Did you know there’s an Olympic sport that women still can’t compete in?

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Did our headline grab your attention? Good! But can you believe it’s an actual fact? Watch our video below by our amazing creator Lavender Baj about the sport that women STILL can’t compete in at the Olympics. We’re in 2024, right!?

This week is a big week for sports in Australia, with the F1 Grand Prix taking place in Melbourne. Our amazing creators Lavender and Kat will be chatting to young women attending the event (so let us know if you’re going to be there - [email protected]!). Do you care about the F1? Why do you think women have been so underrepresented in this sport? We want to hear from you!

On that note… we cannot wait for production house Hello Sunshine to launch its new Drive to Survive-inspired show focused on the female F1 Academy - and the incredible young women thriving in motorsports and rising up the ranks of the F1. Who else will be watching?!

Another big announcement for Arsenal fans - the Arsenal Women’s team will be heading to Australia to face off Newcastle United FC. We can’t wait to see Matildas stars Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross shine at this game! If you’re interested in tickets, here’s the link.

ONE LAST THING WE PROMISE - then you can rock n scroll your way down this newsletter. Last weekend saw the opening of the world’s first ever dedicated women’s sports stadium - and honestly, is there anything better than that!? CPKC Stadium is located in Kansas City (hello to all our KC readers and subscribers!) and will be the home of the epic team Kansas City Current. Be sure to watch Kat’s rundown on our Insta here.

What an exciting time for women’s sports - and it’s only March….

Chat again soon,

The Missing Perspectives Team xxx

PS - Here’s article we loved reading this week - about the rise of Angel City FC, and the importance of storytelling in women’s sport. Let us know what you think, it’s an interesting read even if you’re not an Angel City fan (but I mean, who isn’t?)

From the Matildas to Arsenal - women’s soccer is absolutely thriving

ICYMI: South Australia’s Adelaide Oval is set to make history, as it prepares to welcome the one millionth person to see the Matildas at home since 2017. One million!

The milestone is set to be reached during the upcoming match against China PR on 31 May 2024, as Football Australia announced it is on track for a 13th consecutive home match sell-out for the 53,500-capacity stadium (YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT - 13TH SOLD OUT GAME).

The sell-out streak, dating back to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 send-off match, has highlighted the unprecedented support for the Matildas, with record crowds showing up game after game. The Adelaide pre-sale saw 30,000 tickets claimed within four hours, and is now sold out.

Australia will host China PR (currently ranked number 19 in the world) in the two match ‘Til it’s Done Farewell series in Adelaide (31 May) and Sydney (3 June). WE CANNOT WAIT. Will you be there? Let us know!

The other exciting update is that Arsenal will be coming down under and facing off Newcastle FC at Marvel Stadium. Women’s soccer is really front and centre at the moment, and we’re not complaining.

Ashtyn Hiron: Does Australia need a Title IX equivalent?

Spending 8 years in America as both an athlete and a journalist, I learned a lot about US sporting culture.

It was pretty early on during my time in the States when I realised why female sports in America grow faster and are more comprehensive than they are here in Australia. It’s the sole reason I moved to the States in the first place, more opportunities to play lacrosse at an elite Division 1 level, but most importantly to be trained and looked after by professionals every single day.

So, you might be wondering: What is Title IX?

Title IX (Nine) is a comprehensive US federal law stating that any educational institution receiving government funding cannot discriminate on the basis of gender or sex. It’s been in place since 1972. College and high school sports were majorly impacted, it opened up opportunities for girls to play at the same level as their male peers.

It also forces schools to distribute athletic scholarship dollars equitably, meaning there has to be as many female scholarships given as there are male scholarships. So for those colleges/universities who have massive football programs, it’s balanced out by adding more women’s programs. This is where sports like women’s lacrosse and women’s soccer have thrived. The bigger roster sizes help equal out the numbers.

Looking a little deeper, like most systematic changes, Title IX has a much bigger impact. It opens doors for more girls to access higher education. The cost of college in America is daunting, and it’s not on the cards for many people. Athletic scholarships can be a gateway to a successful life, because being a part of a professional program fosters you into alumni networks that help you get jobs after school.

As well as the extra development that comes with being a college athlete, you’re immersed in a culture that’s building you up to succeed. Coaches use their alumni’s career and life success as a recruiting asset to reassure you that they’ll pour into you to reach success under their guidance too. Systematically, Australia structures sport differently. There’s not a huge university sporting culture and sports stem through local clubs before progressing to regional or state competition.

As a kid I knew I had better skills than most of the boys my age, a strong work ethic and a will to succeed - but I believed I needed to leave my country to reach my potential and be in an elite environment. As a coach of junior girls, I still encourage them to do the same. If the goal is to be elite, in comparison to America, our Australian sporting systems don’t offer all the resources athletes need to reach that. An athletic trainer/physio, mental health professionals, positional coaches, access to game film, strength and conditioning coaches, educational tutors - that’s what high school and college women are getting from their sporting endeavours in the US.

That’s why they’re dominating in countless sports on the world stage. They foster a winning culture and Title IX allowed girls and young women to be a part of that winning culture.

Read more over at missingperspectives.com

'We are dominating in all codes': Bo de la Cruz on the rise of Indigenous women in sport

The former touch, rugby union and rugby league player chats to us as a new season of Over the Black Dot airs.

It’s been a decade since Bo de la Cruz was named the National Indigenous Sportswoman of the Year. These days, the former touch, rugby union and rugby league player is kicking goals away from the field, particularly as a television commentator.

As a proud descendant of the Gudjula and Erubian people, she insists her mission is still the same – to advocate for more First Nations representation in sport. 

“A lot of people thought my natural progression was going to be in coaching,” she tells Missing Perspectives. “And I actually did too, until I found my love for media and especially around the First Nations space and wanting to shine a brighter light on First Nations people – and what better way to do it than through the sport I love, rugby league?”

The mother-of-three returns to the small screen for a brand new season of Over the Black Dot, NITV’s flagship rugby league program celebrating the achievements of First Nations players. As an analyst on the show that’s hosted by Dean Widders, Bo proudly helps fill a gap she noticed on Australian television back in the day.

“I didn't see a lot of Blak faces on TV growing up. There was nothing that anyone [like me] aspired to,” she says, explaining she felt the “shame factor” of being on the screen as an Indigenous person. 

Now being that representation she yearned to see in her earlier years, she says her motivation is to quash this sense of shame or the idea that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people don’t belong, both on TV and in the sporting arena. 

Read more over at missingperspectives.com