It’s another #SirenSummer Series special issue for y’all!
We are loving sharing stories with you all after a bit of a break earlier this year and giving space for different stories and diverse voices.
It was great to publish the work of Mrinal Asija again on Siren in our last issue. Mrinal’s piece on taking up cricket for the first time as an adult resonated with so many in our community and we’re sure inspired a lot of people to pick up a bat, ball, stick—or whatever they want—this summer to get the great physical and social benefits sport gives us.
Mrinal was also a special guest on Triple R’s Breakfasters show discussing the piece and her experience giving cricket a go. If you missed it, take a listen here.
In this newsletter, we’re excited to share a story from Kate Kirby, someone new to the Siren platform who does some great work in sport history and is also completing a PhD at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
We love our sports history around here so we hope you enjoy Kate’s look into the interesting history of the Lindy Award that, despite being awarded to the best ‘sportsmen’ of the year, was open to and, at times, won by women. Talk about the importance of inclusive language!
Siren Sport x ABC Sport networking event—save the date!
Calling all women and non-binary people looking to pursue a career in sports media: come along to this virtual networking event on Tuesday 5 December @ 6:30pm to meet members of the ABC Sport team and get some tips and tricks about the sports media industry.
Are you studying? Starting out or transitioning careers? Looking to build your network? Want to get some feedback on your story ideas? Then this event is for you!
ABC Sport guests will include:
Amanda Shalala, Deputy Editor
Kate O'Halloran, Digital Sports Journalist
Jess Stewart, ABC Brisbane Sports Reporter
Plus more to be announced!
With Siren Sport co-founders Dr Kasey Symons and Kirby Fenwick
This will be a speed-networking style event to facilitate introductions with prompts and suggestions to avoid those awkward moments when meeting new people—we know networking can be intimidating! But this will be relaxed and fun to help you build confidence and connections.
This event is FREE but spaces are limited so book your spot now!
Introducing our new Siren intern: Pyper Denneman!
We love working to support the next generation at Siren and we are excited to introduce our summer intern, Pyper Denneman to you all.
Pyper will be helping us out over the next few months as part of her sports media degree at Charles Sturt University.
The Lindy in 1960s and 1970s Australia
By Kate Kirby
In Australia, the bestowing of honours on sportspeople is a tradition—connecting national identity with a history of sport and play.
The Siren Summer Book Club—join us next week!
Did we mention we’re pumped for the first Siren Summer Book Club??
First up in our Siren Summer Book Club is Fiona Crawford’s ‘The Matilda Effect’!
Post World Cup, diving into this story of the Matildas is an absolute delight. While it’s a story of inspiring determination and courage it’s also one of a lack of investment and marginalisation. A familiar combination!
We’ll host our virtual book club via Zoom on Wednesday November 22 at 7pm AEDT where we will be joined by the author, the fabulous Dr Fiona Crawford.
The Siren Summer Book Club is FREE and all are welcome to join.
Simply sign up here, keep Wednesday November 22 at 7pm AEDT free in your diary and we will send you a Zoom link closer to the date.
Haven’t read the book? Don’t let that stop you from coming!
Even if you haven’t hadn’t a chance to read the book (we get it!), all are welcome to come along, meet Fiona and chat all things Matildas, sports books and women in sport!
All the latest from the Siren Sport x ABC Sport partnership
We have been busy lately working with the amazing team at ABC Sport to amplify some great stories. The latest pieces published through our ongoing partnership with ABC Sport have some basketball flavour which is exciting as the new WNBL season is underway!
Learn about the inaugural Australian female basketball team who won silver at the World Dwarf Games from writer (and silver medalist herself!) Julie Dickson.
Jacinta Govind shares Sydney Flames assistant coach and former Opal Renae Garlepp’s story on climbing the coaching ladder and overcoming fear.
And Hayley Wildes gives us insight into the amazing feat Abigail Wehrung from the Bendigo Spirit achieved to raise important research funds after losing her mum to breast cancer.
Join us at the (sports) movies?
Sports fans, we are in for a treat at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival!
On Sunday 19 November the beautiful Capitol Theatre on Swanston Street will screen two remarkable films.
Equal the Contest is a brilliant documentary from non-binary filmmaker Mitch Nivalis which chronicles the story of Nivalis’ experience learning to play footy with the Mount Alexander Falcons, an Australian rules football club in Castlemaine created in 2021 by and for women and gender-diverse people, and their quest to be allowed to play in the Central Victoria Football League.
Equal the Contest is screening on Sunday 19 November at 2pm.
Jafar Panahi’s Offside is one of the most charming and poignant sports films ever made. Iranian women soccer fans travel to a World Cup qualifier match in Tehran despite it being illegal for them to be spectators by disguising themselves as boys. Will they be able to fool the guards?
Offside is screening right after Equal the Contest on Sunday 19 November at 4:30pm.
AND as a fantastic FREE curtain-raiser to the afternoon, Joy FM’s Game On! program host, Jacqueline Shields will moderate an all-star panel featuring non-binary filmmaker and director of Equal the Contest, Mitch Nivalis, co-founder of Proud 2 Play, Dr Ryan Storr and Siren co-founder Dr Kasey Symons.
The panel begins at 12:30pm. Tickets for the panel are free but you have to book!
Tickets for the panel and Equal the Contest and Offside are on sale now and we figured, what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than by getting all our pals together and going to the movies!
So grab your ticket today and join us?
Siren is now on Patreon!
Thanks to those wonderful people who joined our Patreon – we very much appreciate your support!
The work that we do at Siren…
commissioning and paying writers and content creators
running the Emerging Sports Writer Program
supporting writers to get their work published on ABC Sport
working hard to create opportunity and build community demands
…demands time and money.
The support of the Siren community has facilitated that work and helped support those commissions and opportunities and we can’t thank you enough.
You can become a Patron of Siren today and help us continue to challenge the status quo of sports media .
cool things, really helpful resources!