Women in Sport
Women in Sport https://www.cliftonhillphysiotherapy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/4943.png 465 279 Sallie Cowan https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7f5ef92e4282b4538250cbe3e76fe2e1?s=96&d=mm&r=gThe FIFA Women’s World Cup has initiated an important and overdue conversation regarding women in sport. The CommBank Matilda’s semi-final against England’s Lionesses on Wednesday captivated a national average audience of 7.13 million viewers and a total of 11.15 million viewers watching at one point during the broadcast. It has been heart-warming to watch the dedication and talent of the Matildas, knowing that their performance has and will continue to inspire future generations of young girls to participate in soccer and other sporting codes.
In Australia, women are under-represented in organised sports—as participants, coaches, officials, administrators, and board members. We started to see some positive shifts and growing enthusiasm for women in sport with the first season of AFL Women’s (AFLW) commencing in 2017. However, the conversation surrounding gender inclusion has really ramped up during this year’s Women’s World Cup. Sam Kerr, captain of the Matilda’s (and one of the greatest strikers the game has ever seen!) has spoken about having to keep her gender a secret as a 5 or 6-year-old after being permitted to play in one of the boy’s Aussie Rules football teams in South Fremantle.
Women’s football has come to mean more than the game itself. It has come to represent a social movement towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. We at Clifton Hill Physiotherapy are strong advocates for women in sport, and know that Matilda’s taking Australia to their best-ever result at a FIFA World Cup has undoubtedly changed women’s sport in this country forever. We cannot wait for Saturday night’s match against Sweden as we battle it out for 3rd place – go the Matilda’s!
Laura To
B Ex. Sci
M Physiotherapy
