Welcome back to Level The Field: Missing Perspectives’ dedicated women’s sports newsletter!

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Well, hi (: We are back in your inbox this morning bleary-eyed but with full hearts because the Tillies are BACK AND THRIVING! The Matildas have cruised through to the next stage of the Olympic qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics, beating Chinese Taipei 3-0 in front of a sell-out crowd. Sam Kerr also scored the team’s 900th goal, but who’s counting?

The road to an Olympic medal (preferably gold right?!), something every member of the squad is obviously hungry for, may be long and winding but this round was an amazing step. All three games in Perth sold out, meaning the Matildas now have a record 11-consecutive sold-out game streak. Just MORE evidence (as if anyone needed more) that women’s sport matters. The Women’s World Cup was not a fluke. This is the norm now, or at least it should be.

Since our last edition, another massive change happened for equal pay in women’s sport. The NSW Government announced that they’ll make it a requirement for NSW sporting peak bodies to provide a plan for equal prize money and gender equality on their boards when applying for government funding next year. How good is that!?

The fight was led by one of our friends here at Missing Perspectives, Lucy Small. Keep an eye out for our podcast edition with Lucy dropping TODAY (in conversation with Chloe Dalton, seriously can our jobs get any better!?). Link here - and leave us a review while you’re at it!

Finally, we posted a callout on Instagram this week after weeks of feedback from the many female athletes who follow us that - surprise, surprise - women’s sports are chronically underfunded. We asked whether there were any female athletes out there who couldn’t find a sponsor or afford to compete in a tournament and the response we got was overwhelming.

SO many of you reached out and said this had been your experience. Thank you so much for sharing that and we’re devastated it’s so common. While we work out what we’re going to do with all of these testimonies to make tangible change for the better, feel free to add your story via our post here. Proud to be leading the charge!

The Missing Perspectives Squad xx

(PS lil plug for our friends at Snow Australia - head over to their website to see what is coming up - because there is LOADS HAPPENING. We’ll be covering in future editions, so watch this space!).

The Exclusive: Ashtyn Hiron on idea of the ‘the ageing female athlete’

Being an athlete and an ageing female athlete is kind of terrifying - if we’re being honest. Whether it’s the pressure of your ticking fertility clock or the thought of the next young gun coming to take your spot, it’s a reality we all have to face.

Since the news broke that Lacrosse will be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics I've been in a vicious thought cycle - madly calculating my age when the time comes and if my body will hold up for another six years.

I've always dreamed of being the best, playing with the best and competing against the best for an Olympic Medal. I've been lucky enough to compete a handful of times on the world stage. Maybe it's me or the pressure that society puts on women to be mothers, to be beautiful, to be fit, to have a career and all the other things that we face - but ashamedly my brain automatically started tracking how old I would be and if it meant sacrificing my timeliness of having children to achieve this dream.

Here's the note I typed out in my phone JUST to make sure I fully understood what was ahead. I would like to preface, I DO NOT think 30 or above is old.

2023 - 27-years-old

2024 - 28-years-old

2025 - 29-years-old

2026 - 30-years-old - Women's Lacrosse World Cup 

2027 - 31-years-old

2028 - 32-years-old - LA28 Olympics

It bothers me that my first thought was 'I will be too old', because I have a core memory from when I was 15 years old that I thought programmed me differently. I was trialing for my first senior women's national team. We were doing a 3 x 1.5km time trial run at a training camp. I was a good runner, although I was young, I had that 'never stop' mentality that always helped me succeed in things like this.

As the whistle blew and we shot out the gates, I was quickly humbled by two insane athletes. I remember watching Alicia Moody and Stacey Morlang, both a lot older than me, a lot more experienced and a hell of a lot stronger, than me absolutely dominating. The whole training camp, they led from the front. They were true leaders, good people, and smart lacrosse players. That's when I learned there's more to being elite than just being a young, fit, go-getter and that every team needs people like this.

Since then, I've been fortunate enough to look up to women in my team who have more years under their belt, more experience, and know how to take care of their bodies better. Who have learnt what it means to be an Australian athlete but also to bear children, run families and work full-time jobs.

My now teammate, Stacey Morlang, a legend of Australian Lacrosse - will forever be my example of why. The curious journalist in me was always quizzing her on how she juggles her life, maintains her body, cares for her children and trains like a maniac. Stacey's answers always intrigued me and her actions always impressed me. Nothing could stop her on the field, she faced adversity head-on every time and she was always vulnerable and relationship-focused off the field.

So I've come full circle in this aggressive thought process of if I'll stay in the game long enough to try to be an Olympian, and I'm reassured, because I've watched and learned from strong, resilient women who've demonstrated that age isn't the defining factor of success. Preparation, resilience and heart is.

Ashtyn’s Matildas recap - Iran vs Australia

This is Sam Kerr’s city. From the moment she was spotted by the screaming children in the stands of HBF Park in Perth City, to the collective 19 thousand people deep roar that was heard as she subbed in during the team’s first game in the West. There was something real and energetic about getting to watch the captain play in her home city after The Matildas’ successful World Cup Campaign. The words of 8-year-old fan Ava sum up how we all feel about the back-flipping superstar: “I just love Sam Kerr, because she’s the best player in the world.”

Sleepy Perth rallied for the Matildas. I think it has part to do with missing out on hosting the Aussies during the 2023 FIFA World cup. But there’s no denying that 11 consecutive sold-out games is a true reflection that Australia is well and truly behind these women.

Australia came off 2-0 against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Their starting line-up consisted of fresh faces - Alex Chidiac, Charli Grant, Courtney Nevin, Clare Wheeler and Amy Sayer. The likes of Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Alanna Kennedy and Steph Catley bringing firepower from the bench. 

While our eyes were focused on the veteran players, this game might have been the most special for Goal Keeper Teagan Micah. Pulling on the green and gold jersey for the first time since a concussion saw her sidelined for six months.

The game was a true example that there’s so much more to sport than what’s on the surface. It was a physical game of soccer and it was clear that Australia were better conditioned to the physicality than Iran - who struggle to secure international friendlies. The Iranian trainers and medical staff were kept busy for the duration of the game. It seemed every time you looked, a woman in red was lying injured on the grass. 

It was the subtle shows of sportsmanship that caught my attention. When Ellie Carpenter rushed over to her opponent mid-game to help stretch out a cramped leg muscle or when Sam Kerr picked a defender up after a collision. Although these women are competing on a level playing field during the Olympic Qualifiers, like all women in sport, they continue to face different adversities.

In March 2022, Iranian authorities implemented a discriminatory stadium ban, preventing women from entering a football stadium in Mashhad. Human Rights Watch reported that police may have used excessive force to remove them. It’s not the first time Iranian women have faced this issue, it’s a historical theme that’s seen women banned from watching sports in stadiums over the past 40 years. Iranian women soccer players were also impacted by FIFA’s hijab ban. From 2007-2014, the hijab was banned due to concerns over player safety.

The contrast of an Australian filled stadium with women everywhere you look watching Iranian athletes compete at the highest level, knowing the hurdles they’ve had to overcome to get there, is pretty amazing stuff. It’s a constant journey to level the field for female athletes - no matter where you are from. 

The Giveaway: Another shirt because we’re loving this new range - this time Mary our Queen

Hail Mary! To celebrate the Matildas absolutely killing it once again, we wanted to giveaway this amazing tee. The fabulous people over at Parliament House of Cards have made the BEST collection of Matildas merch that we have seen to date: celebrating all our favourite players.

Want to grab yourself a tee? Email us with the name of Jenny Nguyen’s Portland bar (clue: in this newsletter): [email protected].

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