Siren 10: AFLW season abandoned, W-League grand final, Anne Gordon & more
A Women in Sport Collective
Our world has shifted again in the past week with more cancellations and postponements. Notably the cancellation of the AFLW season and the postponement of the Suncorp Super Netball season. It’s a difficult time for many of us right now as sport has so often been the place where we could escape too.
But while the world may be an uncertain place at the moment, we want you to know that we’ll be doing all we can to make this newsletter, and the Siren community more broadly, a place where you can find something to make your world a little brighter. Something to make you smile.
Because sport is so much more than just what happens on the court or the field. And our focus over the coming weeks will be on telling more of those stories.
We’re also working behind the scenes on other ways we can connect online and come together, as the women’s sport community is so wonderful at doing. So please stay tuned for more news on that.
We’re not going anywhere. We’re still telling and sharing stories. We’re still advocating for women in sport. And we’re doing it safely, from our homes, with physical distance between us, but the power of the women in sport community holding us together.
In this issue
Kirby Fenwick profiles ex-Australian Women’s Cricket captain Anne Gordon in more depth after the video we shared earlier this year. Angela Christian-Wilkes takes us through the W-League grand final and the season that preceded it. Kasey Symons discusses the This Girl Can campaign and what its intentions were prior to cancellation. Kick Like A Girl hosted a fascinating discussion regarding the unique physical challenges women face in the sporting landscape, Gemma Bastiani recaps the final AFLW matches of 2020 and Megan Brewer celebrates the career of Mel Hickey.
Melbourne City FC have done it again
By Angela Christian-Wilkes
On Saturday afternoon, the side lifted the championship trophy for the fourth time – this time, in a quiet stadium in front of a sprinkling of friends and family – becoming the first side in the league’s history to get the premiership/championship double twice.
History makers: Anne Gordon, that 76 tour and why the history of women’s cricket matters
By Kirby Fenwick
A few weeks ago, Siren spoke with Anne Gordon, the former captain of the Australian women’s cricket team. In the lead up to the T20 World Cup grand final, we shared some of that interview with you. But Anne had plenty more stories to share, so please enjoy this part two of History makers: Anne Gordon, that 76 tour and the why the history of women’s cricket matters.
Feature Gallery: Melissa Hickey retires
By Megan Brewer
Upon the AFLW season’s abandonment, pioneer player and Geelong captain Melissa Hickey announced her retirement. To celebrate her impact on the game Megan Brewer has put together a photo gallery.
This Girl Can – and will no matter what
By Kasey Symons
This Girl Can Week was originally slated to begin March 23. It should have been a week full of activities encouraging women to get out and about, join groups and connect to communities to try different kinds of physical activity.
Kick Like A Girl feature interview with Mel Haberfield, Alison Harding & Brooke Patterson
We’re only beginning to scratch the surface of the unique challenges sportswomen face when it comes to managing their bodies in the context of sporting environments. On Kick Like A Girl this week, host Kate O’Halloran discussed these issues in relation to AFLW players in particular, with experts Mel Haberfield, Alison Harding and Brooke Patterson weighing in on the topic.
The Roundup: Semi Finals
By Gemma Bastiani
It’s been an unprecedented week in footy. First the season was proceeding at empty stadiums, then the finals season was to be fast tracked, and now here we sit with the 2020 season abandoned and no premier to be named. This week The Roundup will do its usual job—wrap up all the on field action from the weekend—and next week it will be a full-season recap, so we still have some great AFLW content to share despite the unsatisfying end to the season.
Across the week, we’ve had plenty of other content created by Siren members across various platforms. Alison Smirnoff released another episode of This AFL Life, Kate O’Halloran wrote about the murky waters of an abandoned AFLW season for ABC and Kirby Fenwick touched on the mixed emotions that come with that for The Guardian.
Samantha Lewis summed up so beautifully how many of us felt over the weekend while watching the last of women’s sports before so many season’s ended and were cancelled.
“During these 90 minutes, regardless of who won or lost, 22 women on a pitch in Australia provided an answer to football’s existential question. Football’s meaning is amplified, not diminished, in times like these; not because it distracts us from what matters but because it reminds us that what matters is each other.”
Please read her piece on the W-League Grand Final. It’s wonderful. And also check out her season wrap on ESPN.
Congratulations to Melbourne City for not only winning the W-League Grand Final but for finishing the season undefeated and winning their fourth title in five seasons. A history making effort.
The USWNT Equal Pay lawsuit continues. Here is a great podcast with ESPN’s Julie Foundy talking to Mina Kimes about what is going on. Also in the world of women in sport activism. WNBA star Maya Moore’s efforts to fight the justice system while putting her basketball career on hold have been rewarded. The man she was helping Jonathan Irons, had his conviction overturned. There is a way to go in the process but it’s wonderful news and we’re in awe of Moore’s amazing dedication.
The Suncorp Super Netball and Deakin University Australian Netball League 2020 seasons have been postponed until at least 30 June. But if you want to stay connected to the game and keep active during this time, Netball Australia CEO Marne Fechner and NETFIT Netball CEO Sarah Wall recently announced a partnership which will see netball fans receive live and free online netball workouts and programs.
Madeleine Pape writes about what impact the coronavirus could have on the rise of women’s sport.
Mary Konstantopoulos gives a beautiful insight into the incredible Claudia Bell from NSW Rugby.
The Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia are united in pushing for a postponed Tokyo Olympics. We expect a postponement announcement is imminent.
As sports shut down and we look for other ways to consume and connect with sport, documentaries are becoming a popular option. We’ll share more ideas of what to watch/read/listen to in the coming weeks but a few things for now, Cheer on Netflix is a fascinating and thrilling watch. It’s also complicated and this piece on the series by Amanda Mull sums that up brilliantly.
So we might have had a special request for Tweet of the Week this week… and that request may have come from a Melbourne AFLW superfan from within this collective… but what are you going to do about it?!
Share in the joy that was the moment Krstel Petrevski found out she was making her AFLW debut in an elimination final.
Runner up
Now is the time to up your #womeninsport TikTok game - tag us in yours! We love this one from Alexia Mitchell - untouched!
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