International Women's Day | Women In Sport
Women In Sports
For International Women’s Day this year, we wanted to take a look at some of the most inspiring and powerful women in sports at the moment. Participation and impact for women’s sports are getting stronger and stronger in viewership, spectators and new players.
Following an unforgettable 2022 that witnessed success by the Lionesses in the Euro, the show-stopping historic spectacle of Savannah Marshall vs Claressa Shields at a sold-out O2 Arena and the edge-of-your-seat Rugby World Cup Final where the Red Roses saw their 30-match unbeaten run ended in cruel fashion to New Zealand, we can’t wait to see what 2023 brings.
With the Football World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer, a T20 World Cup in South Africa this February followed by a home Ashes series later in June/July there’s plenty of action to look forward to.
Let’s take a look at two sports that have seen an acceleration in support, spectators and superstars…
Football
Just in case you missed it, England’s Lionesses won the Euro Championship competition in 2022.
The Lionesses will hope to build off the back of their Euros and Arnold Clark Cup triumphs as they travel to Australia and New Zealand for the football World Cup later this summer.
With 2023 set to be another year bringing Women’s football to the fore, let's take a look at some of its stars to watch this year…
Alexia Putellas
The undisputed queen among women football players in the world, Barcelona and Spain’s Alexia Putellas is the face of the sport. Her tally of titles is awesome, winner of the Ballon d’Or Feminin and UEFA Women’s Player of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022. She also became the first woman ever to retain FIFA’s Best award.
She has been the most influencing match-winner in women’s football and her intelligence, technical ability, passing range, leadership qualities, creativity and decision-making are truly a cut above the rest.
With the World Cup this summer, fingers are crossed that she is able to return after suffering a knee injury last year.
Sam Kerr
Sam Kerr’s achievements are staggering, on and off the field.
The Australian striker had one of the best seasons of her football career recently and she won the FA Cup league title as well as several player of the season awards.
The captain of Australia also became the first and only female footballer to win Golden Boot awards in three different leagues, on three different continents.
The Matildas captain is the country’s all-time leading goal scorer (62 goals), scoring Australia’s first World Cup hat-trick and also made history by becoming the first woman to appear on the global cover of the FIFA video game alongside Kylian Mbappe.
Her profile will peak in Australia this year. If there are any Australian homes that have not heard of Sam Kerr, a World Cup in Australia will bridge that gap.
Beth Mead
Beth Mead became a household name after being a key player in the Lionesses first major trophy, after beating Germany 2-1 at Wembley, which saw a record-breaking 17.4 million viewers tuning in, the biggest UK television event of the year.
She has received no shortage of accolades after being one of the runners-up in this year’s FIFA Best award and the Ballon D’Or award, voted as Arsenal’s player of the season for 2021-22 and winning the Golden Boot and the player of the tournament at Euro 2022.
Adding to her trophy cabinet, she won BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2022, becoming the first women's footballer to win the award!
Cricket
With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa and the Ashes this year, it looks to be a big 2023 for women’s cricket.
England has already broken ticket sales record with 55,000 already sold for The Ashes, selling more tickets than for all of England's games in 2022.
2023 will see the first-ever Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) tournament take place, which is expected to accelerate the growth of the women’s game.
Sophie Ecclestone
Ecclestone has become one of the vital cogs of the England team and is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
A slow left-arm spinner renowned for her accuracy and economy, Sophie Ecclestone became the world's No. 1-ranked T20I bowler.
In just over six years of international cricket, Ecclestone has already played more than 100 games for England and has her best years in front of her.
Alyssa Healy
Alyssa Healy is a multiple World Cup winner (Twenty20 and ODI), the wicketkeeper is a destructive batter and a chirpy presence behind the stumps, a powerhouse Australian women’s team.
She became the first cricketer to score a century in the semi-final and final of a World Cup during her remarkable run at the 2022 tournament and so it's no surprise she is confirmed to be part of Australia’s Ashes team.
She is also a prominent voice for the growth of women’s cricket, having pushed for more collaboration between the men’s and women’s teams which makes her a perfect for today’s International Women’s Day post.
Ashleigh Gardener
Three-time World Cup winner, Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Ashes winner and WBBL champion, the 25-year-old has won pretty much everything there is to be won on the field.
Ashleigh Gardner won the ICC Player of the Month back in December and her inspirational all-around form in February earned her the Player of the Tournament prize as Australia claimed a sixth global T20 crown.
Gardner is well on course to becoming cricket royalty with a reach capable of inspiring many in Australia and beyond.
There are too many stars to mention in just one post, so stay tuned for more inspirational women in sports.
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