MORE THAN A MATCH
Katie Page is unrivalled in her championing of women’s sport.
Not so long ago Katie Page flew to the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, where Australia’s female rugby league team, the Jillaroos, were running a training camp. In true Page style she wasn’t interested in simply watching the players, and decided to join in a game of beach footy. “Katie, being Katie, said: ‘Don’t take it easy on me, this is about you training and preparing,’” recalls captain Ruan Sims. One of the younger players took Page at her word and the next moment crash-tackled her, sending her sprawling into the sand. Sims was aghast. “I was that scary face emoji, that was me, I was freaking out. Katie was on the floor. But she bounced straight back up, she took it so well. Katie isn’t just about standing on the sidelines and watching; she gets involved and she knows her business. And that’s why she’s pretty fantastic.”
The powerhouse that is Katie Page, CEO of retail giant Harvey Norman since 1999, has never been one for simply spectating, particularly if there’s work to be done. And right now that work involves supporting and promoting women in sport. Page’s attendance at Royal Pines was no coincidence. Harvey Norman has been naming rights sponsor of the Jillaroos since 2015. But her support of women in rugby league goes back years before that, and extends far beyond that sport. In fact, Page has been quietly working away behind the scenes striving for a level playing field for women in sport for well over a decade now.
At a glance, Harvey Norman is the major sponsor for multiple sports: the Greater Western Sydney Giants women’s team, which will compete in this year’s inaugural national AFL women’s competition; the Jillaroos and Women in League (since 2006); the Auburn Giants, an AFL team largely made up of Muslim women; Supercar drivers Simona de Silvestro and Renee Gracie, otherwise known as the Harvey Norman Supergirls; Paratriathlete and gold medal winner Katie Kelly; and Olympic sailing silver medallist Olivia Price. Separate from Harvey Norman, Page and husband Gerry Harvey’s private company Magic Millions runs the Magic Millions Racing Women, a lucrative 2012 initiative to encourage more women to become involved in the ownership, training and racing of thoroughbred horses in acknowledgement of the important role they play in that industry.
Happily, in 2017 you can’t move for a positive story concerning women in sport. Last October Cricket NSW announced a groundbreaking deal that saw the Lendlease Breakers women’s cricket team became the first fully professional women’s domestic sporting team in Australia; while the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League attracted peak televised ratings of 400,000, resulting in Network Ten increasing the number of matches screened on free to air. In November Jillaroos captain Sims became the first female to sign an NRL player’s contract, after her club the Cronulla Sharks endorsed a one-year semiprofessional deal for its players. This year the NRL will have its first national women’s competition. Last October NAB followed in the footsteps of Westpac and the Commonwealth Bank’s longterm sponsorship of elite netball, announcing it would sponsor this year’s inaugural AFL women’s league competition, a wellsupported code at both national and club level.
But the landscape looks vastly different today to the paucity of sponsors, broadcast opportunities and even player and supporter interest of just a few years ago. Which makes it even more remarkable when you consider Page has been quietly but effectively championing women in sport for 12 years now, since she joined the board of the NRL. Page was brought on at a time when rugby league was suffering reputational damage following various ugly player incidents. Page had a good grasp of rugby league, given Harvey Norman’s long-time sponsorship of the State of Origin, and was brought on in the hope she could improve the organisation’s approach.
“After I started I had a phone call from [journalist] Roy Masters who said: ‘How does it feel to be the first female on a sporting board at that level?’” Page recalls. “And I said: ‘What are you talking about?’ I just assumed women were there. But they weren’t. Six months after I was appointed, the AFL put on a female commissioner. So it started the ball rolling in this country.”
It was a pivotal moment for Page, and for women in sport generally. With an interest in cricket (she was appointed to the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust in 2013) and her connection with the NRL, Page was well aware how many women were involved in sport, not just from the players’ point of view but as volunteers, supporters, and through general involvement with the game.
“That got me interested in women in sport,” Page says. “[Asking] how were we supporting the female players? What was happening in coaching, refereeing? And it led me into other sports as well and was something I spoke to the Harvey Norman board about. When you gave them the statistics it was just so glaring that in so many sports that recognition wasn’t there. It wasn’t just about the players; it was the women involved with all these sports. So that’s how it started.”
She began working with the NRL, then turned her sights to horseracing and AFL. But Page doesn’t just talk about these things. Her philosophy is simple: listen to what people want
“KATIE IS NOT ABOUT STANDING ON THE SIDELINES WATCHING; SHE GETS INVOLVED” Ruan Sims
and need, whether they’re Harvey Norman customers or members of a sporting team. Then do something about it.
“I love that we involve the women in these decisions – as if I know! I’m not playing AFL, I’m not in an NRL team. We want to understand where they need the money to go: is it flights? Insurance? Medical expenses? Look at the Bathurst wildcard girls, Renee and Simona. As if I’m ever going to be able to drive 300 kilometres per hour around a racetrack at Bathurst. Those girls have taught me so much.”
Page is referring to Supercar drivers Simona de Silvestro and Renee Gracie. Harvey Norman will this month announce a groundbreaking three-year sponsorship deal for Silvestro to drive for Nissan Motorsport, the first female driver in the Supercar series for more than 40 years.
“Who says women can’t drive?” demands Page. “It’s ludicrous. So I’m giving Simona an opportunity to really shine, because she’s outstanding. There are very few women in this sport: she’s committed, articulate and an extraordinary young woman. And she is as good as many of those male drivers.” It’s worth pointing out Page has done her research on Silvestro: she knows her family, her history, and exactly what she’s capable of, should she be given the chance. “When we did this it was like a lightbulb moment for so many people. What I think we’ll see is other people coming in and wanting to sponsor her, and other girls. But you’ve got to go out on a limb sometimes and support people. A company has to be brave enough to do this.”
Make no mistake: this is not a case of philanthropy. Page believes females in sport and the associated sponsorship opportunities are a lucrative and still largely untapped market. She and Harvey attended the 2016 Bathurst 1000 and she was overwhelmed by the turnout, not only from traditional racing enthusiasts but families and the local community. “The economic benefit for that town is enormous. But the longest line-up for autographs was for those girls. And the coverage they got!”
Page is quick to point out she isn’t alone in championing the rights of women in sport, highlighting the forward-thinking work being done by Cricket Australia, Netball Australia, the AFL and in particular Surfing Australia chair Layne Beachley, the seven-time world champion whose work with that sport stretches back years.
Page – who has somehow managed to design a new limited-edition HP laptop in her very limited spare time – is also at pains to highlight it isn’t just in the sporting arena that disparity in pay and opportunities exist: the glass ceiling is very much in existence in business, on boards, in education. “All these areas where you need women at the top, that’s the balance you’re trying to get.”
But the lengths Page has gone to and the achievements she has made can’t be overstated. If you need proof, simply ask one of those athletes for whom Page’s support has been pivotal. “Katie’s presence has really driven things a lot quicker than people anticipated. She lends it that credibility and is so empowering and knowledgeable that it’s taken us further forward in a shorter period of time than we might have otherwise been,” says Sims. “Harvey Norman’s support of the Jillaroos gives us a lot more commercial viability than we would otherwise have. She’s been a pioneer for women’s sport and business and I’m very, very proud to know her because I think she’s incredible.”
Page is the first to admit there’s plenty more work needing to be done. While it was a win for the Cronulla Sharks to be the first women’s club team to go semi-professional, the money only goes so far. Sims and her teammates still have to juggle their football commitments with regular jobs. And they are by no means the only code where this occurs.
“The downside is you can’t look after everyone: there’s a great need out there,” says Page. “What we have to do is make sure we keep our foot on the pedal. I don’t want everyone to get so excited they think it’s all done and will continue. It won’t. You have to consistently invest over time. We’re under no illusion it takes time to build these sports and build these codes as far as viewership is concerned. We have to make sure these women are getting coverage on cable, on Fox, and on free-to-air. But words are cheap. Anyone can say good things about their company; the proof of the pudding [is in the taste] and where this goes in the future. Let’s revisit this conversation in a couple of years. It’s all positive, but you’ve got to deliver. That’s all I care about.”