girls in Bloomsbury’s community with the aim of inspiring more young people to participate in football. The images are exhibited on the benches in Kings Cross, specifically King’s Boulevard, Pancras Square and Battle Bridge Place.

• Final one from me, and it’s exciting! The Game Changers podcast, hosted by Sue Anstiss, returns on Tuesday October 31. The eight episodes will each feature an interview with trailblazing women in sport. If you haven’t listened to the podcast before, there’s 14 previous series to catch up on!

That’s all for today’s newsletter. If you enjoyed it, please share with your networks and anyone else you think may be interested. Thank you!