The Game Changers Sue Anstiss

This episode was previously released on November 15, 2022.

Rimla Akhtar, Wendy Taylor, Tess Howard and Holly Bradshaw join Sue Anstiss to consider the impact of sports kit for women and girls. 

There's been much talk about women's sports kit recently, from issues around Wimbledon whites, girls forced to wear skorts for PE and women not allowed to wear the hijab to play sport to extremes of female athletes objectified and sexualised with revealing clothing, high cut leotards & bikini bottoms.

This panel of game changers addresses some of the challenges and provides practical recommendations that will enable more choice for more women.

Our four game changing guests were: 
Rimla Akhtar – former Chair of the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation and the first Muslim woman to sit on the Football Association Council. Rimla was awarded an OBE for her contribution to equality and diversity in sportWendy Taylor - Lead on girls work at the Youth Sport Trust including the hugely successful ‘Girls Active’ initiative which is delivered in partnership with This Girl Can and Women in SportTess Howard - a GB Hockey player who’s team won gold at the Commonwealth Games this summer. Tess is a real sports Kit activist, helping to change the guidelines to make sports policy more inclusiveHolly Bradshaw – an Olympian who’s been very publicly outspoken about the challenges facing female track and field athletes.Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road  a powerful documentary, chronicles the remarkable journey of an England rugby player as she battles back to the professional game just 17 weeks after the birth of her baby in July 2023 and then to secure her place back in England’s Six Nations squad for 2024. Watch now UK on ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/abbie-ward-a-bump-in-the-road/10a5679a0001BWorldwide on RugbyPass TV: https://rugbypass.tv/video/6069
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

This episode was previously released on April 14, 2020
Jacqui talks about her lifelong obsession with football, how she changed careers at 27 to re-train as a journalist and how lonely and isolated she felt after the hideous build up to her first appearance on BBC’s Match of The Day. 
Being the first female commentator on Match of the Day is how Jacqui is best known to many. She went on to present the show in 2015, and in 2016 was awarded an MBE for her services to broadcasting and diversity.  Jacqui presented the BBC’s flagship sports news show Sportsweek, hosted Euros and World Cups for BBC and ITV and now hosts football and darts for ITV. She recently became the first female host of Sky Sports Sunday Supplement show. 
It’s no wonder that in 2015 Jacqui was named as the 8th most influential woman in sport by the Independent.
Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road  a powerful documentary, chronicles the remarkable journey of an England rugby player as she battles back to the professional game just 17 weeks after the birth of her baby in July 2023 and then to secure her place back in England’s Six Nations squad for 2024. Watch now UK on ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/abbie-ward-a-bump-in-the-road/10a5679a0001BWorldwide on RugbyPass TV: https://rugbypass.tv/video/6069
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

This episode was previously released on October 29,  2019.
Paratriathlon World Champion and Paralympic Silver medallist, Lauren also enthralled us all as a semi-finalist on  Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.
Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road  a powerful documentary, chronicles the remarkable journey of an England rugby player as she battles back to the professional game just 17 weeks after the birth of her baby in July 2023 and then to secure her place back in England’s Six Nations squad for 2024. Watch now UK on ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/abbie-ward-a-bump-in-the-road/10a5679a0001BWorldwide on RugbyPass TV: https://rugbypass.tv/video/6069
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

This episode was previously released on June 4, 2019 as the very first episode of The Game Changers
Having won 11 Paralympic Gold medals and the London Marathon six times, Tanni now sits as an independent peer in the House of Lords and is Chair of ukactive. 
Find out more about The Game Changers here


Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road  a powerful documentary, chronicles the remarkable journey of an England rugby player as she battles back to the professional game just 17 weeks after the birth of her baby in July 2023 and then to secure her place back in England’s Six Nations squad for 2024. Watch now UK on ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/abbie-ward-a-bump-in-the-road/10a5679a0001BWorldwide on RugbyPass TV: https://rugbypass.tv/video/6069
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

This episode of The Game Changers was preiously released on July 7, 2020.

Captain of the Lionesses and Man City, Steph has represented her country at every level, with over 100 appearances for England.   
Steph’s also led Man City to two Women's FA Cups, three Continental Cup successes and the FA Women's Super League title, as well as landing the PFA’s Merit Award in 2019.  
Representing Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, Steph became a household name by scoring in all three group matches, including the winning goals against New Zealand and Brazil.   
Steph proudly led the Lionesses to their World Cup semi-final last year in France, watched at home by almost 12 million viewers. 
Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road  a powerful documentary, chronicles the remarkable journey of an England rugby player as she battles back to the professional game just 17 weeks after the birth of her baby in July 2023 and then to secure her place back in England’s Six Nations squad for 2024. Watch now UK on ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/abbie-ward-a-bump-in-the-road/10a5679a0001BWorldwide on RugbyPass TV: https://rugbypass.tv/video/6069
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

“It was such a shock for me and it still is. I still don't understand it to this day. I actually didn't sleep that night because I didn't want to wake up and it be something I had to deal with again.”
Mo Hunt discussing her surprise exclusion from the Rugby World Cup squad in 2023
Ahead of this weekend’s start of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, I’m thrilled to say that my guest today is Mo Hunt, a much-celebrated international rugby player who's represented her country for over 13 years. 
Mo was part of the England team that won the World Cup in 2014, won numerous Six Nations Championships and, as a Sevens player, has represented Team GB at the Olympics in 2016 and 2021 and England at the Commonwealth Games.

Mo is captain of Gloucester Hartpury, the PWR club that won the Premiership title in 2023 the same year that Mo helped England lift the inaugural WXV Trophy in New Zealand.

Mo’s now back in the England programme with a full-time contract as the team works towards a home World Cup in 2025.

It was fabulous to talk at length with Mo – one of the most popular players in today’s Red Roses squad.

We explore her route into rugby (spoiler alert: she was a high-level netballer) and her rapid progress into national representation and winning a World Cup.

Mo shares her experience of the journey from playing for England as an amateur to today’s fully professional era, the challenge of switching between playing 15s and rugby 7s for England and Team GB and the importance of female coaches in the game.

Mo is incredibly open about how she, and her family, were affected by her surprising exclusion from the Rugby World Cup squad in 2023 and how that decision has gone on to impact her life and her playing career today.

It’s such an exciting time for the game and players like Mo, as she reflects:
“I don't feel like I've ever really achieved my true ability in an England shirt, which is why I'm so excited by this new campaign and new coaches coming in…”

Get your tickets to watch Mo and the Red Roses play in this year’s Women’s Six Nations here: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/rfu/Events?preFilter=23
Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road  a powerful documentary, chronicles the remarkable journey of an England rugby player as she battles back to the professional game just 17 weeks after the birth of her baby in July 2023 and then to secure her place back in England’s Six Nations squad for 2024. Watch now UK on ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/abbie-ward-a-bump-in-the-road/10a5679a0001BWorldwide on RugbyPass TV: https://rugbypass.tv/video/6069
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production