Siren 57: AFLW finals begin, a feeling not a moment and Proud 2 Play
A Women in Sport Collective
It’s been a hectic fews days in the world of sport! Over the weekend Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC won themselves spots in this weekend’s W-League final. The first week of the AFLW finals delivered all the drama we’d expect, setting up some exciting preliminary finals. And the Australian Women’s Cricket team have notched up 22 straight ODI wins, breaking the record held by the Australian men’s team from 2003.
With all that excellence happening, it’s the PERFECT time to polish up your application for the Siren Sport Emerging Sports Writer Program!
We’ve extended the deadline for applications until 5pm AEST, Tuesday April 6. That’s tonight if you’re reading this newsletter the day it hits your inbox.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to develop your sports writing skills, build a portfolio of work and gain some skills to pursue a career in sports media. PLUS, you’ll receive a $500 stipend which is supported by our friends at Football Victoria.
If you’ve been thinking about applying but haven’t yet, consider this our gentle encouragement to put pen to paper—or hands to keyboard—and apply! We’ve all experienced those pangs of self-doubt, second guessing ourselves and our skills but the wonderful thing about our Emerging Sports Writer Program is that you don’t need ANY experience. That’s right, none at all.
You just need to be passionate about the work we do at Siren, have a love for sport, identify as a woman or non-binary, be over eighteen and in Australia. So don’t delay, get your application in today! And if you know someone who should definitely be sending us an application, forward them this newsletter.
Siren Shirts!
If you haven’t yet got your hands on one of our ‘I Love Women’s Sports’ t-shirts in collaboration with League Tees, now is definitely a good time to do so!
All the proceeds from the sale of these t-shirts goes right back into Siren so we can continue to commission writers and run programs like the Siren Emerging Sports Writer Program.
In this issue
Gemma Bastiani is back with The Round Up, breaking down the stories from the weekend’s AFLW matches—the first week of the 2021 finals series! Kasey Symons spoke with Corey Wakefield and Erica James about Proud 2 Play’s new trans and gender diverse advisory board. Plus My Favourite Sporting Moment is back, with one of last year’s Siren Emerging Sports Writers shortlisted applicants, Tahlia Sinclair, who shares that it’s more about a feeling sometimes, than it is a moment.
Kasey Symons is back in The Guardian this week reflecting on how the heartbreak of losing a final is a privilege after the disastrous end of the 2020 AFLW season.
And Kate O’Halloran looks at week one of the AFLW finals for the ABC, including the anti-racist and feminist gesture made by North Melbourne captain, Emma Kearney.
Gemma Bastiani has pulled together her All-Australian team for the 2021 AFLW season. Gemma was also on the latest episode of The Outer Sanctum podcast!
Plus catch up on all the chat from the first week of AFLW finals with Gemma’s Play On Preview with Julia Montesano and Play On Review with Rana Hussain.
Follow that up with Alison Smirnoff and the Alyce Parker Fan Club in the latest episode of This AFL Life.
Presented by WARF Radio
The Round Up: AFLW Qualifying Finals 2021
By Gemma Bastiani
Presented by WARF Radio, the 2021 AFLW Qualifying Finals saw the Melbourne Demons and Collingwood Magpies win through, and knock out Fremantle and North Melbourne.
Proud 2 Play’s commitment to trans and gender diverse inclusion in sport
By Kasey Symons
Proud 2 Play’s new trans and gender diverse advisory board offers insight, information and support from athletes who know how to drive the conversation forward.
My Favourite Sporting Moment: more of a feeling
By Tahlia Sinclair
Short listed candidate for our first ever Emerging Sports Writer Program, Tahlia Sinclair, shares her very special contribution to Siren’s My Favourite Sporting Moment series.
ICYMI
Gemma Bastiani spoke to Fremantle’s Trent Cooper and Hayley Miller before Saturday’s final. While it wasn’t the Dockers’ day, it’s still a great interview if you didn’t get a chance to read it last week!
The host cities for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup have been announced and it is just making it more and more real that we have this incredible event hitting our shores in a few years!
Westfield Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson has named his first squad for the upcoming internationals against Germany and the Netherlands later this month.
Sydney FC have qualified for a fourth straight W-League grand final with a 3-0 semi-final win over Canberra United at Kogarah Oval and Melbourne Victory veteran Lisa De Vanna has fired her team into next Sunday's W-League grand final after a 6-2 semi-final win over Brisbane
Sam Kerr has scored *another* hat-trick for Chelsea!
Suzy Wrack speaks to Lydia Williams about how passionate she is to inspire Indigenous athletes.
Congratulations to Mel Jones, who has been elected as a Full Member Representative of the ICC Women’s Committee.
Just how good is our Australian Women’s Cricket Team?? (Answer, they are like really good!)
This April is the inaugural #MyGolfGirls Month and Golf Australia are sharing some great stories and initiatives to get more girls involved in golf.
Alicia Newton talks to Tallisha Harden about the entry of an Indigenous side at this year's National Championships and Mary Konstantopoulos also interviews Krystal Rota for NRL.com
Check out this powerful piece by Eleni Roussos on ABC Sport on how rugby helped Phoebe Caudill heal from domestic violence.
If you’re in Melbourne tomorrow night, Georgina Hibberd is having an event in North Fitzroy for her book ‘Never Surrender’ about the GWS Giants’ 2020 AFLW Season!
We have AFLW Preliminary Finals this week!
Congrats to Linden Hall who broke the 4-minute barrier in the 1500m! Yes Linden!
We’re so lucky for all the work athletes in women’s sport put in to connect to fans. Kalani is all of us!
Runner up
Well said Bridie! We love this ad!