Siren 05: Netball Bushfire Relief, AFLW Pride Match, the Western Derby & more
A Women in Sport Collective
What’s in a word, or even a letter? Plenty, apparently.
The relationship between sport and politics was on the figurative front page this past week as conversations around language filled our feeds. Of course, it’s not just language that reveals the politics inherent in sport.
As Kasey Symons wrote this week, “Sports have excluded and exploited, and been unfair to people based on their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or ability since they were first played.”
We won’t shy away from these conversations, because challenging the status quo of a sports media that participates in that exclusion and exploitation is part of our mission.
Seeing the numbers each week makes it all the more necessary to do that challenging.
Yet again, less than 20% of mainstream sports coverage featured women’s sport. That’s not a status quo we’re ever going to be ok with.
If you want to help us change that, subscribe to Siren and share this newsletter with your friends and family.
In this issue
Kasey Symons speaks with Courtney Bruce, the Australian Diamond and West Coast Fever defender, about the upcoming bushfire relief charity match between the Australian Diamonds and Suncorp Super Netball All-Stars and the legacy of coach Lisa Alexander.
We’ve got a preview of the opening game in the T20 World Cup which is kicking off this Friday February 21st at the Sydney Showgrounds, straight off the back of the T20 Tri-Series. More cricket more of the time, yes please.
This coming weekend is Pride round for the AFLW with three Pride games happening across the weekend. Fi Newton from Joy FM’s Chicks Talking Footy has a little background to the Pride game and explains just why it’s so important.
There’s nothing like a derby to get the fans up and about but this one was extra special for Kasey Symons, a diehard Eagles fan. She flew west this past weekend to be there at the first AFLW Eagles Dockers derby and has written a beautiful essay that explores what it means to be a fan.
Speaking of AFLW, Gemma Bastiani is back with The Roundup for round two and there’s plenty to discuss. And, Gemma and Kirby Fenwick had some fun this round, watching the Bulldogs Melbourne game and engaging in a little fanter or fan banter.
Plus there’s new episodes of Kate O’Halloran’s Kick Like A Girl and Alison Smirnoff’s This AFL Life.
We hope you enjoy this issue and thanks again for subscribing to Siren!
Here If You Need: Diamond Courtney Bruce on Netball’s All Star Charity Game
By Kasey Symons
Photo: Narelle Spangher, Netball Australia
Sport is at its best when it unites for a common goal, when it can bring together people to support a cause and directly impact a community. We’ve seen so much of the sporting community rally to support those affected by the Australian bushfire disaster. It’s a powerful reminder of how much we as a nation look to our sporting heroes in times of crisis to lead the way and to use their platform.
I’m Here
By Kasey Symons
I’m in the open of Optus Stadium, my eyes cast over this modern dome donned in my team’s colours.
My colours.
Quick Preview: T20 World Cup Australia v India
By Gemma Bastiani
The Women’s T20 World Cup kicks off on Friday February 21st when host Australia faces contender India. We’ve put together a quick preview of the key points you need to know ahead of the match.
Pride in our Game
By Fiona Newton
Image: Dani Brown
Fiona Newton is often asked why we need to have Pride Games and what purpose they serve. The critics will even tell us to keep our politics and our ‘rainbow agenda’ out of football. However, football hasn’t traditionally been an inclusive place for the LGBTIQ+ community.
The Roundup: AFLW Round Two
By Gemma Bastiani
It was a tumultuous round of footy, with comebacks, surprises, an expansion team’s first win. There were also some outstanding individual performances. The conferences once again look terribly lopsided, creating stress for those unfortunate enough to be in Conference B, which makes percentage crucial and losses hurt that little bit more.
AFLW Fanter: Bulldogs v Melbourne
By Kirby Fenwick & Gemma Bastiani
What happens when two friends who support two different teams sit down to watch the footy together?
Our Collective members don’t just talk sport for Siren, they’re writing and talking on other platforms too! This new section of our newsletter will give a shout out to those pieces so you know where else you can catch the team. Heads up, with the AFLW season in full swing a lot of these pieces are footy-centric.
Kirby Fenwick wrote about the challenges facing the AFLW but also all the things worth celebrating for Eureka Street. For The Guardian, Kasey Symons wrote about the relationships between politics and sport and how sport, including the AFLW, has never been apolitical. Kate O’Halloran delved into the discussion around adding an M to the AFL for the ABC.
Kate also spoke to Richmond’s Rana Hussein and Sabrina Frederick on Kick Like A Girl, Alison Smirnoff released a new episode of This AFL Life and Gemma recapped the round in her weekly Play On Review.
We’re taking some time to reflect on the stellar career of Australian Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander who parted ways with the national side last week. We wish Alexander all the best with what’s next and look forward to celebrating her when she coaches the Diamonds for the last time on March 1 at the Netball All Stars charity match.
Chelsea FC have launched an innovative new training program to integrate menstrual cycle tracking with hopes for further performance enhancement and injury prevention. It’s a game changer, and for more periods in sport goodness, follow this twitter thread from Anna Kessel!
Suzanne Wrack also wrote on how pregnancy is no longer the career ender it once was for women in sport.
Canadian sports journalist and activist Shireen Ahmed gave a TEDx Talk in Toronto last year and the video is finally up! It is so powerful and we strongly recommend you take fifteen minutes of your day to watch it.
The Matildas are edging closer to Tokyo 2020 after their draw with China. The Australian Netball Players Association has announced an updated collective players agreement for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, which sees club salary caps increase by 8.65% this year, keeping the nation’s top netballers the highest-paid female domestic club athletes in the country.
Caster Semenya has run her first race in eight months in a record breaking 300m run.
Kate Seear wrote wonderfully on the AFLW/M controversy that exploded last week. Who knew one letter could cause such a stir?! PhD Candidate Nadia Bevan wrote on the importance of women’s sport, we’re enjoying following her important research.
History was made on January 1 this year when the Maryborough Highland Gathering did something never before seen in its 159-year history, finally allowing women to compete.
NBA Star Dwayne Wade went on Ellen last week to talk about being what it means to be a parent to a transgender child. It’s a beautiful conversation about love and support that we can all learn from.
We want to send a big congratulations to our friend Mary Konstantopoulos of Ladies Who League who won the award for best sport coverage by an individual – digital at the 2019 Sport Australia Media Awards. You are an absolute legend MK! Check out her latest interview with Sydney Roosters Nines player Courtney Hill.
Also congratulations to one of our faves, Tracey Holmes for winning the award for best analysis of sports business for her podcast ‘The Ticket’, which you should all be listening to, and Karen Tighe for being awarded The Sport Australia Media Awards lifetime achievement award.
And don’t miss the start of the ICC 2020 T20 Women’s World Cup which begins this Friday in Sydney with Australia taking on India, it’s going to be a great start to the tournament!
There was no way anything was beating this cuteness this week.
Runner up
We are here for some #womeninsport royalty in the Louvre! Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe hanging out at NBA All Star weekend is the girl gang we all want to be in.
Power Meri is a powerful documentary about an incredible team of women who defy the odds to become the first women's team from Papua New Guinea to play at the Rugby League World Cup.
The doco is available for clubs and organisations to host screenings and in the lead up to International Women's Day, the Power Meri team would like to offer the Siren community a screening pack special. A community screening licence is usually $99 but for screenings booked between now and April 30th they will give you 50% off using the code WOMEN IN SPORT.
Groups can request a screening online here.
Bulldogs Pride March
February 22nd, Melbourne
All are welcome at the Bulldog Pride’s first ever AFLW Pride March! Bulldog Pride are a local community group creating a safe space for the LGBTIQA+ community and allies to enjoy the footy
Bulldog Pride are holding a community pride march from Nicholson St Mall to Whitten Oval to start off the game with a gathering of community and showing of pride.
Date: Saturday 22nd February
Time: Gathering from 12.30, marching at 1pm. (Game starts at 3.10pm)
Where: We will be gathering at Nicholson St Mall to march down Hopkins/Barkly St, Footscray towards the Whitten Oval.
Check out the Facebook event here.
Siren fan meet up: T20 Women’s World Cup
March 2nd, Melbourne
Some of the Siren team are heading along to the women’s T20 World Cup double header at Junction Oval in Melbourne on March 2 and we welcome anyone to join us! We know it’s a work day so it’s a hard one to get to. But is there anything more Australian than calling in sick for work to go to the cricket?
The first match starts at 11am with Sri Lanka facing Bangladesh and then from 3pm Australia takes on New Zealand.
All are welcome to come along to the match and sit with us. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything about cricket or don’t have anyone to go with, come chill with us on the hill! We’ll tweet our location on the day and tickets can be purchased here. If you plan to come along, feel free to shoot us a DM on twitter or email us to let us know to look out for you. Or you can also just rock up on the day!
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