School Sport is an integral part of any nation’s sporting ambitions. For a player to represent the Momentum Proteas, Banyana Banyana or the senior hockey women’s team, starting them at school and nurturing their talent from that level plays an undeniably key role. This exposure is not only for their talent to be… well, exposed, but also the joy of knowing your family is able to watch you actualize your dream is priceless.
This is why the likes of SuperSport Schools exist. In just over a year, SS Schools has captured and recorded many incredible talented young South Africans. They are that bridge between sport at school level and donning the coveted green gold.
Of course, the people that make such initiatives and organizations run like clockwork also need to be passionate, not only about sport but the development and growth of the young girls in any sporting program. Bridget Kee is one such person. Her role in the SuperSport Schools space is in the operations and logistics of the project and production. After a hiatus from coaching, she’s back and is one part of the drivers that ensure the smooth operation of this extremely important organization.
Speaking with the gsport Team, Kee reflects on the past year and reveals why media coverage is vital for the growth of schools sport.
Bridget, earlier this year, SuperSport Schools celebrated its one year. How do you reflect on this first-year anniversary in terms of your role in elevating schools sport?
What a ride and what a privilege it has been. I worked in the school system as a teacher, head of sport and coach for over 20 years at several schools prior to stepping away from schooling and heading into a whole new space. I never thought I would find myself back on the side of the school sport field, this time in a slightly different capacity. My role in the SuperSport Schools space is in the operations and logistics of the project and production. It is amazing that we, SuperSport Schools get to see, highlight and feature talent from all over Southern Africa. It makes me so proud and rather emotional to be a part of a year of this incredible project. The fact that we have been able to do what we do in just one year makes for the most exciting future for school sport and for the true hero’s and heroine’s, the students and super stars out there the opportunity to shine.
Girls’ sport has benefited immensely from SuperSport Schools coverage of youth sport. What are some of the highlights of the past year from a girls’ sport perspective?
One that jumps to mind straight away is the incredible achievement of Viwe Jingqi who broke the world record for the fastest u18 100m and 200m at the Youth Athletics Championships earlier this year. We were able to capture this incredible moment on our platform and the delight on Viwe’s face keeps me going during the challenging times as you can see her pure joy and her raw emotions when she realized what she just did. That’s what makes this project so special. Another one is just the number of girls’ sports events we have been able to be a part of, from a SPAR hockey tournament in Matatiele to an u11 netball festival in Middelburg. Girls’ are on the map and SuperSport Schools are allow girls’ sport shine. One year of SuperSport Schools has showcased the talent and love for sport that’s out there. One year of SuperSport Schools has not only show us the super stars, but it has also highlighted how important school sport is for the c team player, for the girl that just wants to be involved, the girls that just LOVE sport, love playing sport and love the “gees” that sport brings.
What is your title and your role within SuperSport Schools and what are you enjoying about working in the schools’ sport environment?
I wear many hats but to try give it a title/ or role: I look after all the operations, productions, and logistics for SuperSport Schools. The role is continuously evolving as the project continues to evolve. I manage all the schools involved in the project, regarding the role out of the PIxellot AI cameras, I then train the schools on how to use their installed permanent AI cameras. I maintain and update them on the project, scheduling and what’s new. I manage all the external suppliers – these are our manned camera teams that head out to stream derbies, events, festival on a weekly basis and I manage the SuperSport Schools scheduling of fixtures and I watch A LOT of school sport. On average we can stream over 350 fixtures on a weekend. What’s not to enjoy, I love sport, I love being a part of show casing talent and working with passionate and dedicated people who all want the same goal: letting sport unite communities and make people happy. I enjoy the fact that I am part of a project that allows a mother who works on a Saturday to still watch her daughters sports match over the weekend. An excited netball player can rush home and show her grandmother her hoop. A potential 2032 Olympian could be seen and identified in her u11 hockey match. It is just incredible, the potential and the opportunities are endless and priceless.
Having covered a host of girls’ tournaments over the year, how would you rate the state of girls’ sport at school level?
I think girls’ sport has battled over the years having been in the shade of its “big brother” and COVID didn’t helped but I foresee an enormous growth in the girls’ sport space in the next few years. SuperSport Schools is a huge contributing fact and is such a positive influence for girls to work harder and really refine their skills and talent on the sports field. Super Sport Schools is allowing girls that might not have been seen before, be identified, and invested in. Girls’ sport is competitive and with the likes of “equal pay” for professional sports, girls’ sport is becoming more and more professional at the higher levels. I think girls’ sport is enormously inclusive and it is allowing all to enjoy the love of the game. Girl’s sport at schools has grown enormously with the likes of basketball catapulting into one of the fastest growing schools’ sports in South Africa. Girls have the chance to be seen now, not only for their sporting talent but there is opportunity for girls to get involved in sports commentators, for female sports streamers, for girls that aren’t necessarily sports stars but love sport and want to be a part of “the team” have the chance to be a “sports star”. Watch this space, girls’ sport is in an incredible space and there is endless opportunity for girls.
Why is live coverage important to the growth of schools’ sport?
Showcasing talent is the first thought that most people would jump to, but it is not the most important reason why live coverage or streaming is growing schools ‘sport. It is the opportunity for anyone and everyone to watch their loved ones. Going to live events as a spectator or a participant is key and what drives sport but having the chance to watch school sport delayed or live from anywhere in the world is changing the environment. Watching your alma mater, seeing your nephew score his first try, your grandchild swim her first school gala or old school with the Netball festival, that is why live coverage is magic.
How do you choose the schools events you cover and how can schools contact you to cover their events?
There is no formula or selection process when covering an event currently, it is down to schools contacting us with their events/ festivals and derbies. Down the line it will be about planning the years sports events, so we have a road map of all the school fixtures, festivals, and tournaments. We aim to be diverse, inclusive and cover as much as we can when and where we can.
How can we encourage more sponsors to get involved in women’s sport?
Sponsors and cooperates are getting behind girl’s sport more and more these days. It’s brilliant and I think this will only get better and better as more girl’s sport and female sport is broadcast. That’s why I feel so privileged to be a part of SuperSport Schools but I do feel corporates need to invest more into women’s sport. The SuperSport Schools project is modelled around cooperates investing is school sport. No school pays for broadcast or coverage in the SuperSport Schools project. If more cooperates and sponsors invest in SuperSport Schools the more women’s sport and schools sport can be covered and the better our sport, our communities and our unity will become in South Africa.
What do you make of the gsport initiative and the work it does to raise the profile of youth sport?
I LOVE it and am a massive “girl fan”. What gsport does for female sport and youth sport is so motivating. I recall being a very passionate sports student during my schooling and I wish gsport was around back then as there were unbelievable sports stars that went unseen and unnoticed as there was nothing like gsport around. Girls’ and youth have the chance to be seen, be heard, and identified with the guidance of gsport these days – how special is that. Celebrating girls and women sports and how gsport does this means we are putting and allowing young girls to dream. I wish I had this as a youngster.
SuperSport Schools is the Naming Rights partner of the gsport School Sport award at the Momentum gsport Awards. Why is it important to unearth icons and role models of all ages in women’s sport?
Everyone has someone they admire, that they look up to in some form, be it an icon or role model or just someone that has motivated and guided them. Age is irrelevant in this regard in my opinion as a retired athlete is as much a motivation as a new and upcoming athlete. Unearthing talent of all ages allows young and old to believe in themselves and dream. I know I would like to believe I could be a role model to young and old. Women and girls need to believe in women and girls and unearthing these athletes, showcasing them allows us to believe in ourselves more and more regardless of our age, race, culture, or economic environment. The fact that a 98-year-old women can go and race 100m at the masters athletics championships is as much an inspirations as a 17 year old who broke the record at the youth athletic championships.
What are some of the goals SuperSport Schools has set for the coming year?
We hope to reach 200 000 registered users by the end of the year. It is free to register and free to view. SuperSport Schools will never sit behind a paywall. Our goal is to bring school sport to everyone’s lounge. SuperSport Schools hopes to roll out to over 350 schools in 2023 with the Pixellot AI cameras and capture over 20 000 hours of school sport.
What more can we do to Close the Visibility Gap in women’s sport?
Celebrate women in sport, the athletes, the commentators, the industry leaders. There are so many incredible women in the sports industry that are making waves and they need to be praised and have the spotlight put on them. We need to change societies mindset to view women in sport as key stakeholders, important leaders and role models.
How can we encourage more women to take up leadership positions in the sport sponsorship space?
We must back each other, if we have more female leaders believing and getting behind women’s sport imagine the opportunities. If we don’t look after each other how can we expect other to – Women must support women. I think we are seeing more and more women leaders in the sports industry. If we celebrate these icons and showcase their journeys it will motivate others
Who are some of the women in sport who inspire you?
There are so many inspiration women out there, women who have worked so hard to get to where they are. Kass Naidoo and what she did for female commentators, Megan Rapinoe and what she has done to motivate equal pay for professional female athletes, Gerda Steyn and how hard she has worked to become one of the most competitive road runners in South Africa after realizing her talent. The U11C Netball player that just LOVES sport, to be honest the youth who aren’t necessarily the superheros are my biggest inspiration as they out there taking part because it brings them so much joy, that’s what counts and that what inspires me.
What are some of things you would still like to achieve as a woman in sport?
I would like to become a prominent figure in the sports industry space as a powerful leader and role model in a predominantly male workspace. I would like to be seen as a woman who has made a positive influence and opened the door for other females to grow in sport, be it on the sports field, in the commentary box or in the corporate sports space.
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