Pippa Britton is Wales’s most successful Archer, a double Paralympian and double world champion Pippa made the podium at six consecutive world championships and won 24 medals at 24 international events.
Pippa also represented the Welsh able bodied archery team on more than 20 occasions and has broken many world and national records.
After retiring from competing, Pippa decided to give back to sport and society combining her understanding of diversity and equality with her experience of governance. She’s had a number of prominent non-executive board roles, including the vice-chair of Sport Wales and UK anti-doping and the chair of Disability Sport Wales.
We explore much in this conversation including the importance of diverse sports boards and what more needs to be done to improve the way we treat athletes at the end of their sporting careers.
Listen here – https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers/pippa-britton-6hx69
Anne Wafula Strike is an extraordinary para-athlete who is also an author, inspirational speaker, disability rights campaigner and powerful advocate for the less fortunate in society.
Born in Kenya, Anne contracted polio at the age of two, resulting in paralysis of her lower body. Arriving in the UK in April 2000, she was introduced to wheelchair racing in 2002 and in 2004 became the first Kenyan wheelchair racer to represent her country at the Paralympics in Athens. Following a successful application for British citizenship in 2006, Anne became a member of Team GB.
A winner of the BBC’s ‘My Story’ competition, her superb autobiography: ‘In my Dreams I Dance’ was published in 2010. In 2014 Anne was received an MBE for her services to disability sport and charity and in 2020 she was named as a special envoy to the Commonwealth.
In this fascinating episode we hear much of Anne’s incredible life story, and, having overcome so much in her own life, she shares how we can all use our voices to campaign for the rights of others in society.
Listen here – https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers/anne-wafula-strike
Ugo Monye is former Harlequins, England and British & Irish Lions rugby player, who’s now more familiar to us as a sports broadcaster, podcaster and TV presenter.
He’s a captain on BBC’s Question of Sport and also took part in last year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
When not talking about rugby on TV shows and podcasts, Ugo is Chair of the RFU’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group and recently became a Trustee of the Women’s Sport Trust charity.
Watch here –
A passionate male ally for women’s sport, Ugo confronts whether women’s rugby is truly professional right now, why more investment is needed for quality media coverage and how much more top male players can do to publicly support their female colleagues.
Listen here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers/ugo-monye
Shruti Saujani is Senior Manager for Cities & Volunteers at the England and Wales Cricket Board – the ECB. Recognized as one of sports industry’s next gen leaders in 2021, Shruti is passionate about ensuring cricket is a sport for everyone, and helping women from South Asian backgrounds overcome many of the barriers they face in sport.
Listen here – https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers/shruti-saujani
Watch here –
As part of the ECB’s South Asian Action Plan Shruti directs a national engagement programme, leading a team who are recruiting 2000 women into voluntary activator roles through the Dream Big Desi Women project.
Her dedication for a more equal playing ground in cricket and sports has seen her appear on the BBC, Sky and become a trustee with Miss Kicks Foundation.
Recognised as a ‘Sports Industry Next Gen Leader’ in 2021, Shruti has grown and developed her leadership skills in diverse commercial roles. Before working in sport, was recognised for bringing culture change in the automotive industry.
In this fascinating conversation Shruti shares her learnings for creating an inclusive sports environment, the path to getting more women from diverse backgrounds onto the elite pathway and how recent revelations about the treatment of Azeem Rafiq impacted her personally and professionally.
You can find Shruti here on LinkedIn.
Each week I share a round up of the biggest developments in women’s sport. I’m feeling particularly inspired this week by the extraordinary Emma Raducanu & Europe’s win in the Solheim Cup.
Here’s what else is exciting me. . .
BBC + SKY + WSL
A huge first for women’s sport last weekend as the Barclays FA WSL season kicked off with free to air coverage for the first time in a partnership with Sky Sports & the BBC. Viewing figures for first game on BBC set new records.
NBC + FEMALE TEAM
NBC Sports are making US television history this autumn with an all-women broadcast team for the LPGA Classic in October. The team includes Cara Banks, Judy Rankin, Paige MacKenzie, Karen Stupples and Kay Cockerill with Beth Hutter as producer.
GAME ON + PUBLICATION
This week saw the publication of my book ‘Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport.’ Covering a wide range of topics from investment, media & fans through to issues such as race, LGBTQ and perceptions of femininity, I’m hoping it will be a must read for anyone interested in sport and its potential to impact equality in society. You can order it here: https://lnkd.in/dgEHsc5
NWSL + RECORD ATTENDANCE
OL Reign v Portland Thorns set an NWSL record attendance when 27,248 fans watched the Reign’s 2-1 win on August 29th. The previous NWSL record stood at 25,218 for Portland Thorns’ 2-1 win over NC Courage in 2019.
AFLW + WORKPLAY
AFLW (the women’s Australian Football League) has launched a great new partnership with Workplay which links female athletes up with companies to enhance their career skills, networks and work experience.
SKY SPORTS + GOLF RIGHTS
Great to see Sky Sports marking 25 years of women’s golf coverage with a 3-year extension to its existing rights deals for both the LPGA & the Ladies European Tour (LET). The extension sees Sky Sports continue to be the home for all 5 women’s golf majors: KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Evian Championship, ANA Inspiration, US Women’s Open & AIG Women’s Open.
WBBL + WEBER
The Women’s Big Bash League in Australia has announced that Weber Barbecues will be its new naming rights partner. The League will be known as the Weber WBBL, with a finals series format to provide greater reward for the side finishing top of table. Weber will also become a supplier of the KFC Big Bash League.
#ChangingTheGame #Sports #WomensSport
Sport has an extraordinary, unique capacity to challenge and change society – to bring joy and hope; to improve physical and mental health, reduce loneliness and build self-esteem and happiness. It’s also a multi-billion-pound commercial industry that can transform lives, businesses, nations and regions. Why has half the population been deprived of access to something so culturally powerful?
In recent years, the landscape for women’s sport has finally begun to shift. We’ve seen significant increases in investment, spectators and media coverage. More women as professional athletes and taking influential roles as board directors, editors, officials and CEOs.
Yet still, female athletes don’t get equal funding or opportunities. In many sports, women receive less prize money, lower sponsorship revenues and a tiny fraction of the media coverage.
Drawing on her own experiences, and interviews with high profile Olympic and Paralympic champions, broadcasters, journalists, sports scientists, CEOs, officials and sponsors, Sue Anstiss investigates why women have been excluded from the world of sport for centuries – and why we are now witnessing positive change as never before.
Game On is a celebration of the trailblazing women opening doors for others and a manifesto for women’s sport – a rallying cry to ensure the progress we are currently seeing goes from strength to strength.
HARDCOVER / ISBN-13: 978-1800180628
GBP: £18.99
ON PRE-SALE: now
RELEASED: September 2, 2021
The Game Changers is a podcast showcasing the trailblazing women who are paving the way in sport.
In the final episode on the season, host Sue Anstiss MBE talks to the incredible Lucy Bronze, professional footballer at Man City, Vice-Captain of the Lionesses, UEFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2019 and FIFA Women’s Best Player of the Year 2020.
Listen here – https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers/lucy-bronze
Lucy discusses the incredible highs and challenges of her life and career in football, from getting into the sport as a youngster and discovering another girl who played (childhood neighbour and fellow team mate Lucy Staniforth). Lucy talks about how her and Lucy bonded over football and how, as an unsociable child, she used sport as a way to make friends.
She talks about the impact of an early knee injury on her career, the limited support available at that time compared to the men’s game and how that adversity drove her to push to succeed. She remembers her first cap for England and the words that the formidable manager, Hope Powell shared ahead of the game.
Lucy also comments on playing internationally both in America and at Leon, and the conflict between staying in the States (which she loved) and the having the chance to play for her country
The podcast highlights an absolutely incredible career from one of English football’s most talented players, as Lucy discusses her ambitions for the future (an Olympic, Euro or World Cup win), growing into a leader, building her confidence and inspiring the next generation to have a positive impact on social change. As well as becoming the first English player to win the UEFA Women’s Player the Year and Best FIFA Women’s Player.
The Game Changers have 58 interviews with women working in the sports industry, Olympians, Paralympians, footballers, business leaders, coaches and officials including Gabby Logan, Jill Scott, Jess Ennis-Hill, Denise Lewis, Judy Murray, Lauren Steadman, Sarah Storey, Kate Richardson-Walsh and Maggie Alphonsi (to name just a few).
S7 Ep 6
Maria is Executive Director of Women Win, an organisation that leverages the power of sport to equip adolescent girls and young women to exercise their rights.
A former Global Director of Community Investments at Nike, Maria championed sports and play as a powerful tool for social change.
Listen here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers/maria-bobenrieth
Professional footballer Jess Fishlock has played in nine countries winning numerous accolades include a UEFA Women’s Champions League winners medal.
Wales’ most capped footballer. Jess is the first player, male or female, to reach 100 caps for her country. Off the field Jess is a role model for the LGBTQ+ community.
Listen here – https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers/jess-fishlock
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