Why community sport needs to lift its game fast with Dr. Aish Ravi

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup changed the landscape of women’s sport forever, with the level of support for female athletes skyrocketing, especially in spaces that were once considered ‘male dominated’. Unfortunately, the same level of support is not reflected in many community sport settings across Australia, and women and girls are still fighting for fair access and basic necessities. Despite having a way to go, things are slowly changing.

In Episode 5, we sat down with Dr Aish Ravi, who is at the forefront of this change. Having played sport for most of her life, Aish has experienced some of these barriers firsthand and has made it her mission to create positive change in a system she believes isn’t built for women and girls to progress, as players or in positions of leadership. 

Aish opens up about her unconditional love for sport, and recalls a number of experiences where sport ‘hasn’t loved her back’ including a crushing incident that left her returning to the footy field a completely different person.  

However, even in the face of negativity and hate, she has continued to play, coach and inspire young women, so it’s not surprising she’s been described as a pioneer for women’s leadership and gender equality in sport. Aish not only gave us a front row seat into her world as a woman of colour in community sport, but also a valuable insight into her research on female coaching experiences, which has proven that community sport must lift its game, fast…before more talented women and girls leave the sports they once loved, for good.

This is In Depth & In Focus, with Dr. Aish Ravi.