But it is also generating unhappy comparisons with the inability of other women’s sports to attract enough attention, support and funding.
But their anger is symptomatic of the much broader struggle for more equal treatment of women’s sports and the need to develop better pathways to potential success. There were hopes this might change when the Australian women’s cricket team sold out the MCG and won the International Cricket Council world cup in March 2020. Instead, their success was overwhelmed by COVID-19. And even though the women’s cricket team’s retention of the Ashes in England pulled in 110,000 fans, a 450 per cent increase on the 2019 series, it didn’t attract anything like the interest in the men’s series.in South Africa but with relatively little fanfare.
This fits with the focus on increasing gender equity in society more generally backed by the feel-good mood surrounding great women doing great things in sport.The Albanese government was understandably keen to surf the national enthusiasm created by the Matildas – and burnish its credentials with women – byand better facilities for women and girls playing sport.
Even for those who succeed at the highest level, most have found it hard to translate their achievements into careers beyond sport or to balance this with financial and personal commitments while playing.