The advance of respect for Women in Sport has accelerated in recent years and is already in a better place than many might have imagined. But it has still got a long way to go to achieve the parity of esteem we have been pushing the agenda on for a decade. We have been far from alone but progress is all about today and tomorrow and we cannot ease up.
Change generally comes in the smaller rather than the larger gestures. In the everyday improvements that add up over time to make a real difference.
It’s the 24/7 spotlight that matters and to keep that on, Sport for Business, with the support of our Women in Sport Partner Lidl will, each Friday for the next 24 weeks, highlight seven things in the week gone by that have been important to note in the world of Women in Sport.
Week Ending November 4th, 2022
One: The Woman in the Middle
On Wednesday night French referee Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a game in the UEFA Champions League.
Her historic first took place in the bright lights of the Bernabeau Stadium for the game between Real Madrid and Celtic. The world did not stop turning and sure why should it. Frappart had already refereed Liverpool and Chelsea in the European Super Cup Final of 2019, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final of that same year.
She will also be one of 36 referees in Qatar for the FIFA Men’s World Cup over the coming weeks.
Two: Vera Pauw’s Gift
Remember the moment when Vera Pauw presented a signed jersey to Tony O’Donoghue live on RTÉ after the historic win over Scotland? RTÉ’s correspondent certainly does. We bumped into him at RTÉ’s Qatar 2022 World Cup launch this week and he told us that it was on its way back from the framers, the first time he has ever gotten a jersey framed.
Three: Equal Pay
In the midst of the T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup, the India Cricket Board announced that it would become the second country after New Zealand to pay the same match fee to its women players as its men.
The annual retainers still have a significant differential but this is an important step along the road to equality.
Four: Tour de France Femmes
This year was the first in which a Women’s edition of the Tour de France was staged. Earlier this week the schedule for the second edition, to take place in July 2023 was announced.
It is still a lesser version of its male couterpart but with a TV audience of 5.1 million for the final stage of the first Tour de France Femmes this summer, the case for it to grow has now been fully established.
Five: UEFA Women’s National League
Fresh from the success of this summer’s Euro’s UEFA has announced that from Autumn 2023 it will bring to life a Women’s Nations League with the same routes of access to major competitions provided by the Men’s version.
It also gives a strong platform for structured international competition and will be in place straight after next year’s FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Six: AIB’s Equal Imagery
AIB has launched its 32nd year of supporting the AIB GAA All-Ireland Club Championship and its 10th year of backing the AIB Camogie All-Ireland Club championships. The imagery it used in launching the announcement focused equally on the Camogie alongside the Football and the Hurling and all three were covered in the national media as well as of course on Sport for Business.
Seven: Contracted Players Named
The IRFU named the 29 players that will be centrally contracted to play professional rugby this season, at values from €15,000 to €30,000. They include Dorothy Wall, Beibhinn Parsons, Aimee Leigh Murphy-Crowe, Linda Djougang and Maeve Óg O’Leary.
