On International Women's Day, three of our top sportswomen band together to support each other ahead of an exceptional two years in NZ sport.
Sophie Devine, Kendra Cocksedge and Katie Bowen hovered on the rooftop over Eden Park, looking down on the ground all three may play on in their upcoming World Cups.
Getting behind each other for International Women’s Day, pivotal players from each tournament met high up above the renowned stadium to show their support for women in sport and the hosting 'steal' for our small nation.
Bowen, the youngest New Zealander to play an international football grade event at just 14, had not met White Ferns captain Devine or Black Fern halfback Cocksedge before they were walking along the roof together.
Yet all three shared the same excitement for the major tournaments and the significance of hosting them back-to-back-to-back on home soil.
To have three World Cups in New Zealand over the next two years is unbelievable, says Devine. “I’m not sure if we’re going to get that opportunity again. I definitely don’t think in my lifetime anyway.
“For us, it's just cool to be able to share with each other. We obviously share experience in representing New Zealand so it's really inspiring for me to be around awesome female athletes.”
New Zealand is set to host four major women's sports events between next summer and 2023: the cricket, rugby and football World Cups, and the 2022 IWG World Conference on Women and Sport - the largest international event focused on supporting gender equity in sport and physical activity for women and girls.
Covid-19 has already dealt a couple of postponements - the latest the 2021 Rugby World Cup, due to kick off this September in Auckland and Northland, most likely being rescheduled to next year. It all depends on whether World Rugby’s board and executive committee accept the recommendation in the coming days.
That would make the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in February and March next year the first event of the ‘Big Four’ - after it, too, was postponed from the beginning of 2021.
Making the most of technology advances and considering the impacts of the global pandemic, the IWG Conference will be delivered in Auckland May 2022 in a physical-virtual hybrid setting, the first time this approach has been implemented since the inaugural event in 1994.
To mark International Women's Day, the government announced a $950,000 investment into Women in Sport Aotearoa for the planning and delivery of the conference.
And to top it all off, we’re co-hosting with Australia the biggest sporting event New Zealand will see when the Women’s FIFA World Cup comes to town in 2023.
Devine is on a push to encourage more cross-code collaboration, especially in the lead-up to the pinnacle events. She recently spent time in camp with the Silver Ferns to speak to their leadership group.
And even though Devine made history and headlines this year with her record 108 off 38 balls in a Women’s Super Smash match this summer, the “sport nerd” still gets star-struck seeing other female athletes.
“When I went into the camp, I was trying to keep it cool, but you know, seeing Ameliaranne Ekanasio, Maia Wilson, and Shannon Saunders, I was like ‘OMG’. I’m the biggest fan girl," Devine laughs.
“I love all sports but I think that’s a really cool thing to be able to go into their environments and see that they are just like me, I guess. They just go about their business, trying to do the best they can in their sport and for their code.”
Devine and Cocksedge have crossed paths before and now share, when they can, their own experiences as senior players in their respective squads. What works, what doesn’t, the pressures of hosting a World Cup at home and how they can try different things with their own teammates.
“We can have those kinds of conversations with each other and try and help one another out. Be ambassadors for each other's sport which is always good,” says Cocksedge.
The Rugby World Cup and sevens champion has watched a lot of cricket, having played the sport all the way up until university, where she was selected for the NZA cricket team and the Black Ferns at the same time. “I’ve been a huge supporter of the cricket side. And I’ve played with and against Soph back in the day so I’ve known her for a long time,” she says.
Bowen, on the other hand, has traditionally looked to within her own code for support. “As crazy as that sounds, it's usually within my own circle, own club or national team. But it's been amazing learning about them, where they are based and all kinds of stuff,” she says of Cocksedge and Devine.
Playing at home means the world-class players can have their families in the stands. It's a luxury for all three who usually have to travel overseas to play - an expensive exercise for family and supporters to follow.
Bowen says playing in front of a home crowd is massive. “We could be playing in Auckland, where I'm from, where my family can drive to," she says. "It's always been crazy travel.
“Now, my family can be right there and I can play where I grew up. That’s a huge honour so I’m really hopeful we do get a group game here. But if not, anywhere in New Zealand would be fantastic.” The FIFA draw has yet to be confirmed.
People might think they’re just buying a ticket to a sports game, but it’s more than that for the players, says Bowen.
“They don’t understand the impact it has on us, looking into the stands and seeing our home nation supporting us,” she says. “The more people we can get, we will be thanking them from the bottom of our hearts because we know how fortunate we are to have a World Cup in our home nation.”
Devine agrees. “As a player out in the middle, the support that you have from local crowds, from New Zealanders, you really do feel that. So we certainly want to make sure we are packing out all the stadiums around the country.”
The importance of New Zealanders seeing them on TV, listening through the radio and following the teams across social media is top of mind for all three representatives.
Because growing up, they admit the women’s game in their codes was not visible - so they were inspired by the men's teams.
For Bowen and her football playing family, it was Manchester United. “They were my inspiration,” she says.
“So I hope as we turn this corner, where it's not necessarily male athletes - not that it’s a bad thing - and by playing in our backyard, televising more of our games, learning about the leagues that we play in, they may want to be a Football Fern or future female athlete. Because we have more visibility.
“Inspiring not only young girls, but also young boys, to reach for the stars and be successful because they can do it.”
Devine says she looked up to the Australian men’s cricket team when she was younger. “I know I shouldn’t say that but there wasn’t much women's cricket on TV when I was growing up.”
Cocksedge is the same. “I grew up having male role models,” she says. “And I think that’s what's exciting today. Young girls have a female role model to look up to.
“I look back now and think it's kind of sad. And that’s why for me as an individual, it's important to be a role model for these young ones coming through so I can inspire them to be a Black Fern or a White Fern or a Football Fern. If they can't see it, they can't be it, right? I think that’s important.”
Prior to the possible postponement announcement, Cocksedge and the Black Ferns were in full swing with training camps. The first gathering of the year was about fitness and connection.
But now it looks as though the defending Rugby World Cup champions will have to wait one more year for their opening match against Australia at Eden Park.
“We’ve got a year now to get even fitter, faster, stronger. It’s just probably around mentally preparing, and I know NZR [New Zealand Rugby] will work really hard to get an international schedule of some sort in place and hopefully get some games this year for us to be able to have better prep leading into a World Cup in 2022,” says Cocksedge.
The Garden of Eden has been the site of some stellar moments in New Zealand's sporting history, but never three World Cups in a row. All three are likely to hold at least one match at Eden Park during their tournaments.
Each player is at a different stage of preparation, but all three cannot wait to show the country and the world what they can do.
Knowing the quality of rugby will be great excites Cocksedge. “The rugby is going to be unbelievable,” she says. “It's such an opportunity for us in New Zealand to be hosting and I’m huge around knowing that the games are going to be quality.
“The women’s game has grown and the Farah Palmer Cup just grows every single year in terms of the quality and the style of game we are playing.”
In the bigger scheme of things, Devine says women’s sport is on “such a surge” at the moment. “And it doesn’t matter what sport you're into, I think the visibility of women's sport is increasing," she says.
“Obviously it's still not where we want it to be, but the opportunity to have three World Cups for the New Zealand public, whether you’ve watched cricket, football, rugby or whatever before, this is your perfect opportunity to get down and see it live.
“And if you can't see it live, then watch on TV, listen on the radio, follow on social media, whatever you can. Because that has an impact as well.”
