It’s been another year of massive growth for women in sport. More record-breaking crowds, more viewership, more coverage and more fan engagement. While the women have been picking up pace, we’ve seen things hit a speed bump for men in sport. There’s been down-scaling in venues, damning governance reviews and
Alice Soper: Taking hard look at future of women’s sport
So as the foundational belief of infinite growth crumbles, how does sport transition into a post-growth reality? First is to apply this understanding across all elements of the code at hand. We can no longer write cheques for one part of the sport that is paid for by sacrifice in others. We cannot overlook new opportunities by being shackled to tradition. By understanding our limits we can reconnect more fully with our values. Redefining our versions of success in the process.
If we have alignment in our vision then we can re-prioritise our structures in line with their delivery. We can remove pomp to put more shoulders to the pump. Collaborating off field to be more competitive on it.
For the athlete, this will mean taking a more holistic view of sport, their place in it as well as its place in their lives. If we cannot afford to pay our top grade as professionals, we cannot expect them to operate as such. This is a lesson well understood as we hold women’s progress back in line with our budgets. But it is one that still needs to be taught domestically as we see the overvaluing of men’s wages.
A circuit breaker is required in the way we currently operate if we want sport to be sustainable. Even with little room left to grow, there is still much more left to achieve. A future that could see us all take pride and our place in the game.