It was a tough week for the Black Ferns with a second loss against England. I’ve noticed that when the All Blacks play there is a lot of analysis of the game and the players, we are treated to “power rankings” of each player and how well or poorly they played, we hear all about key plays and crucial moments in the game. I haven’t seen the same analysis of the Black Ferns’ matches, and what I have seen focuses on “the system” or on England. Maybe that’s the difference of analysing a win versus a loss, or maybe it should be on the system given we know the investment into women’s sport is not equitable to what is invested into men’s sport. However, as Hamish Bidwell posited this week, if the All Blacks had lost that significantly there would be a “baying for blood” and we would be flooded with analysis and commentary from former ABs, and the fact there hasn’t been the same for the Black Ferns, he suggests, is patronising towards the Ferns. But maybe given the resources poured into the All Blacks expectations (and repercussions) are higher. I wonder how (or if) we can separate historical (and ongoing) inequity and performance expectations. Alice Soper provided the most in depth analysis of the results, comparing the approaches and build up between England and Aotearoa after both undertook reviews in 2018. Notably, England’s women’s domestic rugby competition has provided significantly more game time for their players than the Farah Palmer Cup over the last couple of years. Another fact that stood out for me was that although NZR have set up high performance units (with KPIs) in the regions and 95 percent of Black Ferns had access to a strength and conditioning trainer that came with this initiative, 44 percent didn’t receive tailored programmes. I’m curious what the KPI is – that the players accessed the S&C trainer, their personal results, or the team results?
Meanwhile in Ireland, the head of women’s rugby, Anthony Eddy, has put the blame of not qualifying for the women’s world cup squarely at the feet of the players in a media interview, while a review of the campaign is still in progress. I can’t help but wonder, was that a spoiler alert or was he getting in first? The players have rallied together to call out Eddy‘s defensive and unprofessional comments.
There were also stories of some amazing things happening in women’s sport this week: Gold medallist canoeist Caitlin Regal shares how she has turned off all her tracking devices to focus just on paddling and enjoying her sport. In Australia, there have been a number of new gyms opening that offer a safe space for trans, gender diverse and queer folk to train. This has completely changed the experience for the likes of Jodie Nagyivan, an Aboriginal trans woman from Gunai Kurnai nation, who used to feel unsafe at the gym. Jodie shared how it wasn’t unusual for her to experience harassment from other gym-goers, or gendered microaggressions from trainers who gave her male-centric exercises – despite being clear on what she wanted, she was given a programme that focused on bulking up which she did not want. Her new gym focuses on inclusion which, unsurprisingly, means a much better experience. Queensland rugby league have announced their women’s State of Origin players will be paid the same as the men’s team next year. This move comes after some women dropped out of playing in the last competition because they couldn’t afford the commitment. No word yet if NSWRL will follow suit, so I may have to support the Maroons next year!
Following on from my comments last week about the use of digital platforms to make women’s sport more accessible, DAZN have announced they are streaming all the UEFA Women’s Champions League matches for free on their YouTube channel, which you can find here. The next round kicks off on 18th November. Now, if only there was a website where I could find all women’s football, schedules. team lists, and media articles….
This week in Herstory, in 2011 Murray McCully was appointed Minister for Sport and Recreation, a role he held until 2014. In 2015 at the IOC’s annual Women in Sport Awards, the NZOC were recognised for their “longstanding efforts promoting women in sport that have resulted in strong female representation on its Board, within its senior management and on its Olympic teams.” In 2019, The Women’s Game published a helpful guide of 10 ways to explain (to a sexist mate) that women’s sport deserves equal pay. And this time last year, as most sports ratings took a dive, WNBA’s was on the rise, and the chair of the English FA resigned after making a series of offensive comments on race, gender and sexuality.
Check out all the key media headlines in women’s sport for the week of 12th November right here.
Alida Shanks 