Women Supporting Women

 

When I was host of SAfm’s week-daily sports show Game Plan between 2003 and 2006, I was regularly reminded about the poor state of women’s sport, and the topic underlining the lack of support for women’s sport came up time and again in interviews.

 

It didn’t make sense to me, given South Africa’s rich history in women achieving incredible success on the sports front, but then I came across a report by Professor Cora Burnett Louw of the University of Johannesburg entitled ‘Women in Sport’, which presented the problem in its hairy and scary detail.

 

Professor Louw’s study provided various solutions to the numerous problems investigated, and I immediately recognised the manner in which I could make a useful contribution: By providing dedicated media coverage of women’s sports happenings.

 

Considering my journalistic qualities, and those of my lawyer-husband (specialised in Internet-related law), I suggested that we start up a website with that dedicated goal: Raising the profile of women in sport!

 

The challenges were plentiful: Business case studies are littered with the wrecks of Internet-based startups; the site was guaranteed not to be able to pay for itself for a considerable time; the two of us had to become proficient in the practice of running a website (to supplement that ever-enthusiastic theory); it would need a full-time dedication by both of us…

 

But we had a positive attitude, and a good idea of what to do: Create the platform which presents the full spectrum of women’s sporting achievements to the nation, and the central problem, the lack of adequate corporate funding for women’s sport, would gradually begin to ease.

 

On 1 August, 2006, we threw caution to the wind, and launched gsport … for Girls! – an online initiative aimed at raising the profile of women in sport, and showcasing outstanding South African women, who serve as role models.

 

In this time, it has been my remarkable experience that contrary to public perceptions, women’s sport is alive and well, even with the limited support. South Africa is filled with women of all ages who are keen to participate in and support sporting activities, and mostly without a second thought of personal gain.

 

And after one year, gsport is this online magazine, publishing a monthly edition of Leading Ladies and Feature Articles, and a daily newsroom featuring breaking women’s sports news.

 

But some insist that we should be more realistic: Women’s Sport is in a poor state, the status quo is ingrained and immovable, and we’re fighting a losing battle. We choose to see it in a different light: If truly and sincerely supported, SA women’s sports stars will improve beyond belief, and take their place as a force to be reckoned with in world sport.

 

 

Imagine what an incredible message South Africa would be putting out in 2010, if women’s sport starts are getting the necessary backing. SA will be portraying a holistic image of sport, the world will be lauding us, and our women sports stars will be eagerly supporting the World Cup.

 

The media has a massive role to play here, and as we’ve realised, there is a significant market for women’s sports news. Even more importantly, there is a heap of sport going on around the country 365 days a year, much more than our media could possibly cover.

 

The fact is that corporate South Africa won’t be able to resist women’s sport, if it had a better public profile, and we believe it’s not impossible to turn this situation around. We need to encourage every female athlete in our country, and to allow each of them to project the image of a successful African woman, which they are.

 

gsport aims to become a driving force with that ambition, to stand side by side with every other woman and organisation having the same ideal of bringing information about our proud women’s achievements into the public awareness, and thereby to enhance the status and financial opportunities for our country’s top women athletes.

 

Apart from being a Constitutional imperative, the upliftment of the women’s gender in South Africa is a social need, and it is one for which we ourselves must devote the greatest effort.

 

It’s no use sitting with begging bowls at the feet of another, as women, each of us has a skill or strength to contribute, to enable us to rise and accept the reigns of our entitlement, and to stand justified in our full potential to participate in determining which road lies ahead for our country to journey on.

 

On the first birthday of gsport, the message I want to emphasise is support: If we support each other, no-one and nothing will stand in our way. The argument for women to support women must surpass culture, it must surpass ingrained preconceptions, and it must surpass prejudice.

 

It may sometimes feel like you don’t have the capacity to support someone, hey, we barely have the time to take care of our own lives! But rather look at it this way, if it’s all you can do, go for a walk once a week, take an hour.

 

High hopes, grand schemes, all the rest, but it’s all possible, and it won’t take much. Just a little understanding, and a few moments of support!