The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and Huge World of Sports activities have teamed up to decide on the highest 50 most influential girls in Australian sport. To make this record, it wasn’t sufficient to be a champion sportswoman, though many are. From athletes to directors, journalists to sports activities brokers and sponsors, these girls have made a distinction. Some have taken a stand on points that transcend sport, some made the selections that decide the place the cash goes or what sports activities we see on TV, and others work within the background to maintain the key codes rolling alongside.

SCROLL BELOW FOR 50-41 IN OUR TOP 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN SPORT SERIES

Our judges: Brooke Boney (At this time information and leisure presenter), Melissa Coulter Ryan (Sunday Age sport editor), Billie Eder (SMH reporter), Roz Kelly (WWOS presenter), Emily Patterson (wwos.com.au reporter), Georgina Robinson (SMH chief rugby reporter), Chloe Saltau (The Age sport editor), Zoe Samios (Age/SMH media reporter), Claire Siracusa (The Age sport producer), Kathryn Wicks (SMH managing editor).

Every choose picked their very own prime 20, with votes apportioned in reverse order. So, No.20 was given one vote and No.19 two votes, and so forth. From there, we compiled the highest 50 based mostly on complete votes. The place two folks completed with the identical variety of votes, they seem on our record in alphabetical order.

At this time, we unveil numbers 50 to 41, and we are going to publish 10 names per day culminating with the highest 10 on Wednesday, Worldwide Ladies’s Day.

Our record will likely provoke debate, however we hope it additionally recognises the significance of girls to sport on this nation, and encourages sporting our bodies and companies to maintaining pushing for equality.

Underwood has blazed a path for girls in sports activities media.

Since making historical past as the primary feminine to commentate an AFL match in 2009, she has turn into a number one authority on not simply footy … however all the large points on the earth of sport.

The Fox Sports activities and ABC commentator has the thickest pores and skin within the enterprise – coping with extra unwarranted abuse than any of her male colleagues .. but stays unapologetically true to herself and her craft.

Underwood is liable for inspiring a era of feminine sports activities journalists and commentators. Roz Kelly

A world skateboarding champion within the over-14 division in 2014, Starr-Olsen made her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, the identical yr as the game made its first look on the Video games.

She can also be the star of Tall Poppy, a documentary filmed over 10 years that showcases the highs and lows of changing into an Olympic athlete.

In a sport that has been closely dominated by males for many years, Olsen is a breath of contemporary air. Billie Eder

Neroli Meadows has been on the prime of sports activities media for a few years.

Meadows’ freelance work within the NFL, on the T20 world cup and the Indian Premier League, has seen her carry world occasions to Australian audiences.

Including to her record of award-winning tasks, Meadows grew to become the primary girl to host a Check match on Australian tv in 2018.

Throughout her profession, Meadows has proven that when you fall, you possibly can rise up and stand twice as tall.

Her podcast, Ordineroli Talking, has been instrumental in selling vulnerability and resilience in sport. Emily Patterson

Most well-known for profitable the ladies’s 100m freestyle at three consecutive Olympics in addition to a fourth gold within the 4x100m freestyle relay, Fraser was 1964 Australian of the Yr.

Among the many 23 world data she broke was the 100m freestyle file on the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Her profession wasn’t with out controversy: in Tokyo in 1964 she was accused of stealing an Olympic flag and subsequently banned from the game.

Considerably, Fraser has mentored numerous athletes within the intervening years, from Sydney Olympic 1500m champion Grant Hackett to garden bowler Ellen Ryan.

She served because the impartial member for Balmain for one time period of the state authorities. Kathryn Wicks

One of many world’s celebrity middle-distance swimmers, Ariarne Titmus has overtaken US celebrity Katie Ledecky as essentially the most deadly middle-distance swimmer.

Successful her first Olympic gold within the 400m freestyle on the Tokyo Olympics, Titmus backed that up with a win within the 200m freestyle.

The 22-year-old put herself on the map when she beat Ledecky on the 2019 world titles. Billie Eder

Lanning is a real cricket nice, as a batter and captain, however she makes the record not only for her personal excellence.

She embodies one in all Australia’s most profitable sporting groups and spearheaded maybe essentially the most vital second for girls’s sport this century when 86,174 folks packed the MCG to look at her facet beat India within the Ladies’s T20 World Cup last three years in the past.

She embraced the bold public push for a world file crowd. Lanning has led the sport’s transformation from part-time to skilled, and lately returned from a psychological well being break to chase a 3rd consecutive world T20 crown in South Africa. Chloe Saltau

Kane left a authorized profession to work in a collection of soccer operations roles at North Melbourne and, having gained a status as some of the succesful folks within the recreation, is now the AFL’s basic supervisor – competitors administration.

As a senior member of the “footy ops” workforce, she is essential to maintaining the AFL and AFLW competitions rolling.

At North, Kane arrange the AFLW program, having been a coach with Melbourne College, earlier than heading up soccer operations on the boys’s facet and steering the membership via the logistical challenges of COVID. Chloe Saltau

The previous Diamonds skipper has been a frontrunner on and off the courtroom for many years in Australian sport.

Since retiring from a record-breaking netball profession, Ellis has held a number of board positions and introduced Aussies lots of the greatest moments in sport.

Whether or not calling a netball match or commenting on large points, she’s by no means afraid to name out the BS if she sees it.

The Corridor of Famer feels just like the ethical compass of Australian sport. If Ellis has one thing to say … we pay attention. Roz Kelly

The lady behind the person who’s arguably the best AFL participant of his era, the previous Miss Universe Australia had the eye of a number of the sport’s greatest powerbrokers in 2022 as she negotiated what’s going to possible be husband Lance’s last enjoying contract.

Jesinta Franklin final yr accomplished the AFL Gamers’ Affiliation accreditation course, enabling her to register as a participant agent earlier than the Sydney Swans ahead made one of many greatest choices of his profession.

Other than pulling the strings in an enormous enterprise deal, Franklin has been a powerful and enthusiastic supporter of Indigenous points even within the face of maximum strain and criticism. Brooke Boney

The primary girl AFL commissioner and former Sydney Swans board member, Mostyn wields monumental affect in Sydney sporting circles and inside the AFL.

At present the president of Chief Government Ladies, she can also be on the board of the GO (Goodes O’Loughlin) Basis and is co-founder of the Minerva Community, an organisation that connects prime girls athletes with enterprise and company leaders. Georgina Robinson

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