The meteoric rise in women’s sports has been one of the most exciting trends in the entire sporting industry in Australia.
Every prominent sporting code has now formed their own elite women’s competitions.
Katie Brennan of the Bulldogs AFLW team. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
And it’s not just the prominent team sports doing well – Australia is producing many top-calibre female athletes in individual sports like tennis, golf, surfing, mixed martial arts and many Olympic sports.
Women’s sports has grown and developed into the elite level whereby a large percentage of female athletes now compete full-time and are paid accordingly, with increased exposure through television, online streaming, media coverage and sponsorship. It’s driving the rise of high-profile female athletes and record levels of interest and support.
Superstars like Ellyse Perry, Samantha Kerr and Caitlin Bassett are among the most influential female athletes inspiring a generation of girls simply by showing their world-class talents and competitiveness.
With women’s sports at the elite level making unprecedented progress, the glass ceiling preventing women and girls taking up sports at grassroots levels, which included lack of girls teams and competitions to join, girls not being included in male-dominated teams and sports and limited pathways for women and girls to compete at the elite level, have been shattered.
Although there’s still plenty of progress to be made at the elite level and grassroots level, girls are being inspired to follow their sporting dreams and are encouraged to have a go at whichever sport they love.
Sport is a very important part of Australia’s culture, and now that culture is being enriched by women and girls being encouraged not only to compete but also to succeed in traditionally male-dominated sports.
The Matildas’ Round of 16 defeat to Norway may have ended their FIFA World Cup aspirations. However, along with the cricket, the World Cups just keep on coming.
Milan-Cortina will host the 2026 Winter Olympics after beating Swedish rival Stockholm-Are in a vote of the International Olympic Committee’s members.
If you were asked to make a list of Australia’s most successful current athletes, it’s unlikely anyone would include a world champion by the name of Jason Belmonte.
Jason Belmonte, Australia’s two-handed tenpin superstar, continues his dominance on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tour, winning his 22nd title at the Japan Invitational in Tokyo.
It’s safe to say that I am the first person to report on the Boat Race for The Roar, so here’s a little history lesson.
