Football

Kate Allman is an award-winning freelance journalist, sports broadcaster and TV presenter. She is one of few female commentators leading the call on top-flight football around the world, as a play-by-play announcer on Australia’s Women’s A-League. She also commentates on field hockey, American gridiron, flag football, and is a sideline reporter and presenter on golf and motorcross events. As a sports writer, her byline appears regularly in the national Australian newspapers, the Guardian, ABC Sport, Women’s Golf Magazine, Tracks, Chillfactor, Forbes Australia and more. 

In this episode, Kate and I dive deep into her groundbreaking campaign, Equal Pay for Equal Play, which advocates for equal pay and prize money for women in sports. Kate shares how she ventured into sports commentary and opens up about her unique experiences as a woman in this space. We discuss the assumptions and surprises she faces, the support and allyship she’s received, and the milestones she’s achieved, including being part of the all-female commentary team that made history this February. 

Join our conversation as Kate unpacks her journey and offers valuable advice to young women aspiring to break into the world of sports commentary (take note, social media trolls come with the territory). You won’t want to miss this insightful and empowering conversation with an inspiring voice in the world of sport.

Desiree Ellis is the darling of South African women’s football. After receiving the highest order of Ikhamanga, presented by the president, Desiree joins me on She Speaks Sport to talk about the upcoming FIFA women’s world cup.

We talk about Desiree’s hardships, her years of unemployment, and the community she was raised in rife with gangs and violence, to debuting in the very first international women’s football game for South Africa in 1993. During the country’s transition, Desiree was the vice–captain for the South African team in that first international match against Swaziland, a moment she will never forget.