Since 2006, gsport has remarkably embraced supporters of women’s sport, who continuously go above and beyond to back women teams and athletes.
At the 2022 Momentum gsport Awards, Supporter of the Year winner Nakedi Thlathla was honoured for tirelessly showing up for women’s football whether it is watching matches or Tweeting about the beautiful game.
Speaking to gsport, Thlathla shed light on what it takes to advocate for women’s sport, saying: “To be a great supporter of women’s sport you need to constantly be there for the women who are participating in any sports field, let them know that you’re rooting for them and always encourage them to do better. Set a good example and also let people know that supporting women’s sport is worth it because there’s talent there. Praise teammates for what they do well and encourage them when they make mistakes.
“It’s important for me to support women’s sport because I advocate for development and recognition of the talent that women have. My aim is to always inspire the next girl-child and through women’s sport I also believe that young children will get inspired and value sport as much as I do because it would help one or two also participate in sport and become the next generation of stars in sport.”
Thlathla went on to share tips on ways to support women’s sport: “Support women’s sport on social media, go out to stadiums and watch live games, know the right hashtags to use and write something regarding the game. A lot of teams and their players have social media accounts and agencies, follow them and get updates on their next games or what’s happening in their spaces. Also, make it a point that your message gets across in a way that will not demean anyone involved.”
Another supporter who has caught the hearts of many is #gsport17 Supporter of the Year finalist, Celumusa Malinga, father of young squash champion Awande.
Over the years, Malinga has been actively supporting his daughter’s growth, which has seen her dominate the squash courts both locally and internationally.
“It is essential to support sports in general, individually or in groups despite gender demarcation. It is however, difficult to support women’s sport since it has been neglected for long in favour of the fashionable men’s sport. It is therefore, imperative to be patient, persistent and more resilient in ensuring that women’s sport receives the recognition it deserves,” revealed Malinga when questioned on why it’s important to back women in sport.
“This should be going along with the presence of the necessary infrastructure for support and the will of the women’s sport players to achieve better and be great in their trade,” he continued.
“It is more important for me to support women’s sport mainly because my daughter is one of our country’s sport players. It has further potential to assist her to attract sponsorships and/or higher learning scholarships. I also hope to see a day where winning prizes are equally shared between males and females.”
In conclusion, Malinga shared ways we can improve the coverage of women’s sport:
Profiling of women’s sport players is a must to showcase the sport of choice as well as the potential/ability that women have to perform at the same level or better against men.
The presence of online social media platforms make it easier for profiling but some form of guidance should be exercised to ensure that the content draws the necessary good attention.
The use of various media platforms such as print, visual and audio plays a significant role. This requires more training and awareness on conduct and how to handle questions especially when profiling is live to the intended audience.
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