Welcome back to a ~ star-studded ~ edition of Level The Field

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Well, hello there (: It’s SO nice to be back in your inbox with yet another bumper edition of Level The Field. We have A LOT to catch up on - the world of women’s sport moves fast so let’s dive right in.

First up, we got to interview some fabulous members of the Australian Women’s Cricket team at an event last week including Alyssa Healy, Isa Guha and Mel Jones, and we are still pinching ourselves. Scroll down for a video of our interview shenanigans, shepherded by Missing Perspectives team member (and legend), Alicia Vrajlal.

Next up, we have to unpack those friendly exhibition matches between our beloved Tillies and a Canadian side hungry for redemption. While we may have come off second best to the glorious maple leaf, the matches saw some of our lesser-known girls given a chance to shine. Coach Tony Gustavsson was getting some heat in the press for this decision but we’d argue it’s the only way you’re going to make sure the next generation of Matildas can keep flying the flag. Plus, this is all excellent prep for our Paris 2024 campaign which already has some surprises in store (check out our Fun Fact to learn more…).

In other Matildas news, the team was selected as one of the 52 newsmakers of the year by the Sydney Morning Herald (as was our very own Editor In Chief, Hannah Diviney!). Speaking of the Herald, Mackenzie Arnold gave them a brilliant interview where she made it clear just how she feels about women’s sport being given less money. You can read the full thing here. As if that wasn’t enough, Sam Kerr looks incredible on the cover of Esquire Australia (see below) and had plenty to say about her recent role model status.

Moving on from the Matildas for a second, do you remember that viral Instagram post Missing Perspectives did a few weeks ago about the woman who poured her life savings into a women’s sports bar, ingeniously named the Sports Bra? Well, we got to talk to her in an exclusive interview and can confirm that as suspected, Jenny Nguyen is an absolute legend!!! Seriously, it’s one of our team’s favourite interviews and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed doing it.

That’s all from us this week. Stay safe, stay cool (particularly our fellow Aussie friends) and enjoy the silly season!

See you soon,

The Missing Perspectives Team xxx

How Jenny Nguyen turned The Sports Bra from a running joke with friends into a real-life sports bar

The Sports Bra.

It's a bold name, befitting a bold play from Jenny Nguyen, who, at 41, entered into unchartered territory by starting the sports bar of her dreams – an explicitly LGBTQ-friendly space dedicated to playing and watching only women’s sport. 

As a pun lover and crossword fiend, Jenny says the iconic name – The Sports Bra – represents how tiny changes can result in a shift in perspective that makes all the difference over time. The Bra’s cheeky motto, which is “women supporting women”, flowed naturally from there. 

The original idea for The Sports Bra started in 2018, as Jenny was venting to friends during a car ride home about the blokey and exclusionary state of traditional sports bars in America. Now, The Sports Bra is a real place in Portland, Oregon to have a cocktail and watch women’s sport.  

Financially, the business was profitable in its first year. As a result, Jenny and her team are thinking about expanding into new locations in 2024, a mere eighteen months after The Sports Bra first opened. But beyond proving to the world the commercial viability of a joint that only shows women’s sport, Jenny has also created a space that she and others can truly feel safe and good in – some for the first time in their lives.

“I’m queer, a woman, I’m part of the Vietnamese community, and a first-generation daughter to refugee parents. There are a lot of intersections in my life. In having this opportunity to build The Sports Bra, I’ve also had this opportunity to be intentional about creating a space that I felt good in, and that a lot of people want to be in … there’s been a lot of growth,” she says. 

Read the full story here.

2023: Medals, records and respect - Ashtyn Hiron’s recap

There’s no point in burying the lead on this one, 2023 proved it’s a woman’s world and we are thriving. A year full of unforgettable moments that pushed the viewership of women’s sport forward, shattered attendance records and was the start of a new era that forced the world to pay attention to our best female competitors. 

The Australian Open
Starting the year on a high at the Australian Open, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka took the crown defeating Elena Rybakina in the final, showcasing some of the best women’s Tennis the game has seen. The 24-year-old hit serving speeds of up to 167 km/hr (we don’t even drive that fast on our freeways in Australia.. well not legally). Also to note from the AO - fans farewelled Australian Tennis legend Sam Stosur, who famously beat Serena Williams at the US Open in 2011, retiring after the tournament and celebrating her more than 20-year career.

T20 Cricket World Cup
February saw The Australian Women’s T20 cricket team hoist their sixth World Cup, defeating host-nation South Africa by 19 runs. The tournament was the most-watched International Cricket Council (ICC) women’s event ever, with global viewing hours reaching 192 million. This team is arguably some of Australia’s most successful athletes and are always a class act on the pitch. Three months after their WC win, Women’s Cricket as a whole won big. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association announced a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), boosting professional women cricketers’ payments by 66%. Players are now to be paid from a $133 million pool - meaning some of the top players could earn more than $800,000 annually.

Lots of gold medals
I’ll run you through a list of athletes who are now the proud owners of gold medals and whom we shall not let be forgotten in our ever-changing media cycle. For the 12th time, Australia’s netball team the Diamonds have claimed a World Cup gold medal, defeating England 61-45 in a thrilling final.

We definitely can’t forget what happened in July when superstar swimmer Ariarne Titmus set a new 400m freestyle world record of 3 minutes, 55.38 seconds at the World Aquatics Championships. This month, Titmus went public about battling a major health scare, undergoing surgery to remove benign tumours on her ovary. A humbling reminder that we’re all human and EVERYONE’s going through something. While we’re on the topic of super-human athletes, 19-year-old 200m freestyle swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan broke the oldest world record in women’s swimming history. The Aussie young-gun took home five gold medals and a silver from the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Impressive.

Australia’s Team - The Matildas
Now the reason why you’re reading this newsletter and why we’ve started honing in on our sporting content is because of the Matildas. They showed up on home soil at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and so did Australia, rallying behind them every step of the way. Re-affirming the need and want for more women’s sporting content and coverage. Their World Cup journey ended in a 0-2 loss to Sweden as they fought it out for third place.

But the legacy, the inspiration, the community and the trust they built in our nation was and always will be iconic. A moment in history we will tell our children about, as records were broken and attitudes changed. Stadium Australia was packed out with more 75,000 fans for the team’s home opener against Ireland. By the final match, the country was so invested, the game reached 11.15 million Australians. Making it the most watched television program since 2001. Now, we’re all onboard the Matildas train as they work towards the Olympics next year.

We wish we had unlimited pages to feature all the incredible women who absolutely crushed it in their sports this year- like Arisa Trew becoming the first female skateboarder to land a 720 (you won’t regret clicking that link, I promise). Instead I’ll leave you to think about these legends, their pivotal role in shaping a nation's attitude and reminding everyone that if you let us, we’ll rule the world.

The Quote: Mackenzie Arnold just being a boss, as usual

“We should be paid more. We train exactly how the boys train - every day - and play every weekend. We put in the same amount of time; we make the same sacrifices in our lives. There’s a revenue factor and I understand that. But I do think more money could be put into women’s sports as a whole, not just football.”

The Giveaway: Matildas

We’re giving away two of these ‘Play Like A Girl’ totes because WHY NOT? If you’re looking for some incredible stocking stuffers, look no further than Parliament House of Cards. To enter, email your favourite sporting moment of 2023 to [email protected].

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