NZ women to lead way in 2018
New Zealanders have been spoilt this year with the amount of top quality women’s sport on offer – so what does 2018 boast for those interested and will the momentum keep us all interested?
Well, firstly I might point out that aside from 2017 being a Rugby World Cup and Cricket World Cup year, there was nothing really that special about this year for women’s sport.
I’m not suggesting the achievement of the Black Ferns wasn’t great – because it was better than great as it put women’s rugby on a pedestal for a moment there. But women actually play sport year in and year out at top level and us Kiwis do it brilliantly.
So while it looks like it may be hard to top what has been a successful 2017, if these teams just continue to play and improve then I can only see a very positive year ahead.
For one I am so excited about the Commonwealth Games. I can’t wait to see the Black Sticks play at their best and, fingers crossed, win a gold medal, which is completely within reach given the progress Mark Hager’s side have made this year.
The only thing stopping this is themselves – or a penalty shootout finish.
As research suggests, women’s sport coverage is at its highest point during Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games years.
Mostly because these women are throwing on their New Zealand kit and representing a sports-mad nation. So expect to see the likes of Eliza McCartney, Lisa Carrington in the headlines, and I am picking littleknown Kiwi shooter Chloe Tipple for a gold medal.
The Black Ferns will struggle to get the recognition they have this year after winning the Rugby World Cup, but I am looking forward to seeing how New Zealand Rugby develops these players, keeps their interest and perhaps looks at paying them – even just a little bit.
There’s been enough said about this issue – so watch this space.
The Black Ferns Sevens team are always professional, always a spectacle and deserve a Halberg award every year and 2018 will be no different.
Then there’s the Lydia Ko factor. I am hopeful Ko will rise again and be at her best for 2018 so we can get behind our most successful female golfer once more. It would be great if Ko could inspire several more young female golfers to come up through the ranks, so that she is not a ‘‘one-off’’ sort of golfer.
The White Ferns were 2017’s biggest disappointment for women’s sport.
That wasn’t nice to write but they dipped out in a big way at the Cricket World Cup in the UK and it has been hard to get inspired by them since. Let’s hope we can see a new team build over the next four years and if we are realistic about the interest from the general public, people won’t bat an eyelid until they win a world championship.
So there is a lot to look forward to in watching our Kiwi women out competing in 2018.