#melbourne world cup 2020

[moonlight-alexia]

Omg yessss we'll be interested in it, it add more the the story/character so it's good😁

This took me a little while to do! but I feel like it's a needed addition to the story and more depth to catley!reader other than just being Steph's younger sister who also plays football. Hope it all makes sense!

--------------------------------------------------- Senior Career

2016 - 2020 Melbourne City 2020 - 2023 Manchester City : 2020 - 2021 Brighton & Hove Albion (Loan) 2023 - Arsenal

International Career

Australia U17 Australia U20 Australia

Awards

2017 - 18 A-League Women Young Footballer of the Year 2018 - 19 W-League PFA Team of the Season 2019 Melbourne City WFC Player of the Year 2022 - 23 Women's Super League PFA Team of the Season

---------------------------------------------------

Wanting to follow Steph's footsteps, also being exposed to football quite early on from Steph, she joined the local team along with joining Melbourne City's Football School from age 5. At age 9 was invited to City's Select Squad program. After a few years working with Academy Coaches she was invited to train and trial with the a-league women's first team. After months of training and gaining experience with the first team she got her debut game. Beating Sam's record of being the youngest player to debut in the a-league women and she always brings it up to knock Sam's ego down a bit.

The younger Catley made the move to England and the WSL before Steph did. Manchester City having seen potential in the young player and that she would fit well in the WSL. A season on loan to get the minutes to develop further as a player on the pitch. Once returned the younger Catley fit right in with Manchester City, getting a few starts throughout the 21/22 season. Being an integral part in the 21/22 Conti Cup campaign and final helping Manchester City to win earning her to start almost every match the following season across all competitions for the 22/23 season.

Named in the WSL team of the year and with a contract ending with Manchester City at the end of the season, Arsenal were very interested in signing the younger Catley. Several other clubs across the WSL and throughout Europe were quite interested but Steph being at Arsenal that swayed her decision just wanting to be close and play with Steph again.

Junior matilda's (U17) -> young matilda's (U20) -> matilda's being a standby player for the matildas 2019 world cup campaign but not making a debut for the matildas until 2021

Quite the player, a little prodigy and she always credits Steph for her interest in the sport (she really looks up to her sister and is incredibly proud and hopes that she can make the family just as proud as Steph)

[kammartinez]

By Natasha Frost

Fans celebrated in central Melbourne this week after a national triumph: The Matildas, the Australian women’s soccer team, had defeated Canada, the reigning Olympic champion, 4-0.

It was a glorious victory after a dismal start to the Women’s World Cup for one of the two host teams. In Federation Square, Australians held up gold and green scarves and bellowed, “Up the Matildas!”

Two years earlier, the same city had seen a similar outpouring of support for the Australian women’s cricket team. Inside Melbourne Cricket Ground, more than 86,000 people had gathered to watch the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup, while 1.2 million people tuned in from elsewhere in Australia.

For Ellyse Perry, an Australian sporting legend who has represented the country in both the cricket and soccer World Cups, the 2020 match — the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s cricket match — was a milestone for women’s sports in Australia.

“It’s really now starting to become embedded in general society, and it’s commonplace,” she said. “We don’t think differently about it. It’s not an oddity any more.”

For as long as there have been sports in Australia, women have clamored to play and participate. What is believed to be the world’s first cycling race for women took place in Sydney in 1888; the country’s first golf championship, in 1894, was women only; and at the 1912 Olympics, Australian women won silver and gold in the first women’s Olympic freestyle race.

Yet even though Australian women’s sports have an extensive and proud history, only recently have they received significant mainstream support. A strong run in the World Cup — Australia will face Denmark in the round of 16 on Monday — was seen as an opportunity to change that, to cement the place of women’s sports in the country’s daily rhythms and conversation.

Australia’s win over Canada saved it from an early elimination, and sent it to a game against Denmark on Monday.Credit...Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Sam Kerr, the Matildas star who is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, said the impact of the tournament on women’s soccer was all but unimaginable.

“For years to come, this will be talked about — hopefully, decades to come,” she told reporters last month, citing an uptick in young boys and girls coming to women’s soccer games.

A longer view on the history of women’s sports in Australia involves many moments of triumph, but also times when able and enthusiastic sportswomen were simply shut out.

“There are peaks and troughs all the way through,” Marion Stell, a historian at the University of Queensland, said of women’s sports in Australia. “Women make advances — but then it goes away again. It’s never a smooth upward curve.”

Only in the past couple of decades had female athletes been able to make consistent strides on pay, opportunities and representation, she added. Today, half of all Australian girls play sports at least once a week, according to the Australian Sports Commission, compared with about 30 percent of girls in the United States.

“I don’t think anyone would have dreamed that it would happen so quickly,” Dr. Stell said. “On one hand, it’s been very slow. But on the other hand, when it happened, the floodgates just opened.”

Yet despite their enthusiasm, and their prodigious talent for bringing home Olympic medals, female athletes in Australia have, like their international peers, historically been sidelined, blocked or simply not taken seriously.

In 1980, women’s sports made up about 2 percent of print sports coverage in Australia. By 2009, women’s sports made up about 9 percent of television news coverage, according to a report from the Australian Sports Commission. But the balance appears to be shifting: A poll last year found that nearly 70 percent of Australians had watched more women’s sports since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fans watching the Australia-Ireland match in Melbourne on the World Cup’s opening night.Credit...Hannah Mckay/Reuters“A lot of it has been in line with the way that social perception has changed more broadly, in terms of how we perceive women’s role in society, and particularly the workplace,” said Perry, the sports star.

Dr. Stell, the historian, pointed further back. She saw the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where Australia failed to win a single gold medal, as a turning point. The country’s lackluster performance spurred a significant backlash in the Australian news media, which described the results as a “crisis for the government” and called for action for Australia to “regain its lost athletic potency.”

Women had historically been something of a golden goose for Australia at the Olympics, making up a minority of the country’s total athletes but often winning the majority of its medals. At the 1972 Games in Munich, for instance, 10 out of 17 Australian medals were won by women, even as they made up only about 17 percent of the team.

And so in 1981, Australia established the Australian Institute of Sport, a high-performance sports training center for both men and women that, for the first time, gave women the financial support to concentrate on their sports full-time — beginning with Australian rules football, basketball, gymnastics, netball, swimming, tennis, track and field and weight lifting.

That was followed a few years later by the Sex Discrimination Act, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender or sexuality.

“Those two things together might be some kind of watershed,” Dr. Stell said. “But not, I guess, in the public imagination — more in sporting women’s lives.”

The Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, established in 1981.Credit...David James Bartho/Fairfax Media, via Getty Images

The facility offered dedicated training space to women in a variety of sports.Credit...Andrew Rankin/Fairfax Media, via Getty Images

Even after that, female athletes in most other sports often had no alternative but to play in a semiprofessional capacity. In the mid-1990s, as male Australian cricket players were on the cusp of striking over what they felt was inadequate remuneration, female players in the sport barely had their expenses covered, and often had to pay their own way to compete. Most juggled jobs and other commitments alongside their sports careers.

“How did it make me feel? I just wanted to play as much cricket as I possibly could,” said Belinda Clark, who was the captain of Australia’s World Cup-winning women’s cricket teams in 1997 and 2005.

She added: “We all structured our lives — our working lives and our personal lives — around being able to do that. That comes at a financial cost. We all accepted that.”

In recent decades, cricket has led the charge on fair pay for female athletes in Australia. While male cricketers still significantly out-earn their female counterparts, the majority of female players earn at least 100,000 Australian dollars, or $66,000. By comparison, female players of Australian rules football, rugby league, netball and professional soccer have a minimum salary of less than half of that — a source of ongoing tension since it is far below the country’s living wage.

Across all sports, perhaps the most important factor for female athletes was having women in positions of responsibility across journalism, management, coaching, umpiring and administration, Dr. Stell said.

In the early 1980s, Australian universities began to offer the country’s first sports management degrees. “That kind of allowed women to get a kind of professional qualification so that they could take the administration of sports off the kitchen table and make it more professional,” she said.

Belinda Clark next to statue of herself, with Quentin Bryce, the former governor general of Australia, at left.Credit...Brett Hemmings/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Women are gradually becoming more visible as sports people in Australia. But it was not until earlier this year that a female cricket player was celebrated in statue form for the first time, though the country claims more than 70 statues of male players.

A bronze statue of Clark was unveiled at Sydney Cricket Ground in January; it is the first public statue of any female cricket player anywhere in the world. Representation of that kind sends a powerful message, especially to younger players, Clark said.

“What are the photos in the club? Who’s on the honor boards? What are we saying to the people that walk in this door?” she asked. “Are you part of this, or are you a guest or a visitor?

“It symbolizes that you’re actually part of it. You’re no longer coming, cap in hand, to beg for an opportunity.”

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish dart player Peter Wright.

Peter was born in Livingston on March 10th 1970, but spent most of his childhood in England, he chose the country of his birth as his home nation when playing darts and helped Scotland win their first World Cup of Darts title in June 2019, defeating the Republic of Ireland 3-1 in the final in Hamburg.

Originally a qualifier for the 1996 Lakeside Championship, it would be more than a decade before Scottish-born Wright joined the PDC circuit on a full-time basis, he has since given up his job as a tyre fitter and gone from strength to strength.

After making progress up the rankings during 2011 and 2012 - which included his maiden ranking title at a Players Championship in Killarney - the following year saw Wright reach his first televised semi-final at the UK Open. He went on to reach the 2014 World Championship final, losing out to Michael van Gerwen but securing himself a spot in the Premier League and World Series of Darts, where he reached the final on his debut in Dubai.

The most colourful character on the circuit - with wife Jo, a hairdresser by trade, providing the painted hair to match his unique dress sense - Wright’s rise to third in the world included him being a finalist in back-to-back UK Opens and World Series of Darts Finals in 2015 & 2016 as well as in the PDC World Cup of Darts and a World Series event in Japan.

Wright began 2017 in style as he followed up an appearance in the World Championship semi-finals with three UK Open Qualifier wins, before going on to finally claim victory on the big stage with his triumph in the UK Open finals in Minehead, where he saw off Gerwyn Price in the final.

Three European Tour triumphs followed a treble of UK Open Qualifier victories, while Wright also claimed a Players Championship victory to consolidate his status as world number three in a brilliant start to 2017.

Wright went on to reach the Premier League Play-Offs for the first time in May 2017, finishing second in the final league table before defeating Taylor in the semi-finals, but he would pay for six missed match darts as Van Gerwen edged a thrilling final.

The Scottish ace claimed a European Tour title at the start of July 2017, before reaching the final of the World Matchplay later that month, only to lose out to Taylor in his last appearance on the Blackpool stage.

Wright picked up another European Tour win, followed by the German Darts Masters World Series crown, before going down to van Gerwen in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts in November 2017.

Having reached the final of the 2018 World Cup of Darts in June, Wright then won a first title of the year at Players Championship 14 in Wigan and then claimed his second World Series triumph at the Melbourne Darts Masters.

Wright backed up his Australian success with a third title of the year at Players Championship 17 in Barnsley in September and reached the World Grand Prix final for the first time the following month, losing out to Van Gerwen.

In the World Championship in December 2020 Wright survived a match dart at bullseye to win a sudden-death leg against Noel Malicdem in the second round, before beating Seigo Asada and Jeffrey de Zwaan, to reach the quarter-finals, where he triumphed 5–3 over Humphries to reach the semi-final for the first time since 2017 where he played Welshman Gerwyn Price winning through 6-3 in a bad tempered match.

In the final he again met Michael van Gerwen and won 7–3 in the final to become the 2020 World Darts Champion on January 1st.

In a season that was affected by the covid pandemic Wright picked up two of darts “majors” winning the Masters in February and  2020 Unibet European Championship in November, beating England’s James Wade 11-4 in the final. However  Wright had a poor showing at the Grand Slam failing to get through from the group stages, he later admitted it hit him hard and said “ I could have walked away from the sport quite easily.“ His form improved in his next event  with a run to the semi-finals of the Players Championship Finals  making him just the third player in history (after Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor) to exceed £1,000,000 on the order of merit.  Peter returned to defend his world title but Peter was eliminated in the third round after losing 4–3 to Gabriel Clemens who became the first ever German player to reach the fourth round. But Peter was back on top at this years  2022 PDC World Darts Championship on January 3rd, only the third Scot to win it twice, the others being, Gary Anderson and  Jocky Wilson, who will be featuring in a post later in the month.

Peter is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, he went out in the third round of the World Championship, he bounced back to win the 2023 Nordic Darts Masters in January, but just got knocked out the UK Open last Saturday to Welshman Richie Burnett, a shock for Snakebite, Burnett sitting at a lowly 71 in the rankings

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Boria Majumdar with Mohammed Siraj at the MCG (PC: Debasis Sen) Boria Majumdar in Melbourne This is my first cricket tour after serving the ban. And where better to restart than the Boxing Day Test? In fact, Tuesday’s was the first Indian practice session that I had attended in two-and-a-half years. And may I say, I enjoyed it. Observing things closely, which has always been something I have done, making my own notes and the like. In fact, as I was making notes standing right behind the net in which Ravindra Jadeja was batting, I tried explaining to a colleague how he was intent on leaving balls outside off stump. That was when Jadeja turned, and we looked at each other. He was surprised to see me, and said “Arre bhaisaab, kaise hain aap? Milte hain [How are you? We’ll meet].” The same warmth that we had always shared. We then went inside the G to do a live show. That was when India’s captain came to inspect the pitch. Seeing us do a live, Rohit Sharma’s response was spontaneous. “Welcome back! So good to see you back,” he said. As I waved at him and wished him well, he waved back and said, “Welcome to Australia. Now, come to all our games.” Rohit knows I will be the first to criticise him if he doesn’t score runs. If he looks passive as captain, I will call him out. He also knows that if he does well, I will more than put my hand up in praise. We are both doing our jobs, and that’s what creates the bond. It is all about respect and trust. That I wouldn’t go after him unfairly, and will not spare him either if he fails to deliver. None of it, however, will be done with any sort of agenda. And that’s where the mutual respect comes from. For the Latest Sports News: Click Here Ravindra Jadeja at the Gabba Nets ahead of the third Test vs Australia (PC: Debasis Sen) Mohammed Siraj is another player I have shared a rapport with. Even during my ban, we had bumped into each other in Melbourne ahead of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match, and he had invited me over for dinner. At that time, I had politely declined the invite and walked back to my hotel. When we met each other on Tuesday, it was a very pleasant interaction. I said to him this is the ground which has helped build the Siraj narrative, and he should remember what he did in 2020 when he is at the top of his bowling mark. I also said to him that he should do it one more time for his father, for he would have been happy to see Siraj steaming in for India in the most important Test match of the series. Siraj, I can vouch, will give it his best on Boxing Day. There was a kind of resolve which I observed, and maybe that’s why he was the first to come to the ground and start doing his sprints. He looked completely fit, and I did not see any kind of discomfort or niggle. For me, it was a vindication of the work done over three decades. This is where I belong and this is my comfort zone. I haven’t forgotten any of it, and none of my relationships have been impacted by the absence. I can’t wait for the Boxing Day Test, and may I say, I’m much looking forward to covering it for our RevSportz readers and viewers. Also Read: Intense nets session for Team India and two-spinner plan at the G The post Back at the nets, and back in my element appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Boria Majumdar with Mohammed Siraj at the MCG (PC: Debasis Sen) Boria Majumdar in Melbourne This is my first cricket tour after serving the ban. And where better to restart than the Boxing Day Test? In fact, Tuesday’s was the first Indian practice session that I had attended in two-and-a-half years. And may I say, I enjoyed it. Observing things closely, which has always been something I have done, making my own notes and the like. In fact, as I was making notes standing right behind the net in which Ravindra Jadeja was batting, I tried explaining to a colleague how he was intent on leaving balls outside off stump. That was when Jadeja turned, and we looked at each other. He was surprised to see me, and said “Arre bhaisaab, kaise hain aap? Milte hain [How are you? We’ll meet].” The same warmth that we had always shared. We then went inside the G to do a live show. That was when India’s captain came to inspect the pitch. Seeing us do a live, Rohit Sharma’s response was spontaneous. “Welcome back! So good to see you back,” he said. As I waved at him and wished him well, he waved back and said, “Welcome to Australia. Now, come to all our games.” Rohit knows I will be the first to criticise him if he doesn’t score runs. If he looks passive as captain, I will call him out. He also knows that if he does well, I will more than put my hand up in praise. We are both doing our jobs, and that’s what creates the bond. It is all about respect and trust. That I wouldn’t go after him unfairly, and will not spare him either if he fails to deliver. None of it, however, will be done with any sort of agenda. And that’s where the mutual respect comes from. For the Latest Sports News: Click Here Ravindra Jadeja at the Gabba Nets ahead of the third Test vs Australia (PC: Debasis Sen) Mohammed Siraj is another player I have shared a rapport with. Even during my ban, we had bumped into each other in Melbourne ahead of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match, and he had invited me over for dinner. At that time, I had politely declined the invite and walked back to my hotel. When we met each other on Tuesday, it was a very pleasant interaction. I said to him this is the ground which has helped build the Siraj narrative, and he should remember what he did in 2020 when he is at the top of his bowling mark. I also said to him that he should do it one more time for his father, for he would have been happy to see Siraj steaming in for India in the most important Test match of the series. Siraj, I can vouch, will give it his best on Boxing Day. There was a kind of resolve which I observed, and maybe that’s why he was the first to come to the ground and start doing his sprints. He looked completely fit, and I did not see any kind of discomfort or niggle. For me, it was a vindication of the work done over three decades. This is where I belong and this is my comfort zone. I haven’t forgotten any of it, and none of my relationships have been impacted by the absence. I can’t wait for the Boxing Day Test, and may I say, I’m much looking forward to covering it for our RevSportz readers and viewers. Also Read: Intense nets session for Team India and two-spinner plan at the G The post Back at the nets, and back in my element appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[seoteam989]

The Rise of Women in T20 Cricket

Introduction

The development of women's cricket, especially in the T20 format, is a testament to the determination, skill and fervor of female athletes across the world. Women's T20 cricket has seen a meteoric rise, charming audiences and breaking barriers. This article delves into the journey of women T20 cricket, highlighting its rise, key milestones and celebrities who have taken the game to new heights.

The Genesis of Women's T20 Cricket

The beginnings of women's T20 cricket can be traced back to the early 2000s when the need for a shorter and more dynamic format became apparent. The format was intended to bring a faster pace and more excitement to the sport, making it more accessible and attractive to audiences.

Early Milestones

2004:The first respectable Women's World T20 match was between England and New Zealand. This match set the stage for the future of the sport.

2009: The inaugural ICC Women's T20 World Cup will be held in England. This match turned into a major milestone, garnering widespread attention and giving inspiration for fateful contests.

The Growth of Women's T20 Cricket

Expanding Global Reach

The growth of girls' T20 cricket is marked by its growing global reach. Countries on all continents have adopted this format and fostered an aggressive and diverse environment. The ICC's tasks to promote girls' cricket played a vital role in this expansion.

Grassroots Development: Programs aimed at younger girls have been instrumental in nurturing talent from an early age.

Professional Leagues: The establishment of professional T20 league competitions, including the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) and the Kia Super League (KSL), has given female cricketers a platform to showcase their skills and take advantage of the professionals who enjoy it.

Media and Sponsorship

The upward push of girls' T20 cricket is also attributed to increased media coverage and sponsorship. Major TV stations now regularly air girl fits, bringing the game to a wider audience. Sponsorship offers don't have the best financial help, but they also increase the visibility of the game.

Key Figures in Women's T20 Cricket

Pioneers and Legends

Charlotte Edwards: Edwards' contribution to the game, a pioneer for England, is exceptional. Her leadership and batting prowess set the benchmark for generations of destiny.

Mithali Raj: The Indian captain is known for her consistency and tactical acumen, making her one of the best players in the history of women's cricket.

Rising Stars

Smriti Mandhana: Known for her aggressive batting, Mandhana quickly became a fan favorite and key player for India.

Ellyse Perry: An all-rounder from Australia, Perry's versatility and skills have made him one of the most influential players in the game.

The Impact of Women's T20 World Cups

Memorable Tournaments

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup has ended up being the cornerstone of the game, showcasing world-class talent and delivering unforgettable moments.

2010: West Indies hosted an interesting match which saw Australia win their first title.

2020: The very latest at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has produced a new live documentary for the women's event, highlighting the growing popularity of the game.

Record-Breaking Performances

World Cup tournaments have seen an array of stunning performances, from character centuries to outstanding bowling figures, further raising the profile of women's T20 cricket.

Future Prospects of Women's T20 Cricket

Innovations and Opportunities

The future of women's T20 cricket looks promising, with constant improvements and opportunities for growth. Technological improvements, which include the use of fact analysis and performance monitoring, improve player development and sports technique.

Expanding the Audience

Efforts to expand the audience base include targeted marketing campaigns and the inclusion of women's cricket in major multi-sport events like the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

Increasing Professionalism

The push towards increasing professionalism in women's cricket continues, with more countries offering central contracts to female players and enhancing the infrastructure to support their development.

Conclusion

The rise of women in T20 cricket is a super adventure that is characterized by perseverance, talent and a relentless pursuit of excellence. As the sport continues to grow, it is poised to inspire generations of destiny and leave an indelible mark on the world of cricket.

[daddynews247]

Iga Swiatek Is Ready For The Australian Open After A ‘Peaceful’ Off-Season

Iga Swiatek said Friday that a “peaceful” off-season has made her more focused heading into the Australian Open, where she hopes to win her maiden Grand Slam championship.

Iga Swiatek, the world number one, said Friday that a “peaceful” off-season had helped her focus ahead of the Australian Open, where she hopes to win her maiden Grand Slam championship. The Polish top seed is in imperious form, having dropped only one set in five victories at the United Cup mixed-teams competition in Perth. She enters the year’s first Grand Slam as the favorite, on a 16-match winning streak that includes victories at the China Open and the WTA Finals. “It was nice to play some high-quality matches against the top players (at the United Cup),” stated the player. “I realized I’m feeling pretty confident, a little bit more confident than last year.” Hopefully, this mood will stick with me.”

Swiatek’s victory over Jessica Pegula in the WTA Finals in Cancun returned her to the top ranking slot she had occupied for much of the previous two seasons.

Still only 22, she said she had learnt to better handle the expectations that come with being world number one, and that she viewed her off-season differently.

“I’d say it was more peaceful. “I literally could only focus on practicing and resting,” she explained.

“I was really dedicated. I didn’t feel fatigued.

“I didn’t feel burdened with this off-court stuff.” I could truly simply concentrate. As if every day was truly perfect. That’s why I think I was a little bit better.”

Swiatek has four Grand Slam titles: three French Opens and one US Open. Her finest Melbourne achievement, however, was reaching the semi-finals in 2022.

She will begin her career with a repeat of the 2020 Roland Garros final versus Sofia Kenin, in which she won her maiden major title.

Kenin entered the match as the reigning Australian Open champion, but was defeated 6-4, 6-1 and dropped down the rankings.

But the American has moved from outside the top 200 to number 38 in a year, and Swiatek is worried.

“I played Sofia in my first Grand Slam final, and now we’re in the first round.” It’s quite strange. “That’s how our life paths diverged,” she explained.

“I’m aware she’s been playing some good tennis.” It will not be simple. I’ll just get ready the same way I always do.

“We’re going to discuss tactics.” We haven’t played in a long time.”

Whoever wins will face a second-round match against either 2016 Australian Open winner Angelique Kerber or 2022 Melbourne Park finalist Danielle Collins.

[kamreadsandrecs]

By Natasha Frost

Fans celebrated in central Melbourne this week after a national triumph: The Matildas, the Australian women’s soccer team, had defeated Canada, the reigning Olympic champion, 4-0.

It was a glorious victory after a dismal start to the Women’s World Cup for one of the two host teams. In Federation Square, Australians held up gold and green scarves and bellowed, “Up the Matildas!”

Two years earlier, the same city had seen a similar outpouring of support for the Australian women’s cricket team. Inside Melbourne Cricket Ground, more than 86,000 people had gathered to watch the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup, while 1.2 million people tuned in from elsewhere in Australia.

For Ellyse Perry, an Australian sporting legend who has represented the country in both the cricket and soccer World Cups, the 2020 match — the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s cricket match — was a milestone for women’s sports in Australia.

“It’s really now starting to become embedded in general society, and it’s commonplace,” she said. “We don’t think differently about it. It’s not an oddity any more.”

For as long as there have been sports in Australia, women have clamored to play and participate. What is believed to be the world’s first cycling race for women took place in Sydney in 1888; the country’s first golf championship, in 1894, was women only; and at the 1912 Olympics, Australian women won silver and gold in the first women’s Olympic freestyle race.

Yet even though Australian women’s sports have an extensive and proud history, only recently have they received significant mainstream support. A strong run in the World Cup — Australia will face Denmark in the round of 16 on Monday — was seen as an opportunity to change that, to cement the place of women’s sports in the country’s daily rhythms and conversation.

Australia’s win over Canada saved it from an early elimination, and sent it to a game against Denmark on Monday.Credit...Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Sam Kerr, the Matildas star who is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, said the impact of the tournament on women’s soccer was all but unimaginable.

“For years to come, this will be talked about — hopefully, decades to come,” she told reporters last month, citing an uptick in young boys and girls coming to women’s soccer games.

A longer view on the history of women’s sports in Australia involves many moments of triumph, but also times when able and enthusiastic sportswomen were simply shut out.

“There are peaks and troughs all the way through,” Marion Stell, a historian at the University of Queensland, said of women’s sports in Australia. “Women make advances — but then it goes away again. It’s never a smooth upward curve.”

Only in the past couple of decades had female athletes been able to make consistent strides on pay, opportunities and representation, she added. Today, half of all Australian girls play sports at least once a week, according to the Australian Sports Commission, compared with about 30 percent of girls in the United States.

“I don’t think anyone would have dreamed that it would happen so quickly,” Dr. Stell said. “On one hand, it’s been very slow. But on the other hand, when it happened, the floodgates just opened.”

Yet despite their enthusiasm, and their prodigious talent for bringing home Olympic medals, female athletes in Australia have, like their international peers, historically been sidelined, blocked or simply not taken seriously.

In 1980, women’s sports made up about 2 percent of print sports coverage in Australia. By 2009, women’s sports made up about 9 percent of television news coverage, according to a report from the Australian Sports Commission. But the balance appears to be shifting: A poll last year found that nearly 70 percent of Australians had watched more women’s sports since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fans watching the Australia-Ireland match in Melbourne on the World Cup’s opening night.Credit...Hannah Mckay/Reuters

“A lot of it has been in line with the way that social perception has changed more broadly, in terms of how we perceive women’s role in society, and particularly the workplace,” said Perry, the sports star.

Dr. Stell, the historian, pointed further back. She saw the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where Australia failed to win a single gold medal, as a turning point. The country’s lackluster performance spurred a significant backlash in the Australian news media, which described the results as a “crisis for the government” and called for action for Australia to “regain its lost athletic potency.”

Women had historically been something of a golden goose for Australia at the Olympics, making up a minority of the country’s total athletes but often winning the majority of its medals. At the 1972 Games in Munich, for instance, 10 out of 17 Australian medals were won by women, even as they made up only about 17 percent of the team.

And so in 1981, Australia established the Australian Institute of Sport, a high-performance sports training center for both men and women that, for the first time, gave women the financial support to concentrate on their sports full-time — beginning with Australian rules football, basketball, gymnastics, netball, swimming, tennis, track and field and weight lifting.

That was followed a few years later by the Sex Discrimination Act, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender or sexuality.

“Those two things together might be some kind of watershed,” Dr. Stell said. “But not, I guess, in the public imagination — more in sporting women’s lives.”

The Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, established in 1981.Credit...David James Bartho/Fairfax Media, via Getty Images

The facility offered dedicated training space to women in a variety of sports.Credit...Andrew Rankin/Fairfax Media, via Getty Images

Even after that, female athletes in most other sports often had no alternative but to play in a semiprofessional capacity. In the mid-1990s, as male Australian cricket players were on the cusp of striking over what they felt was inadequate remuneration, female players in the sport barely had their expenses covered, and often had to pay their own way to compete. Most juggled jobs and other commitments alongside their sports careers.

“How did it make me feel? I just wanted to play as much cricket as I possibly could,” said Belinda Clark, who was the captain of Australia’s World Cup-winning women’s cricket teams in 1997 and 2005.

She added: “We all structured our lives — our working lives and our personal lives — around being able to do that. That comes at a financial cost. We all accepted that.”

In recent decades, cricket has led the charge on fair pay for female athletes in Australia. While male cricketers still significantly out-earn their female counterparts, the majority of female players earn at least 100,000 Australian dollars, or $66,000. By comparison, female players of Australian rules football, rugby league, netball and professional soccer have a minimum salary of less than half of that — a source of ongoing tension since it is far below the country’s living wage.

Across all sports, perhaps the most important factor for female athletes was having women in positions of responsibility across journalism, management, coaching, umpiring and administration, Dr. Stell said.

In the early 1980s, Australian universities began to offer the country’s first sports management degrees. “That kind of allowed women to get a kind of professional qualification so that they could take the administration of sports off the kitchen table and make it more professional,” she said.

Belinda Clark next to statue of herself, with Quentin Bryce, the former governor general of Australia, at left.Credit...Brett Hemmings/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Women are gradually becoming more visible as sports people in Australia. But it was not until earlier this year that a female cricket player was celebrated in statue form for the first time, though the country claims more than 70 statues of male players.

A bronze statue of Clark was unveiled at Sydney Cricket Ground in January; it is the first public statue of any female cricket player anywhere in the world. Representation of that kind sends a powerful message, especially to younger players, Clark said.

“What are the photos in the club? Who’s on the honor boards? What are we saying to the people that walk in this door?” she asked. “Are you part of this, or are you a guest or a visitor?

“It symbolizes that you’re actually part of it. You’re no longer coming, cap in hand, to beg for an opportunity.”



[nbmsports]

Australian Open draw: Rafael Nadal begins title defense with tough test in opening round

CNN  —  Defending champion Rafael Nadal will face English youngster Jack Draper in the opening round of the Australian Open in a bid to retain his 2022 crown and extend his grand slam tally. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz may be missing the tournament through injury, but with the return of Novak Djokovic to the competition, Nadal will be hard pushed to defend his title. Thursday’s draw was not kind to the 22-time major winner: if he defeats the world No. 40 Draper, he potentially faces current Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima. Potentially awaiting the Spaniard later would be a quarterfinal against Daniil Medvedev, who was Nadal’s opponent in last year’s epic five-set final. Medvedev will be looking to make it a third consecutive finals appearance after losing to Djokovic in 2021 and to Nadal in 2022. A rematch of the 2021 final is on the cards, with Djokovic in the opposite half from Nadal and Medvedev. The nine-time Australian Open champion faces another Spaniard, Roberto Carballes Baena, in the opening round and is on track to face home favorite Nick Kyrgios in the last eight. The tournament comes 12 months after Djokovic was deported from Australia on the eve of the 2022 edition after former immigration minister Alex Hawke found the tennis star posed a risk to public health and order because, as a celebrity sportsman who had previously expressed opposition to people being compelled to get the Covid-19 vaccine, he could be seen as an “icon” for anti-vaxxers. The minister’s decision to deport the former world No. 1 meant he was initially banned from reentry for three years. Nineteenth-seeded Kyrgios is part of a thrilling section of the draw which includes Holger Rune, Dan Evans and Andrey Rublev. Russian Rublev comes into the Australian Open as the fifth seed, but on Wednesday suffered a shock defeat to world No. 110 Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Adelaide 2. Rublev faces a blockbuster opening round match against former world No. 3 and 2020 Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem. Andy Murray features in the other pick of the round as he faces 13th-seeded Matteo Berrettini. The Italian beat the three-time grand slam winner in four sets at the 2022 US Open and has beaten the Scotsman three out of their four ATP meetings.

Following reigning champion Ashleigh Barty’s retirement from tennis last year, Iga Światek has dominated the sport and comes into the tournament as the top seed. The Pole opens against German Jule Niemeier but faces a tasty potential quarterfinal clash with American hot prospect Coco Gauff. The 18-year-old superstar comes into the tournament in fine form, having won the ASB Classic without dropping a set and is looking to build on her excellent 2022 which saw her reach the Roland Garros final where she was beaten by Światek. Ahead of any quarterfinal clash with the favorite though, Gauff faces a second round match against 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu who is in a race against time to recover from an ankle injury. In the other half of the draw, second seed Ons Jabeur starts her 2023 trying to go one better than last year and win a grand slam. The Tunisian made both the Wimbledon and US Open finals but fell at the final hurdle in her pursuit to become the first Arab and North African woman to win a grand slam. After missing the 2022 Open, Jabeur opens her 2023 account against Tamara Zidanšek and could face Aryna Sabalenka who is coming off the back of winning at Adelaide 1, her 11th career title and first in 19 months. Elsewhere, American Jessica Pegula has been drawn in the same part of the draw as Maria Sakkari. Pegula recently led Team USA to victory in the inaugural United Cup, which featured a brilliant straight-set win over Światek. Having reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Melbourne and at the top of her game, she will be looking to set up a thrilling semifinal with her United Cup opponent. Source link Read the full article

[common-man]

Poem and inspiring words from My friend Ramasubramanian.

Looking at events of life with Positive Attitude, Facing the trying and tough times with great strength and Fortitude, In midst of misery and anguish, experiencing the brief moments of Beatitude. At times, looking inwards trying to find some Quietude Hope in various spheres of life, we reach some Altitude

Another Tough Year has gone by, leaving distinct memories behind Summing up few major highlights, that’s happened around us, Let’s Rewind In Melbourne, Nadal won record 21st Slam, defeating Medvedev,

In an epic 5.5 hrs clash, In Tonga Islands, east of Australia, Volcano erupted for 12 hrs, Causing tsunami and blasting hot ash. Billionaire Industrialist Rahul Bajaj died in February, leaving behind the iconic “Hamara Bajaj” Brand. Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar, breathed her last, after singing 50000+ songs, a great career, 8 decades it had spanned. After 27 years, and over 11 versions, capturing 95% of the market, Microsoft decided to bring IE to a nought. In July, during a public appearance in Japan, Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally Shot. Ms Droupadi Murmu was elected as President of India, Being from tribal background, set a new Landmark In September, at the age of 96, Queen Elizabeth II died in London, She was the longest serving Monarch. NASA launched the Artemis-1 in November, With Orion capsule on-board, Was a well-planned human mission Owing to improvements in Science, health and nutrition, World reached record 8 billion population For the first time, the world’s Largest Democracy, INDIA, Became the president of G20 in December Argentina beat France to win their third football world cup title, For captain Messi, was a tournament to Remember Cherishing the positives, and learning from the others, into year 2023, let’s move on. Hope and wish the upcoming year, Will ring in a better and brighter dawn. Wish you and your family a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year 2023.

Few Other major events which happened during the year,

· In Feb-22, IT Companies shut Russia Operations in Wake of Ukraine invasion. · In Feb-22, Indian Grandmaster 16 year old, R Praggnanandhaa Wins Against World No 1 Magnus Carlsen · In May-22, In the State of Texas, in the US, Gunman shot 2nd to 4th grade students, teachers, grandmother at a school. · In Jun-22, World Inflation rose 6.7%, 2 times the average from 2010 to 2020. · In Jun-22, Powerful Earthquake, of magnitude 6.1 struck Afghanistan, at the depth of 51 KMs, killing over 1000 people. · In Jul-22, Neeraj Chopra breaks National record again, finishes second in Stockholm, He opened with a stunning throw of 89.94 m just 6 cm shy of 90m mark-the gold standard in the World of Javelin. · In Aug-22, 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev died at the age of 91 yrs. He was the great Soviet Union leader who helped end the Cold War. · In Aug-22, Navy’s All-Women Aircrew Creates History by Carrying Out Surveillance Mission, In a rare feat, five women officers of the Indian Navy carried out the first independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea on board a Dornier aircraft. · In Oct-22, Rishi Sunak became the youngest Prime Minister of Great Britain. · In Oct-22, Elon Musk completes $44bn Deal to take over Twitter as its New owner. · In Dec-22, Winter Storm hit the eastern region of North America, causing major flooding and few deaths. This was the worst in in more than 50 years. In the Eastern side, Japan was also hit by snowstorm, as record breaking blizzard strikes Niigata. In few areas snowfall exceeded 1 metre. · During the year of 2022, India successfully tested the powerful missiles – Brahmos, Angi, Prithvi-II, making giant strides in the area of ballistic to anit-tank guided missiles. · Through the year, the BSE Sensex fluctuated by about 12000 points, with the highest value of 63583 in December. ................

Famous Personalities who became part of memories in 2022

Mikhail Gorbachev died in Aug-22, at the age of 91

Bappi Lahiri, seasoned singer composer died in Feb-22, due to bad health

Play back singer Krishnakumar Kunnath (KK) passed away in Jun-22, at age of 53 during life performance.

Great Australian Leg spinner Shane Warne, died of heart attack, in Thailand resort Koh Samui, at the age of 52

Indian Comedian, Actor, Politician Raju Srivastava, died at 58, due to heart attack, while working out in Gym.

In July-22, Cyrus Mistry, who served as chairman of Tata Group for 4 years, died due to road accident

In Aug-22, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, an Indian billionaire businessman, chartered Accountant, stock trader, died due to multi Organ failure in Mumbai

In Dec22, World Football lost its greatest Pearl – Pele. He was 82 yrs old. He was the only player to win 3 world cups, was named the athlete of the Century by IOC and FIFA Player of the century. He scored a world record of 1281 goals, including 77 international goals. ………………………..

Thanks & Regards,

Ram

[thebobby1432world]

Shubman Gill Wiki, Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Family, Net Worth

Shubman Gill Wiki: Shubman Gill is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Punjab in domestic cricket as a right-handed opening batsman. Shubman Gill was born on September 8, 1999, to a Jat family in the village of Chak Khere Wala (also called Chak Jaimal Singh Wala), which is close to Jalalabad Tehsil in the Fazilka district of Punjab. Shubman Gill WikiShubman Gill Personal Details Shubman Gill's Physical Appearance Shubman Gill’s Family  Shubman Gill's Favorite Things Shubman Gill Net Worth Shubman Gill is the son of farmer Lakhwinder Singh, and his grandfather is Didar Singh Gill. He has one sister named Shaheen Gill. Gill has made quite a name for himself with several memorable performances in the 2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup, where he was the vice-captain of the team and went on to receive the prestigious Player of the Tournament award.

Shubman Gill Wiki Additionally, he is the youngest cricketer to ever score a double century in a One-Day International cricket match. On December 26, 2020, Gill made his Test debut for India, and on January 3, 2023, he made his Twenty20 International debut against Sri Lanka. His maiden T20I century came on February 1, 2023, against New Zealand.

Shubman Gill Wiki

Full Name Shubman GillNicknameShubheeDate of BirthSeptember 8, 1999SchoolManav Mangal Smart School, Mohali, PunjabProfessionCricketerCategoryCelebrity Shubman Gill Personal Details Famous ForCricketerDate Of BirthSeptember 8, 1999DayWednesdayAge (as of 2023)23 yearsBirthplaceFazika, Punjab, IndiaHometownJaimal Singh Wala Village, Jalalabad Tehsil, Firozpur District Punjab, IndiaCurrent AddressA bungalow in Sector 48, ChandigarhNationalityIndianReligionSikhismCasteNot KnownZodiac Sign/Star SignVirgoCharacterOpening BatsmanBatting StyleRight Handed BatJersey NumberTest: 77 ODI: 77 T20I: Not Known IPL: 77 (For KKR)Debut in International CricketTest: Vs Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), (26-12-2020) ODI: Vs New Zealand, Seddon Park (31-01-2019) T20I: Not PlayedIPL DebutVs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Eden Gardens (14-04-2018)TeamsPunjab, India U19, India U23, India A, Kolkata Knight Riders, India B, India C, India Blue, India Shubman Gill's Physical Appearance Age22 years (in 2022)HeightCentimeters: 178 cm Meter: 1.78 m Feet Inches: 5’10 inchWeight in kilogram65 kgWeight in pounds143 lbsBody Measurement38-30-12Eye ColourDark BrownHair ColourBlack Shubman Gill’s Family  ParentsFather: Lakhwinder Singh (Agriculturist) Mother: Kirat GillSiblingsSister: Shahneel Kaur Gill (Elder) Brother: NAChildrenNot KnownWifeNot KnownMarital StatusUnmarriedMarriage DateNot KnownGirlfriend / Affairs WithSara Tendulkar (Sachin Tendulkar’s Daughter) Shubman Gill's Favorite Things Ideal Cricket PlayerSachin Tendulkar, Virat KohliHobbiesSwimmingFood HabitVeg & Non-VegHobbySwimmingFavorite ColourRedFavorite SportsCricketFavorite IPL TeamKolkata Knight RidersFavorite PlayerSachin Tendulkar & Ms DhoniFavorite DestinationGoa, Manali & Europe Shubman Gill Net Worth SalaryApprox 23 lakh – 30 lakh per monthCarRange Rover & Mahindra TharComplete Net Worth7.4 crores Disclaimer: The above information is for general informational purposes only. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on the Site. Read the full article

[willbolchsportsinternship]

Entry 8 - Overall Reflection

In my final assignment at Holmesglen, I will be conducting a reflective portfolio of my time spent at my internship which is being completed at Sportslink Travel. In the eighth and final entry, I will summarise and reflect on my time spent at both Sportslink Travel and Holmesglen in the process of taking a walk down memory lane of some of the highs and lows of 3 years worth of study.

My time studying for the Bachelors Of Sports Business degree commenced in the summer of 2020. A young William Bolch walked onto campus, excited with all of the possible opportunities that awaited him during the course of his study. My first taste of Holmesglen was in the form of a sausage roll and boy it was delicious! This would set the tone for my time at Holmesglen. My first semester saw me complete subjects including an introduction to public relations, an introduction to business communications and Management for sports organisations. 

During my first semester, I also made my first friend on campus, our friendship would grow to the point that I now consider this person a brother. This person is Kyle Brooks. Kyle and I would lean on each other for assistance and advice whilst also collaborating across many assignments with great results. 

Pictured Below: Me and my newly found friend Kyle

The second semester of my first year saw a smaller workload as I completed and enjoyed the subjects ‘social media’ and ‘the business of sport. During my second semester, a new cast member was added to ‘keeping up with the William Bolch’ in the form of Isabella Weber. Izzy found her way into our group and our dominant duo became a terrific trio as Izzy possessed the creativity for assignments that Kyle and I lacked whilst providing good chat.

My second year saw me start to really find my feet on campus. I completed subjects that include sport athlete management, digital media production, sports marketing and sports sponsorship. The second year also saw me fail my first assignment ever when I scored a 49% on a report about E-Sports. During my second year, I also saw a little boost in my skillset off campus as I continued my volunteering with Melbourne United and undertook two internships with SportsHosts and Sportsmate Mobile.

Pictured Below: Myself and fellow classmate Daniel Paul both helping out at FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

2022 was my biggest year both personally and professionally. It was such a story that one could turn it into a movie. Maybe one day I just might. In the classroom, I studied sport event tourism, sport venue and event management and transition to professional practice. Out of the classroom I took on various employment and volunteer opportunities to gain more experience. These included customer service attendant roles at the MCG and Marvel Stadium, a social media assistant at the Melbourne Mustangs, becoming a young leader at Melbourne City and even joining the committee at my local football club as the Gameday Manager. 

Pictured Below: William Bolch following his first match as a young leader of Melbourne City

My internship at Sportslink Travel was overall a tale of sides. On the one hand it was incredible to be welcomed into such a positive, welcoming and skillful team and as a result, be granted the opportunity to have significant personal growth. But on the otherhand, I probably ideally would’ve liked to have received more challenging and important tasks during my internship. 

During my internship, I completed a wide variety of tasks. Initial tasks included marketing and promotions for upcoming tours and basic research on upcoming international sporting events. Later on in the internship, I transitioned to a floated, I would do anything from make a call to a hotel to getting a car key fixed to sending emails to getting coffees. This enabled me to gain and improve significant soft skills (discussed below) whilst assimilating myself into the teams corporate culture.

Through the internship, I now consider myself a significantly better person. Although I didn’t learn programs or complete important tasks like some of my peers, I was able to improve extremely important soft skills. These soft skills that have significantly improved include my teamwork, communication, punctuality, adaptability and critical thinking all of which are incredibly important in a business (Hoye et al. 2018).

Now as I leave Holmesglen and enter ‘the real world’ I reflect on my time only with happiness and positivity. From getting 90+s on assignments to finding a brother, to learning new skills, to my rivalry with Izzy, and finally to the experience I gained and the memories I made. I had the time of my life but just as this chapter closes another one opens that I like to call ‘chasing opportunity’. 

Thank you to all the lecturers and students who made my time at Holmesglen possible and pleasurable I hope all the best for you and wish you all well!

Kind regards,

Will

References

Hoye, R. , Smith , A. , Nicholson , M . & Stewart , B , (2018) . Sport management principles and applications. (5th edn.) . Routledge , USA

[qnewsau]

2023: The Australian queer year in review

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/2023-the-australian-queer-year-in-revew/

2023: The Australian queer year in review

As the year comes to an end, we look back at some of the Australian LGBTQIA+ news, events and queer moments that made up 2023.

January

Midsumma: Melbourne held its annual multi-week Midsumma Festival where former premier Daniel Andrews marched with pride goers. 

Sam Stosur retires: Sam, who won the US Open singles titles plus seven Grand Slam doubles titles, retired at the Australian Open. Sam publicly came out later in her career in 2020. 

February

WorldPride: Sydney became the epicentre of the queer universe when hosting WorldPride. The two-week extravaganza featured an opening night concert, the traditional Mardi Gras parade, a Human Rights Conference, a Bondi Beach party, a pride march over the Bridge and a closing party. 

Big names like Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Sugababes, Agnes, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Petras, Ava Max, Jessica Mauboy, Courtney Act and Casey Donovan featured throughout WorldPride. However, there was only one true icon of the event: Progress Shark. 

Queerstralia: ABC broadcasts the series Queerstralia. Hosted by Zoe Coombs Marr, it took a deep dive into the queer history of Australia. 

March

Australian Idol: Queer First Nations singer Royston Sagigi-Baira won Australian Idol. Royston is a Thanakwith (Aboriginal) and Wagadagam (Torres Strait Islander) man from Mapoon in Far North Queensland. 

Posie Parker rejected: Anti-trans activist Posie Parker was drowned out by counter-protesters during her tour of Australia. During her visit to Brisbane, hundreds rallied against her hateful views. While in Melbourne she was joined by neo-Nazis which saw widespread condemnation. 

In Our Blood: The musical drama inspired by Australia’s radical response to HIV/AIDS in the 1980s was broadcast on ABC with many scenes shot at Brisbane’s Sportsman Hotel. 

The Wickham reopens: After many months closed for renovations, Brisbane’s iconic LGBTQIA+ venue The Wickham reopened. 

April 

Censorship rejected: The Australian Classification Board rejected a call to ban or restrict a gender and sexuality memoir after a conservative activist complained to Queensland Police.

May

Archibald Prize: Artist Julia Gutman wins the Archibald Prize with a portrait of queer performer Montaigne. While queer musician and artist Zaachariaha Fielding (from Electric Fields) won the Wynne Prize for best landscape. 

Kylie’s back: Long-time queer ally Kylie Minogue released Padam Padam. The song charted in the Top 10 in the UK and the Top 20 in Australia. The first time the singer had achieved this in more than a decade. 

June

Queens Ball: The 62nd edition of the Queens Ball in Brisbane was held at City Hall. More than a dozen Queensland queer community advocates, performers and organisations were honoured in a ceremony hosted by Paul Wheeler and Chocolate Boxx. 

Trans legal win: The Queensland government passed a new law allowing trans and gender-diverse people to change their gender on their birth certificates without having to undergo surgery.

July

Logies: Out actor Tim Draxl was nominated for the Silver Logie as most outstanding actor while RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under received two nominations for Best Entertainment Program and Best New Talent for Kween Kong. 

Patricia Karvelas: Proudly out presenter Patricia Karvelas was named as the new host of one of ABC’s flagship programs Q&A.

Gymnast: Out Australian gymnast Heath Thorpe was controversially not selected for the World Championships despite winning the Australian All-Around title. 

August

Women’s World Cup: Australia and New Zealand hosted the Women’s World Cup with a record 96 publicly out players competing. The Matildas, who had 10 out players including superstar Sam Kerr, reached the semi-finals after a thrilling penalty shoot-out win against France. The Matildas broke attendance and ratings records, becoming the most-watched event in Australia since Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics. 

Honour Awards: NSW’s largest annual LGBTIQA+ community awards were held and presented by ACON. 

September

Brisbane Pride: Brisbane hosted its annual pride event including fair day, rally and march, and other community events across the month. 

Drag Race: The third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under crowned the first-ever Australian winner. Isis Avis Loren from Melbourne took the crown with Ballarat’s Gabriella Labucci runner-up. The show was co-hosted by Rhys Nicholson and included queer Aussie guest judges Keiynan Lonsdale and Josh Cavallo. 

October

Big Gay Day: The Wickham held its annual Big Gay Day with Peter Andre and Rogue Traders headlining. 

Troye Sivan: The Australian queer artist released his album Something to Give Each Other featuring hit singles Rush, Got Me Started and One of Your Girls. It went straight to the top of the charts giving Troye his first Australian No.1 album.

Pride Adelaide: The annual event took place with a march and a celebration featuring artists Ricki-Lee, Crystal Waters, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Samantha Jade.

November 

Gay Games: The 11th edition of the event was co-hosted by Hong Kong and Guadalajara in Mexico. This was the first co-hosting of the games and the first time it took place in Asia. Australian LGBTQIA+ athletes competed in both cities. 

ARIAs: Troye Sivan and G Flip dominated the ARIA Music Awards with four and two award wins respectively. Troye took out Song of the Year for Rush. 

Natalie Bassingthwaighte: The Rogue Traders lead singer and actress known for her work on Neighbours revealed she was in a relationship with a woman.

PrideFest: Perth held its annual pride events with events across the month celebrating the city’s LGBTQIA+ community.

BayPride: Despite protests the inaugural pride event in Wynnum, Queensland took place with a large family-friendly march.

December

Hate Crime Inquiry: The long-awaited Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes in NSW saw 19 recommendations made. Advocates welcomed the findings and called on the NSW Police Force to action the report’s recommendations.

JOY Media: The Melbourne-based LGBTQIA+ community radio station JOY 94.9 celebrated their 30th anniversary.

NT politics: The openly gay MP Chansey Paech made history as the first Aboriginal man to be appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the Northern Territory.

Olympics: Australian climber Campbell Harrison qualified for the Paris Olympics and shared a kiss with his boyfriend to celebrate.

For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] The Melbourne Cricket Ground (Image: Subhayan Chakraborty) Given that Test cricket goes back nearly 150 years, it seems almost laughable to talk of the Boxing Day Test as a tradition. It became an annual affair only in 1980, once Kerry Packer’s Channel 9 acquired the TV rights to Australian cricket. And even then, the response was far from overwhelming. In 1981, on one of the greatest days of cricket ever played – Kim Hughes making 100 not out in a total of 198, and Dennis Lillee clean-bowling Viv Richards as West Indies finished on 10/4 – there were only 39,982 watching inside the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground, or the G as its regulars call it. When India first played on Boxing Day, in 1985, the crowd was a pitiful 18,146, reflecting both how weak Australian cricket was at the time, and how lowly rated Kapil Dev’s team were as tourists. How very different things are now. These days, Boxing Day is as central to the Australian sporting calendar as the Melbourne Cup, Aussie Rules’ Grand Final and the final weekend of the Australian Open. In 2013, as Michael Clarke’s side pulverised England en route to yet another 5-0 Ashes whitewash, a crowd of 91,112 thronged to the G on Boxing Day. take a sneak peak into team India’s practice session in Melbourne ahead of the Boxing Day Test. @debasissen #AUSvINDIA #AUSvIND #bordergavaskartrophy2024 #BGT2025 pic.twitter.com/IRrTResR2i — RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) December 21, 2024   The last four ‘normal’ India Tests on Boxing Day have all drawn crowds in the region of 70,000. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, only 27,615 made it past the turnstiles in 2020. Expect thrice as many this year, especially with it very likely being the last Australia tour for Virat Kohli, who many Australian say reminds them of one of their own. Make no mistake, the MCG on Boxing Day is as close as cricket gets to gladiators inside the Colosseum in ancient Rome. The towering stands – from the top of the Great Southern Stand, now renamed after the late, great Shane Warne, the players can look like ants – the quality of the light (unless it’s grey and rainy) and the animation of the crowd makes it a sports-watching experience like few others. From the fancy-dress costumes to the beer snakes and the snarky comments from Bay 13, there’s little danger of anyone taking a nap, so vibrant is the holiday ambience. And this time, there’s a place in the World Test Championship final up for grabs as well. Australia are the reigning champions, but two bad results over the holiday fortnight and they’ll need to climb a mountain – or Sigiriya Fort – in Sri Lanka to qualify. As for India, there is no margin for error. Lose in Melbourne and the players will almost certainly be watching the Lord’s final from their couch or a hospitality box. For once, what’s at stake matches the sense of occasion. It should be one heck of a contest, with India returning to the scene of one of their most famous victories, the match after they had been rolled over for 36 in Adelaide. The post Boxing Day Test: The G awaits battle royal appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] The Melbourne Cricket Ground (Image: Subhayan Chakraborty) Given that Test cricket goes back nearly 150 years, it seems almost laughable to talk of the Boxing Day Test as a tradition. It became an annual affair only in 1980, once Kerry Packer’s Channel 9 acquired the TV rights to Australian cricket. And even then, the response was far from overwhelming. In 1981, on one of the greatest days of cricket ever played – Kim Hughes making 100 not out in a total of 198, and Dennis Lillee clean-bowling Viv Richards as West Indies finished on 10/4 – there were only 39,982 watching inside the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground, or the G as its regulars call it. When India first played on Boxing Day, in 1985, the crowd was a pitiful 18,146, reflecting both how weak Australian cricket was at the time, and how lowly rated Kapil Dev’s team were as tourists. How very different things are now. These days, Boxing Day is as central to the Australian sporting calendar as the Melbourne Cup, Aussie Rules’ Grand Final and the final weekend of the Australian Open. In 2013, as Michael Clarke’s side pulverised England en route to yet another 5-0 Ashes whitewash, a crowd of 91,112 thronged to the G on Boxing Day. take a sneak peak into team India’s practice session in Melbourne ahead of the Boxing Day Test. @debasissen #AUSvINDIA #AUSvIND #bordergavaskartrophy2024 #BGT2025 pic.twitter.com/IRrTResR2i — RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) December 21, 2024   The last four ‘normal’ India Tests on Boxing Day have all drawn crowds in the region of 70,000. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, only 27,615 made it past the turnstiles in 2020. Expect thrice as many this year, especially with it very likely being the last Australia tour for Virat Kohli, who many Australian say reminds them of one of their own. Make no mistake, the MCG on Boxing Day is as close as cricket gets to gladiators inside the Colosseum in ancient Rome. The towering stands – from the top of the Great Southern Stand, now renamed after the late, great Shane Warne, the players can look like ants – the quality of the light (unless it’s grey and rainy) and the animation of the crowd makes it a sports-watching experience like few others. From the fancy-dress costumes to the beer snakes and the snarky comments from Bay 13, there’s little danger of anyone taking a nap, so vibrant is the holiday ambience. And this time, there’s a place in the World Test Championship final up for grabs as well. Australia are the reigning champions, but two bad results over the holiday fortnight and they’ll need to climb a mountain – or Sigiriya Fort – in Sri Lanka to qualify. As for India, there is no margin for error. Lose in Melbourne and the players will almost certainly be watching the Lord’s final from their couch or a hospitality box. For once, what’s at stake matches the sense of occasion. It should be one heck of a contest, with India returning to the scene of one of their most famous victories, the match after they had been rolled over for 36 in Adelaide. The post Boxing Day Test: The G awaits battle royal appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link