Alice Soper: What role do men have in growing women’s sport?

Black Ferns and All Blacks players during a training session last September. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION:

It’s a moment of becoming for women and girls in sports. Every week sees another record broken for viewership and attendance. The performance of our superstars keeps raising the bar and now there are more media present to capture these moments. Participation numbers continue to climb across codes and more marketing features wāhine front and centre. As those long shut out are now making their way into positions of influence, some folk are asking what role is there for our men to play?

You can find a reference to male allies or their alternative buzzword, in basically any strategy written about women and girls in sport. Men, for whom the whole sport ecosystem was designed, are also provided space in our detailed plans. Heaven forbid a document be written without their explicit mention. It is assumed impossible for them to see themselves in our sport if they are not centred in the conversation.

Perhaps men could employ the type of imagination exercised by all those other groups, not mentioned, in their sports’ foundational documents. They could identify opportunities for investment because the numbers are good, not gendered. They could learn from any expert, who demonstrates or delivers technical mastery because these skills are universal. They could seek a team to support, regardless of the fact they could never play for them. They could love all of their heroes for their performance on the pitch, not the performance of their gender. They could find their own inspiration from ideas, no matter the source. Perhaps they could start seeing sport instead of arbitrary gender divides.

If you are a male chief executive of a regional sports body, do you really need to be told that your participation is crucial to the delivery of any central strategy? Do you need to be given a special title in order to secure your buy-in? Or are you already aware that this is just your job. The same goes for male coaches, writers, administrators and volunteers. Do you really need a special ask to care about the future of the sport that you love?

I have a good deal more faith in men and boys in sports than these overtures express. This is a faith built upon experience. In all my attempts to move things forward for women and girls in the game, I have never been gendered in my requests for help. As a result, that assistance has come from everywhere and has seen plenty of mahi put in by good blokes.

It is true that we want to empower women to lead initiatives where possible but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other roles for those willing to pitch in.

To those men that find themselves wanting to help but holding themselves back for fear of overstepping or not being welcome, trust those instincts. That feeling will steer you towards making better choices and seeking feedback from those you are wanting to help. Your assistance is needed but we need to know each other first. Take the time to build relationships as well as a deeper knowledge of the challenges and you will be much more effective in your attempts at solutions.

To our sporting bodies, if you want to highlight male ally-ship, look to those that have been bestowed that title by the community rather than those appointed by a marketing scheme. They will be harder to find as true allies are not centring themselves in achievements. Ask any of the current women who have ascended in sports though and they will be able to give you a name. There are plenty of these men and boys, sideline, cheering our wāhine on.