Latest news with #AustralianWomen'sSportSurvey
ABC News
04-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Van Egmond goal in vain as Birmingham City's WSL dream crumbles in 2-2 draw with Lionesses
Matildas great Emily van Egmond's ambition of returning to England's Women's Super League (WSL) has been shattered despite her scoring for Birmingham City in a dramatic season finale against London City Lionesses. Van Egmond, who had previously played in the WSL with West Ham, and her Blues teammates were hoping to gain promotion from the Women's Championship. But any other result at Birmingham's St Andrew's Stadium would result in the title going to the Lionesses. The Lionesses held on for a 2-2 draw, doing enough to repel the Blues, who had trailed 2-0. Loading Twitter content Inspired by van Egmond's headed goal from close range in the 63rd minute, the hosts thrilled the crowd of 8,749 when Cho So-Hyun equalised with a brilliant volley in the shadows of full-time. But they could not find a winner, meaning the Lionesses finished on top of the Women's Championship standings with 43 points, two ahead of the Blues. The Lionesses will become the first wholly independent club in the WSL next season. Photo shows A stylised graphic with three silhouettes of unidentified a female footballer, tennis player, basketballer ABC Sport and Deakin University have partnered to produce the first ABC Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey. They are not associated with any men's club. In the WSL, Manchester United sealed a top-three finish, getting the point they needed to qualify for the Women's Champions League in a 2-2 draw with local rivals Manchester City, who were without injured Matildas star Mary Fowler. There was still no sign of Sam Kerr returning after her own longstanding ACL injury, as champions Chelsea beat Spurs 1-0. Chelsea is just one match away — against Liverpool — from completing the entire WSL season undefeated. Clare Wheeler celebrated her new two-year contract with Everton by enjoying a 2-0 victory over Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Anfield. AAP
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Lauren Brown embraces the pressure of Women's State of Origin ahead of Game I in Brisbane
Firefighter and Queensland field goal specialist Lauren Brown is the queen of the big moment, because no-one understands pressure the same way she does. On the field and off it, the versatile 30-year-old life's work has been all about facing pressure head-on. Last year's With the Maroons trailing 1-0 in the series and scores locked up, she landed a stunner in pouring rain and into a gale ABC Sport will provide live coverage of the Women's State of Origin Game I from Brisbane, with a live blog and radio commentary from 7pm AEST on Thursday. Ahead of Thursday night's Origin opener at Lang Park, the Maroons magician explained several home truths about pressure. "I'm a firefighter by day and night. If we are rocking up to a house fully engulfed in fire it can be a life-or-death situation," she told AAP. "That is what real pressure is, making sure you don't let it overwhelm you. "You go back to being task-focused. It helps shift you back to your principles and process. Lauren Brown kicked a last-gasp field goal to win Game II for the Maroons. ( AAP Image: NRL Photos/Gregg Porteous ) "That allows you to harness the adrenaline, nerves and pressure by doing what you have been trained to do in those situations. That has helped me on the footy field as well. "The training we receive in academy for firefighting is incredible and they always put us in worst cases [scenarios] so you are ready … to do your best possible job." So does training for do-or-die moments help in front of the posts? "I guess subconsciously it does translate across, to not worrying about the outcome and going back to process," she said. Photo shows A stylised graphic with three silhouettes of unidentified a female footballer, tennis player, basketballer ABC Sport and Deakin University have partnered to produce the first ABC Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey. "I don't think about that when I am on the field. What I do relate to is that muscle memory, so I make sure I do one or two field goal sessions a week. "It is just like I am down at Burleigh Bears practising with Dad. I am not one to think before I kick a field goal, 'Is it going to go in?' "It is more about catch the ball, get a good ball drop, a good follow through with my [leg] swing, keep my head down and hopefully by the time I look up it is sailing through, which lucky enough it did [in Newcastle]." Brown recalled the best part of last year's magic moment was looking at teammates and "seeing how much it meant to them". "I'm a footy tragic. You watch so many iconic moments over the years where my favourite players — [Darren] Lockyer, [Johnathan] Thurston, [Cooper] Cronk — have iced moments like that," she said. "When you are a little kid down the park you imagine there's 10 seconds to go and you have to land it to win. "I look back at the field goal and I am super grateful … but everyone in the team did something that contributed to the win." Brown said the Maroons were determined to make amends for last year's Game I loss in Brisbane and "make Queenslanders proud". AAP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
NFL coach's son makes prank call to college football star Shedeur Sanders on draft night
The culprit of a prank call to college football star Shedeur Sanders on NFL Draft night has been revealed as the son of an assistant coach at the Atlanta Falcons. Sanders, the son of NFL hall of famer Deion, was one of the stars of the college scene, playing quarterback under his father at the University of Colorado. Sanders was overlooked until finally being taken by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, but he thought he had been taken a day earlier after a prank call by someone pretending to be New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis. Sanders was filmed on the phone to someone who told him, "We're going to take you with our next pick," before adding, "But you're going to have to wait a little bit longer man, sorry about that." In college, Shedeur (right) played under his father and former Falcons player Deion Sanders (left). ( Getty Images: Dustin Bradford ) A live stream showed a visibly confused Sanders after the call asking his entourage, "What does that mean?" before it dawned on all of them that they had been pranked. The Atlanta Falcons released a statement on Monday saying the son of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich got Sanders's number, which was only known to NFL personnel, "off an open iPad while visiting his parent's home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call". Though 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich provided the number, he was sitting beside an unidentified friend who actually made the call to Sanders. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. The team offered "sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family" in their statement, and Jax Ulbrich also posted a public apology on social media. "What I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing and shameful," he wrote. "I'm so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish." Photo shows A stylised graphic with three silhouettes of unidentified a female footballer, tennis player, basketballer ABC Sport and Deakin University have partnered to produce the first ABC Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey. In the apology, Ulbrich said he had spoken to Sanders since the prank to offer his apology directly. Sanders was perhaps the draft's biggest story as he had to wait until the fifth round before being drafted by the Browns with the 144th pick on the third day of the draft. "It didn't really have no impact on me because it was just like, OK. I don't feed into negativity or I don't feed into that stuff," Sanders said on Saturday after being drafted. "… This is what it is. I think, of course, it's childish. Of course I feel like it was a childish act, but everybody do[es] childish things here and there." When Sanders did get his call from the Browns before his selection, it was on FaceTime. The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe ABC/AP
ABC News
26-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
'Single biggest investment' in WNBL sees players' minimum wages increase by 104 per cent
Former Opals captain Tess Madgen has hailed the WNBL's ground-breaking new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) as 'phenomenal', and a 'long time coming". The four-year deal will see minimum wages increase by 104 per cent over the next four years, and has been labelled the "single biggest investment in the history of the WNBL" by CEO of the Australian Basketball Players' Association (ABPA), Jacob Holmes. The current minimum wage for a WNBL player is $23,000, which will increase to $46,952 by 2028/29, equalling the pro-rata rate for men's players on the minimum wage. 'I didn't think I would see that happen while I was still alive," Madgen told ABC Sport. "For too long, women who play sport professionally within Australia have been undervalued. Former Opals captain Tess Madgen says it's smart business sense to invest in women's sport. ( Getty Images: Corbis/Tim Clayton ) "So it has been awesome to see all the key stakeholders get together to make sure players are getting what they deserve." The deal, which also sees teams' salary caps increase by 8 per cent per year, comes at a time when women's basketball has skyrocketed in popularity globally. Some have credited this to once-in-a-generation talent and WNBA player Caitlin Clark, with Madgen arguing the 'Clark effect' proves investing in women's sport is a savvy decision. 'Businesses and investors can see, not just with basketball, but also with what the Matildas did at the World Cup, that it's not just the right thing to invest in women's sport, it's actually a smart thing to do,' she said. Most players still working part-time jobs Bec Cole, a two-time WNBL champion with the Southside Flyers, agreed that the deal would 'change the game' at a time when women's basketball is undergoing significant overhaul in Australia. Cole believes the deal will have a huge impact on players who've had to juggle study and work with playing. ( AAP: Morgan Hancock ) The WNBL is now owned by a consortium led by Robyn Denholm's Wollemi Capital Group Syndicate, and Larry Kestelman's NBL, with Basketball Australia retaining a minority stake. The leadership change had instigated frank conversations about the state of the WNBL, with players continuing to call for improvement in sub-par wages and conditions. Photo shows A stylised graphic with three silhouettes of unidentified a female footballer, tennis player, basketballer ABC Sport and Deakin University have partnered to produce the first ABC Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey. 'The wage increase is so great to see, because we have athletes who put in the time and hours and work just as hard as the men and people in other sporting codes, but they're taking on part-time jobs or studying because they can't pay their way,' Cole told ABC Sport. Cole explained that from a roster of 12 contracted players, most teams would currently have only three to five players with the luxury of dedicating full-time hours to basketball. Cole is one of those 'fortunate enough' to be able to focus on training and recovery alone, and says she is regularly 'inspired' by her teammates' professionalism while juggling multiple responsibilities. 'I don't know how they do it, because the league is getting more professional, and we are doing all these hours, but the money wasn't quite matching up to it,' she said. It's hoped the changes will allow more players to become full-time professionals. ( AAP: James Ross ) 'So for future generations to actually be able to say they choose basketball, because they can do this as a profession, makes me so happy.' CEO of the ABPA, Jacob Holmes, confirmed that most WNBL players continue to work part-time jobs to support their basketball careers. 'We want to see that change,' Holmes said, noting that many Australian basketballers have continued their careers overseas for lack of opportunity. 'The opportunity to stay and be a full-time professional is really important, and that's what we'd like to progress to from this agreement onwards, because this is just the foundation, and there's still more work to be done.' More support for mental health, wellbeing The deal will also see improvements to a range of player conditions, including greater investment in mental health support and career development, as well as contract protection insurance payments for injured players. Bendigo Spirit won the championship last season. ( Getty Images: Ian Hitchcock ) Madgen, who last year retired from the national team, as well as the WNBL, said this was critical in light of the game's rising popularity. 'That comes with new levels of pressure, like social media expectations and more visibility,' she said. 'So I'm really happy the CBA invests in the wellbeing and development of players off the court, so they can have an identity away from basketball as well. 'Too often, when players retire from whatever sport they do, they go through mental health battles and have a bit of an identity crisis… so it's really important that we set them up well for retirement.' The changes will come into effect for the 2025/26 season which will tip off later in the year. Do you have a story idea about women in sport? Email us
ABC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Minjee Lee leads Australian charge at season-opening major in Texas
Minjee Lee has proven the saving grace as Australia's golf stars endured a tough start to the first women's major of the year in Texas. Lee once again battled an uncooperative putter but still wound up still in the mix after hitting 17 straight greens before thunderstorms forced the suspension of her first round at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands. China's Yan Liu and South Korean Haeran Ryu set the pace with 7-under-par 65s. Lee was easily the best of the Australians, edging her way to 2-under through 17 holes with two birdies late on an otherwise rueful day. Loading Twitter content She was in an eight-way share of 16th place when her round was halted. The dual major champion was unable to cash in on a typically supreme display of ball-striking, a three-putt bogey on her second hole — the par-four 11th — setting the tone for a frustrating day on the greens. But Lee showed true grit to hang tough as some of golf's biggest names floundered. World number one and defending champion Nelly Korda will need some round-two magic just to make the halfway cut after opening with a shocking 5-over 77 to be tied for 118th in the 132-player field. Photo shows A stylised graphic with three silhouettes of unidentified a female footballer, tennis player, basketballer ABC Sport and Deakin University have partnered to produce the first ABC Elite Athletes in Australian Women's Sport Survey. Of the seven Australians, Gabriela Ruffels was the next best after Lee in a tie for 34th after rallying with two birdies in her last three holes for a level-par 72. World number five Hannah Green cut a dejected figure after only managing a 1-over 73. Having not been a contender at a major in years, Green had planned to grind her way to a decent start but instead leaked three shots on the back nine following a promising 2-under outward run. Steph Kyriacou (74) also has work to do to make the cut, while fellow Sydneysider Cassie Porter carded a 2-over on her major championship debut. Grace Kim was 3-over through 16 holes, with Hira Naveed posting a disappointing 6-over 78 after entering the week confident of contending after missing the cut on her major debut last year. AAP
