The normalisation of women’s sport in the media is about much more than just showing the action on the pitch or the track. It is also about enabling women to be seen as commentators, analysts and experts in the media coverage.
In the same way, as Catherine Motherway is as valid a voice to talk about Covid-19 as Luke O’Neill, or Ciara Kelly as regular a breakfast host as Shane Coleman, we need to be conscious of media representation from the opening to the closing credits.
Things are improving with Joanne Cantwell, Jacqui Hurley, Evanne Ní Chuillin, Marie Crowe, and others as regular hosts on RTÉ, and TG4 breaking new ground with female presentation and commentary teams for Rugby as well as Ladies Football. The same is happening on the radio with more voices being heard.
In RTÉ Champions League coverage Lisa Fallon has been a welcome addition to the analyst seat and this week Stephanie Roche made an accomplished bow for the Juventus Porto thriller.
At our own session on Cycling in Ireland 2021 yesterday we had an equal gender balance of four male and four female guests.
It is not always easy though. The pool of women can sometimes be smaller in terms of having competed at the top level and there can sometimes be issues of confidence when it comes to appearing on camera. It is generally misplaced as there is no gender trick to being a good speaker, and some of the best that we have given a stage to down the years, have needed a lot of persuasion.
Enabling
Women on Air, Chaired by RTÉ producer and editor Roisín Duffy has been working to give training to women across all areas of public discourse and now Sport Ireland is enabling the same for “anyone who has a love for sport, a flair for analysing and dissecting matches and events and are seeking a career in the media.”
Through its Women in Sport Programme, it is seeking candidates to partake in a new initiative that will provide expert training on pre, during, and post sports event analysis and punditry for broadcast media on TV, live streaming and radio.
Increasing the visibility of females in sport is a key pillar of the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Policy and a number of objectives have been set out, including the training of potential female analyst and pundits. Increasing the pool of female candidates available to broadcasters is one such objective.
The programme, run in conjunction with training, development, and communications experts The Communications Clinic, will last approximately six months and will provide the successful candidates with the understanding and the practical skills of working in a live studio environment, preparation and research for broadcasts, on-air delivery, establishing area(s) of specialisation and establishing relationships with key stakeholders, from broadcasters, players, officials through to governing bodies.
“I am delighted to open applications for this training,” said Sport Ireland CEO John Treacy.
“Sport Ireland is committed to increasing women’s sustained involvement in sport as coaches, volunteers, club members, athletes, advocates, leaders, and participants.”
” Having more females visible as analysts and pundits is central to increasing involvement and visibility and I look forward to seeing more balance on our screens and on the airwaves in the near future”.
Mentorship
As part of the training programme, the successful candidates will also partake in a mentorship programme, which will see them learn from the very best in the business.
“This training will take women who have a passion for sport, who know their sport inside out and prepare them to face the obstacles that exist in television and radio,” added Una May, Director of Participation.
“It will help them develop the skills, experience, confidence and ability to become world-class media contributors and national role models. Increasing the visibility for women in sport is a key aim of our work and we look forward to seeing more visible role models.”
Interested individuals are asked to submit a brief personal statement that gives a summary of why they are interested in partaking in this programme, and how their experience makes them a suitable candidate for the programme. The application must also include a short video or audio clip analysing a passage of play from a match or event.
Further information on the training and the application format can be found here
Applications must be submitted by email to womeninsport@sportireland.ie by 5 pm on Friday, April 2nd. Applications must include a completed application form and sample audio or video file.
“Since the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Policy was launched in 2019, significant work has been done to increase the visibility of women in sport,” said Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead, Nora Stapleton. “We know that the heroes of today inspire the next generation and sports heroes aren’t just those who compete or perform on the world stage. Many people look up to the expert analysts and pundits and it is important that there are female role models in this area as well.”
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