Alice Soper
Contributing Sports Writer
Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women's sports.
I write analysis, commentary and news stories for the Herald on Sunday and have contributed to many different media outlets over the years. The main focus of my work is on women’s sport – in particular, the code I played, rugby – and the issues surrounding our games and athletes. I have a history of activism and advocacy in women’s rugby and in politics and am keenly interested in the impact of wider social issues on our national game and the role of our sporting wahine toa on the field, around the boardroom table and in wider society. A current trustee of Women in Rugby Aotearoa and previous advisor on the Female Working Group for Wellington Rugby, I am an experienced advocate and community organiser.
Check out Alice’s latest content
Opinion: Women's rugby match challenges trans inclusion bans
A sevens match in Oslo featured cis women against trans women.
Opinion: Why high-risk 'RunIt' events must be shut down
The events gained attention after a tragic copycat incident.
Opinion: The kit that fits - The century-old debate about women's sportswear
OPINION: Why do female athletes still have to dress to please men?
Opinion: It's the superstar players that attract fans, not the sport
NZ Rugby uses a three-player rule in promotions to limit individual star power.
Opinion: Big calls and notable omissions in World Cup squad race
Forty-nine players are competing for spots in the Black Ferns World Cup squad.
Alice Soper: How putting community ahead of competition revitalises sport
OPINION: The goal becomes team retention and enjoying the game together.
Alice Soper: Las Vegas was a step backwards for rugby league
OPINION: Cut the women from the picture and all you’ll showcase is a sport going backwards
Alice Soper: Black Ferns RWC spots up for grabs in Super Rugby Aupiki
Round one presents many tasty match-ups for the selectors to mull over.
Alice Soper: Sam Kerr’s case proves reverse racism doesn’t exist
OPINION: All this time to come to the only conclusion this was ever going to reach.
Alice Soper: How content creators will reshape Women’s Rugby World Cup
OPINION: Organisers aim to boost social media coverage and engage new audiences.
Alice Soper: There is no better time than now for a Māori Black Ferns team
OPINION: Such an ask may feel audacious but our game needs that this year.
Opinion: What TJ Perenara's haka tells us about New Zealand
OPINION: TJ Perenara has now retired but we can’t say the same about this issue.
Alice Soper: We must rethink the way we judge women's sporting milestones
OPINION: We need to get these milestones right because women's sport is growing.
Alice Soper: Will Whoopi Goldberg's women's sports network reach ambitious heights?
OPINION: I’d pay not to have live game footage cut to some blokes arriving on a bus.
Alice Soper: Why grassroots rugby is losing female coaches
OPINION: With the Ako Wāhine programme repurposed, where will our women grow?
Alice Soper: Time to fill the White Ferns’ 20-year test cricket gap
OPINION: For all their shouts of progress, New Zealand Cricket have stood still on this.
Alice Soper: Axeing Black Ferns XV missed opportunity ahead of World Cup
OPINION: Shelving development squad allows rivals to catch up with NZ.
Alice Soper: Tauihi's ambition means women's sport takes flight
OPINION: It’s not just the pay bracket that’s shifted this year.
Alice Soper: How league's diverse leadership trumps union's struggles
OPINION: Rugby league's inclusive governance attracts talent, while union struggles.
Alice Soper: How the Black Ferns can beat England
OPINION: The match is pivotal for the Black Ferns' momentum.
Alice Soper: Paralympics show value of inclusion in sport
OPINION: It’s only fair that we include more people in that experience.
Alice Soper: FPC scorelines show only part of competition needs reviewing
OPINION: Lopsided pattern is not out of place with previous years' results.
Alice Soper: Black Ferns tour to tell how far away another World Cup victory is
OPINION: The trip north will let us know whether this is the team to get us there.
Alice Soper: Olympics prove women a safer funding bet
OPINION: Our women have proven that they will meet the moment and deliver.
Alice Soper: Money for medals approach to Olympic selection must change
OPINION: The outcome we have seen is that what you water, grows.
Alice Soper: We can't miss the chance to find next sevens stars
OPINION: Sevens needs a place for those that want to play it beyond high school.
Alice Soper: Woodman-Wickliffe shone so brightly people couldn't help but notice
OPINION: Her legacy has put the women’s game on top.
Alice Soper: Grouping women and girls together is a failure in strategy
OPINION: Sports strategies lump all women together, ignoring diverse needs.
Alice Soper: Imagine if NZ rugby treated neighbours the same as England does
OPINION: We're happy to develop their talent as long as they wear a black jersey.
Alice Soper: Unravelling the truth about women’s sport investment
OPINION: A pervasive myth in sport is that women’s participation is subsidised by men.
The story of a women's rugby shield few know about
Alice Soper tells a tale of a relatively unknown piece of silverware.
Alice Soper: The importance of rugby apprenticeships and sporting adolescence
OPINION: We must allow talent to rise up and then raise up the next in line.
Alice Soper: Black Ferns contract list shows struggle in balancing needs
OPINION: Fixing these legacy issues from within the game are just one piece of the puzzle.
Alice Soper: America's latest star shows investment in women pays off
OPINION: Some investments are monetary, others are visionary.
Alice Soper: NPC broadcast woes a sign of bigger troubles for rugby
OPINION: Rugby is dropping the ball and it will hurt down the line.
Alice Soper: Women's sports coverage needs more than controversy or championships
OPINION: Our media landscape is not fully realising the potential of women in the game.
Do you want Māori or just their haka? - Alice Soper
OPINION: The Poua were heard by those who needed it before the translated outrage hit.
Alice Soper: Blaming one person for poor results will leave netball poorer, just ask rugby
Opinion: Noeline Taurua is not to blame for Netball New Zealand's woes.
Alice Soper: Rugby’s complex lawbook application only distances fans further
OPINION: There is a growing chasm now for fans to vault.
Alice Soper: Co-operative's victory can be a blank canvas
OPINION: If we learned anything from the reviews at HPSNZ, it's that a reset is overdue.
Tough questions about All Blacks selection and violence against women: Alice Soper
OPINION: Judges around the country are moonlighting as All Black selectors.
Alice Soper: How women’s sport is the loser on finals day
OPINION: It’s time we started to love our fans with the same fervour that they love sport.
Alice Soper: What we can learn from men's Lions tours
OPINION: The women's British and Irish Lions tour may not be the boon it seems.
Alice Soper: Benefits to playing rugby overseas are more than in the pocket
OPINION: Not everything to be gained from playing overseas is related to pay cheques.
Alice Soper: Sport's sleeping giant has finally been roused
OPINION: We’ve finally opened our eyes to what was always plain to see, writes Alice Soper
Alice Soper on Govt's trans gender sport stance
OPINION: Life isn’t fair and neither is sports but we all deserve the right to play.
Alice Soper: Why Wallaroos have just closed the gap on Black Ferns
The new Wallaroos coach is a big get.
Alice Soper: Taking hard look at future of women’s sport
OPINION: Can no longer write cheques for sport paid for by sacrifice of others.
Alice Soper: Aupiki player data tells us who's fighting through the churn
'The statistics alone don’t tell us stories, they just suggest where we might find them.'
Alice Soper: Participation numbers reveal approach needed to realise full potential
OPINION: The more detail you dive into, the more questions present themselves.
Alice Soper: Hayes' appointment as USWNT coach is gold for all of us
OPINION: Hayes represents the new school in coaching.
Alice Soper: Dissecting the WXV attendance issue - what went wrong?
OPINION: Women's rugby needs its marketers to step up their game.
Alice Soper: New Zealand's national sport is finding someone to blame
OPINION: Fans, pundits and players alike, would do well to remember the grassroots way.
Alice Soper: For rugby to get serious about becoming a global game, it needs to follow the feeling
'Every four years, the men’s Rugby World Cup offers us a new darling.'
Alice Soper: The only constant in women’s sport is change
OPINION: There is still no strategic vision attached to Super Rugby Aupiki.
Alice Soper: The rugby character flaw that could prove fatal
OPINION: Rugby loves to tell tales of putting your body on the line.
Alice Soper: Mixing politics and sport the right proper way
Politicians and royals seek wide appeal by joining the cheering crowds
Alice Soper: Black Ferns squads raise questions as to the state of the women’s game
OPINION: The strategy behind Black Ferns XV is just as confusing as the name itself.
Alice Soper: Why rugby coaches should be held to the same rules as players
Player rules have loosened, but their bosses have freedom of movement.
How women's rugby has become unrecognisable in six short years
OPINION: Alice Soper says the goalposts have shifted, and so have the standards.
Alice Soper: The downside of women’s sport finally becoming more visible
OPINION: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Alice Soper: The problem with an all-male Black Ferns coaching lineup
Opinion: It’s not about a lack of talent but rather a lack of opportunity.
Alice Soper: What role do men have in growing women’s sport?
Your assistance is needed but we need to know each other first.
Alice Soper: Women's game stuck in uncertainty after Black Ferns' triumph
“To be confirmed” are the three words that are the bane of women’s rugby in Aotearoa.
Alice Soper: How to fix the crowd issue at Aupiki games
Opinion: Low attendance is not a problem unique to women’s rugby.
Alice Soper: Why British and Irish Lions wouldn’t work in women’s game
OPINION: Is this old idea the right one in this brave new world of rugby?
Alice Soper: What SBW got wrong in anti-trans Twitter storm
OPINION: With great social media audience comes great responsibility.
Alice Soper: How a gay All Black will help open doors
OPINION: Johnstone is now the friendly face for all those still hovering in the doorway.
Alice Soper: Rennie for Black Ferns? The contenders to replace Wayne Smith
OPINION: The different options NZR likely has on the table for next Black Ferns coach.
Alice Soper: The unoffical New Year Honours list of women’s sport
OPINION: It has been a legend-making year for women across multiple sports in 2022.
Alice Soper: Sports that are safe for trans athletes are safe for everyone
Change is a constant part of sport - so open up and play on.
Alice Soper: Cry into your non-alcoholic beer, you cowards - why I’m opting out of Fifa World Cup
Opinion: Acceptance is all we really want from our sporting community.
Alice Soper: Black Ferns schedule clash exposes rugby’s grim vision for women
What is true for me down at the grassroots will be true for the public this Saturday.
Alice Soper: Stories from the crowd at the World Cup
Opinion: There are women in the crowd who brought rugby to this record-breaking moment.
Now is the hour: Alice Soper on why we must get behind the Black Ferns
Saturday looms as an incredible event for rugby fans and the sun is meant to shine.