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NZ Herald
16-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
NZ women's sports coverage rises with success in Olympics and T20 World Cup
Suzanne McFadden for LockerRoom The dominance of New Zealand's female athletes at the Paris Olympics, alongside the White Ferns' unexpected success at last year's T20 World Cup, has helped lift coverage of women's sport in New Zealand to a level that sports leaders hope will be the new norm. The
Newsroom
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsroom
How Lydia Ko and co have teed up a new high for women's sport
The dominance of New Zealand's female athletes at the Paris Olympics, alongside the White Ferns' unexpected success at last year's T20 World Cup, has helped lift coverage of women's sport in New Zealand to a level that sports leaders hope will be the new norm. The latest Sports Media and Gender Study, which tracked gender balance and visibility in sports news across 2024, shows 27 percent of all stories were dedicated to women's sport. That's up one point from 2023, when Aotearoa hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup, but more importantly, it's just shy of the all-time high of 28 percent reached during the landmark year of 2022, when both the Women's Cricket and Rugby World Cups were played here. That makes the latest 27 percent figure all the more notable, with the key events for Kiwi athletes last year – the Olympics, Paralympics and cricket World Cups – all held offshore. It's a significant jump from the 15 percent recorded for women when the study began five years ago. So is this the new normal? Will coverage of women's sport continue to hover in the mid-20s? Sport New Zealand's CEO, Raelene Castle, would like to think so. 'I think this will be the new baseline,' she says. 'There's awareness, profile and a shift in thinking around female sport now, and the great results keep coming for our women. 'We'd expect everyone to report on them and celebrate them, because that drives positivity for the country. And I hope it continues to grow from here. I'd still like to see it up at 30 or 35 percent.' Lulu Sun had a breakthrough year in 2024, reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and playing at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Dom Thomas Dame Lydia Ko was well ahead of the rest of the field of female athletes mentioned in sports coverage throughout 2024. The golfer's name appeared twice as often as in 2023 – thanks to her Olympic gold medal, British Open victory and induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Lulu Sun, the tennis world's Newcomer of the Year, was second, ahead of Dame Lisa Carrington, despite her haul of three Olympic golds. But the news wasn't all positive. While gender balance – the share of coverage devoted to women's sport – continues to slowly rise, visibility of females keeps sliding. The report found the proportion of female athletes, coaches, officials and fans featured in media coverage in 2024 had declined (to 23 percent), while the representation of men increased. The drop in visibility was driven by three key trends: Strong performances by our male footballers (like the Wellington Phoenix), while coverage of the women's game dropped off sharply after the 2023 FIFA World Cup here. A rise in coverage of high-profile events traditionally dominated by men – like Liam Lawson's entry into Formula 1. Increased media attention on a broader mix of women's sports, particularly individual or pairs of athletes in tennis, golf, cycling, canoe sprint and swimming – which led to fewer female voices and sources used. Gender balance and visibility in NZ sports media over the five years of the study. Graphic: Isentia/Sport NZ The visibility gap could be closed, Castle says, simply by making broadcast coverage of women's sport more regular and sustained. 'The single-biggest change for women's sport will be week-in, week-out content in our lounge rooms, with superstars – like Caitlin Clark in the WNBA – who drive the curiosity and interest,' she says. 'It's the single thing that will ultimately move the dial in the media landscape. 'And regular coverage for our women is growing – the Warriors Women in the NRLW, Super Rugby Aupiki, the Phoenix Women in the A League, the White Ferns playing in Australia's Big Bash League. They live in our lounge rooms every week and that's what drives the media to report on it, because you're involved in consistent competition over a season, as opposed to a short two-week event.' Cricket's six percent rise in gender balance – driven by the White Ferns' T20 Cup win in October – is now reflected in higher viewership for women's cricket and growing participation at grassroots level. Jess Davidson, head of female engagement at NZ Cricket, says the White Ferns' 2024-25 international summer saw a 50 percent increase in the T20 viewing audience. The White Ferns celebrate beating South Africa in last year's T20 World Cup final in Dubai. 'They won the World Cup, and suddenly there's an elevated platform and people want to know how the White Ferns are going,' she says. 'The elevated coverage builds familiarity – particularly for young women and girls – helping them relate to the White Ferns, and they imagine themselves in that position one day. It boosts visibility and reinforces that the sport belongs to them just as much as it does to boys and men. 'By the end of the 2024-25 season, we'd seen a 15 percent increase in the total number of women and girls playing across all formats – which is awesome. And the White Ferns are off to India for the Women's Cricket World Cup in September, so it's all go.' It wasn't just international cricket that garnered more attention – there was more reporting on domestic teams like the Auckland Hearts and Wellington Blaze. 'For me, that's where the impact lies, with our local competitions getting the coverage they deserve,' says Davidson, who sees the 27 percent gender balance statistic as a benchmark to build from. During the Paris Olympics, female athletes received 54 percent of the coverage, up three points from the Tokyo Games in 2021. That's fitting, given women dominated New Zealand's success in Paris, claiming 13 of the 20 medals, and eight of the 10 golds – a trend that's held since Rio 2016. Across all sports media during the Games period – when the All Blacks lost to Argentina and the Black Caps missed the playoffs at the men's T20 World Cup – women's sports coverage reached 45 percent. The CEO of the NZ Olympic Committee, Nicki Nicol, says the findings are encouraging – particularly as the organisation has been advocating for fair and inclusive media portrayal for the past decade. 'We're big proponents of 'if you can see it, you can be it', so how do we share compelling female stories with the media? In our video and news releases, photos and press conference opportunities, we always make sure it's gender balanced,' she says. 'When it's performance based, then obviously the cream rises to the top.' Diving into their own research during last year's Olympics, the NZOC analysed individual media coverage and found seven of the top 10 most-covered athletes were women. Leading the pack was flagbearer Dame Lisa Carrington, followed closely by cyclist Ellesse Andrews, who collected two golds and a silver. The NZOC research into the most-covered Kiwi athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Graphic: Isentia/NZOC 'In our social media content, 60 percent of our coverage was on female athletes, and eight of the 10 most engaged social posts featured female athletes. And eight of the 10 gold medals at Paris were won by women. So, what we're seeing is the affinity to connect,' Nicol says. The importance of building personalities and telling the backstories of sportswomen is obvious. 'Some of our female athletes are superstars and that makes a huge difference because they carry the conversation, which helps with the coverage,' Castle says. 'We're getting to know more about Dame Lisa Carrington, and Black Ferns like Ruby Tui, Jorja Miller and Ruahei Demant, who's a lawyer away from the rugby field. Knowing the personalities behind the players makes people turn on the TV to watch their favourite players.' But there's pressure in sports newsrooms that have been decimated by restructuring in recent years to report anything outside of team announcements and match reports. That's where sports organisations have stepped up their own social media coverage – to appeal to Gen Z and Gen Alpha – or are producing content to share with media, trying to get cut-through. Stories produced by female reporters in sports newsrooms continues to fall – down to 12 percent – while female presenters on our screens dropped below half (from 54 percent to 43 percent). In other findings from the Sport NZ report, netball returned to the top of the list as the most covered female sport (on 15 percent), and football took the biggest dive – from 29 percent when the World Cup was played here in 2023, to nine percent a year later. Despite the first-ever Women's America's Cup raced in 2024, and having females figure prominently in SailGP crews, the gender balance in reporting sailing rose only slightly (from 14.4 percent to 16.9 percent). Castle is 'absolutely optimistic' that women's sport will continue to make progress. She witnessed it at the Laurie O'Reilly Cup clash between the Black Ferns and the Wallaroos in Wellington last weekend, part of a double-header with the All Blacks v France test straight afterwards. 'There would have been 20,000 people in the stadium by halftime in the Black Ferns' test,' she says. 'That's huge – usually you'd see around 3000 with everyone flying in the gates in the final minutes for the All Blacks' test.' Read the full Media and Gender Report here LockerRoom has been Newsroom's sports section exclusively covering women in sport since 2018.
The Guardian
21-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australia beat New Zealand by eight wickets: first women's T20 international
Show key events only 5.35am CET 05:35 Australia star batter Beth Mooney has celebrated her milestone match in style by leading the side to a commanding eight-wicket triumph over the T20 world champions New Zealand at Eden Park on Friday. The visitors were arguably below their best in the field as they gave up a strong start to allow New Zealand to edge towards a competitive total as Melie Kerr (51 not out) and Sophie Devine (39 no) guided the hosts to 137-2. But there was no denying Australia once openers Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll came to the crease. The left-right combination blazed away for an unbroken 77 runs during the six overs of the powerplay and fired Australia to within 25 runs of their target by the halfway mark of the chase. Voll was dismissed soon after reaching her maiden T20 half-century with Australia only 15 runs short of their mark, but Mooney celebrated her 200th international by hitting the winning runs as she finished on 75 not out. But Australia's win could have come at a huge cost with all-rounder Ash Gardner sent for scans on her right index finger after injuring it while attempting to catch a powerful Devine straight drive late in the White Ferns' innings. New Zealand picked up a couple of late wickets when the win was already out of their reach but will have to significantly turn around their form and come with better bowling plans if they are to challenge Australia when the arch-rivals meet again on Sunday. Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney take the game away from New Zealand with a 123-run opening stand for Australia at Eden Park. Photograph:Updated at 5.49am CET 5.27am CET 05:27 Australia beat New Zealand by eight wickets Updated at 5.51am CET 5.24am CET 05:24 WICKET! Litchfield c Inglis b Tahuhu 2 (Australia 131-2) 5.20am CET 05:20 5.15am CET 05:15 5.14am CET 05:14 WICKET! Voll c Carson b Tahuhu 50 (Australia 123-1) 5.09am CET 05:09 5.04am CET 05:04 Updated at 5.51am CET 4.59am CET 04:59 4.56am CET 04:56 4.52am CET 04:52 4.47am CET 04:47 Updated at 4.52am CET 4.42am CET 04:42 4.37am CET 04:37 4.32am CET 04:32 4.25am CET 04:25 4.22am CET 04:22 4.21am CET 04:21 4.14am CET 04:14 New Zealand set a target of 138 4.06am CET 04:06 4.04am CET 04:04 3.58am CET 03:58 Updated at 4.16am CET 3.52am CET 03:52 3.50am CET 03:50 3.46am CET 03:46 3.42am CET 03:42 3.38am CET 03:38 3.34am CET 03:34 Updated at 4.15am CET 3.30am CET 03:30 3.26am CET 03:26 3.22am CET 03:22 WICKET! Plimmer c Sutherland b McGrath 27 (New Zealand 47-1) 3.18am CET 03:18 Updated at 3.23am CET 3.14am CET 03:14 3.11am CET 03:11 3.09am CET 03:09 3.05am CET 03:05 WICKET! Bates c Mooney b Brown 14 (New Zealand 32-1) 2.59am CET 02:59 2.55am CET 02:55 2.51am CET 02:51 Updated at 3.22am CET 2.47am CET 02:47 2.45am CET 02:45 2.37am CET 02:37 2.32am CET 02:32 New Zealand XI The White Ferns are back with a more familiar line up as nine players that were part of the XI in the T20 World Cup final return to face Australia. Veteran seamer Lea Tahuhu is back to boost the pace attack while promising batter Bella James will have to wait for her opportunity. New Zealand: Suzie Bates (capt), Georgia Plimmer, Melie Kerr, Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Jess Kerr, Polly Inglis (wk), Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson. WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) All set for Game One at Eden Park! Batting first after a toss win for Suzie Bates. Follow play LIVE and free in NZ on TVNZ 1, TVNZ+ and Sport Nation NZ. LIVE scoring | 📲 #NZvAUS #CricketNation March 21, 2025 2.27am CET 02:27 Australia XI Australia pick an XI packed with all-round talent that comfortably bats as deep as Georgia Wareham at No 9, withy the leg-spinner preferred to Alana King in conditions expected to favour swing and seam. Young quick Darcie Brown will partner Megan Schutt with the new ball, while Beth Mooney will later open in her 200th international. Australia: Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath (capt), Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown. Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) 200 of the best for an all-format superstar and a very special member of our team 🫶 Congrats Moons! #NZvAUS March 21, 2025 Updated at 3.32am CET 2.22am CET 02:22 New Zealand win the toss and will bat Updated at 2.24am CET 2.03am CET 02:03 Preamble Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first women's T20I between New Zealand and Australia. The White Ferns arrive at Eden Park as the T20 world champions after their stunning form reversal last year ended with a historic win over South Africa in the final. Australia had claimed the T20 World Cup at the three previous tournaments before their shock defeat to South Africa in the semi-finals, and have been on a tear since then with 12 victories from as many completed matches across all formats. Both sides are close to full strength though Australia are most crucially without captain Alyssa Healy for this three-match series as the star keeper-batter rehabilitates a foot injury. New Zealand have recalled Sophie Devine, who has given up the T20 captaincy since lifting the trophy last year, while Melie Kerr also returns after sitting out the white-ball matches against Sri Lanka and impressing in the WPL. The conditions in Auckland are looking promising for a full 40 overs, with a predicted high of 24C and little cloud around. First ball will be at 2.45pm local time or 12.45pm AEDT. I'll be back shortly with the toss and team news, but in the meantime keep me company with your thoughts and predictions on email or @martinpegan on Bluesky or X. Let's get into it! Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) Finishing the season with a stint across the ditch! 🏏 Aussie fans can tune into the action live on Fox Cricket and Kayo #NZvAUS March 19, 2025 Updated at 2.22am CET
Int'l Cricket Council
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
McGrath eyes strong finish to season against New Zealand
Tahlia McGrath, who has stepped into the leadership role in the absence of regular captain Alyssa Healy, is relishing the opportunity to guide the team alongside vice-captain Ash Gardner. 'I'm really excited for the opportunity to lead the side again," McGrath told reporters ahead of the first T20I in Auckland. "I always enjoy working with Ash [Gardner] as vice-captain as well, and for us as a group, just really excited to kick off what's been a long season for us and hopefully finish on a high with a series win over here in New Zealand." With Australia's attention largely on the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in India later this year, the three T20Is present a unique challenge to McGrath's side. However, the skipper sees them as a valuable chance to refine their approach in the shortest format. 'It's an odd one for us. Just three T20s at this stage, with our focus being at a 50-over World Cup and also a bit of a break. 'But it's also a really good opportunity for us, with not many T20s on the international schedule before the World Cup coming up soon. Every time we get to pull on the Australian shirt, it's always a really good opportunity to go out there and keep getting better as a group.' Read: Australia bracing for 'full strength' T20 World Cup champions New Zealand Australia come into the series on the back of a thumping Women's Ashes series sweep against England, where they came out on top in every single game across the three formats. McGrath expects a stern challenge from a near full-strength New Zealand side, with T20 World Cup winning big names, Sophie Devine, Melie Kerr and Lea Tahuhu making a return to the White Ferns' squad. 'They're pretty much back at full strength, New Zealand. We're expecting a really hard-fought contest, hopefully a nice crowd being double headers, and hopefully a few Aussies in the crowd. But we're going to have to be at our best. "They've got some world-class players - Devine, Kerr, Tahuhu - all back in the side, and superstars throughout their list. We're going to be at our best and really looking forward to the challenge. Just can't wait to get started tomorrow.' Australia have built a reputation for playing an aggressive and fearless brand of cricket over the years, an approach that has fetched them global honours over the years, and McGrath intends to continue. 'We're always talking about how we can get better. There is no limit to our game. Really looking forward to taking the game on, playing our style, playing our brand of cricket, and like I said, finishing the season on a high is what's in front of mind for most of us.' 'Brave, fearless, aggressive. We bat so deep that we can showcase our talent, play with no fear, knowing that if it doesn't come off, there's someone ready to walk out to the wicket to do the job. And same with the ball - attacking field sets, attacking mindset, aggressive nature. And yeah, just trying to push the game forward as much as we can.' The series opener will mark a significant milestone for Beth Mooney, who is set to play her 200th international match for Australia, and McGrath was full of praise for the wicketkeeper-batter's immense contribution to the team. 'Crazy milestone for Moons [Beth Mooney]. 200 games representing your country is a very special achievement. 'She's the ultimate consistent performer. She gets us off to a brilliant start every time with the bat. She flies under the radar a bit, and she stepped up for us this year with the gloves, and has played a really good role for us there. 'She's a great team person, always looking out for her teammates. I'm really excited to take the field with her tomorrow and celebrate such a special milestone.' Australia superstar Tahlia McGrath unites with her ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year award. With several in-form players in the squad, Australia faces the enviable challenge of fitting a wealth of talent into the playing XI. McGrath was particularly excited for some of the newer names in the setup. 'It's a blessing and a curse when you got so much talent in the squad and you're trying to fit it into 11. 'Really excited for Volly [Georgia Voll], who, every time she's put on the Australian shirt, she's shown why she's capable at this level. Really excited for Nick [Nicole Faltum], her first Australian tour, she's slotted in straight away, like she's been part of the group forever. "So much opportunity with people to play potentially some different roles and stand up at different points throughout the series.' Series schedule: 1st T20I, March 21, Eden Park 2nd T20I, March 23, Bay Oval 3rd T20I, March 26, Wellington Regional Stadium Australia Women News Women's News Tahlia McGrath 11/10/1995
The Independent
30-01-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Amelia Kerr has the world at her feet - and the New Zealand star is only just getting started
Amelia Kerr has the world at her feet and she's keen to keep them firmly on the ground. The 24-year-old was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year on Tuesday to cap a glorious 12 months that saw New Zealand win their first T20 World Cup title in October. The leg-spinning all-rounder was named Player of the Tournament in the UAE thanks to 15 wickets and 135 runs, and her match-winning performances saw her beat South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt, Australia's Annabel Sutherland and Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu to win the end-of-year prize. In doing so, Kerr has become the first Kiwi, either male or female, to claim an ICC Cricketer of the Year award but – in an ominous message to her rivals – she insists she is yet to reach her full potential with either bat or ball. With the 50-over World Cup to come in spin-friendly India later this year, Kerr – who took 3-24 in the T20 final against South Africa - is refusing to become complacent and is working to develop more weapons to add to her already stacked arsenal, as the White Ferns plot their bid to add to their trophy cabinet. 'There is a lot to celebrate and I just want to be the best version I can be both on and off the field as well,' she said. 'If I was 24 and saying I am the best I can be, that would be pretty sad. I don't think any player would say they are the complete product and that is why we keep playing the game, we want to get better. 'In the men's game, a 24-year-old is not at their peak and it's the same in the women's. 'With my bowling, I want to be more accurate and develop a slider. I also want to have more confidence to mix up my pace as well. For batting, it is power. My power is something I want to improve on so I can find more boundaries. 'So much is about the top two inches and being mentally fresh to get in the zone and give yourself the best chance to compete.' The White Ferns' success was remarkable, given they had lost 10 matches in a row heading into the World Cup, but Kerr was one of several players that found their form when it mattered most. The next challenge is to ensure it was not a one-off but, with legends Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine nearing the end of their careers, a changing of the guard is coming, with the likes of Georgia Plimmer, Isabella Gaze spearheading the next generation. Devine announced she is taking an indefinite break from cricket and, while Kerr is cautious to throw her name into the ring to replace her as T20 captain, she is desperate to lead from the front as the team prepares for a transition. 'I think it is a really nice position to be in,' she added. 'I have a great relationship with the older girls in the team because I have been through different experiences with them. 'For the young ones coming through, I debuted at such a young age and I am closer in age to them so I can relate to them. 'Everyone's story is different but I feel I am in a position to connect and relate to both spectrums.' Kerr's journey to the top has not always been smooth and in 2021 she took a seven-month break from cricket after being sent home from a White Ferns training camp with depression and anxiety. She believes her evolution into one of the best players in the world is further testament to creating a safe space for discussing mental health and is keen to champion the conversation by sharing her experience. 'It is so important to look after yourself, and not just athletes but all people in life. You never know what someone is going through, so is it important to be patient and be kind,' she added. 'I got myself into the position I am now and I am passionate about sharing my story if it helps others speak up and tell someone close to them. 'When you hold it in all yourself, it is heavy and hard and speaking is scary, it is the hardest thing to do but it is important to know – especially for athletes – that we are humans first.'
