Women’s sports needs financial backers
Faith Mazibuko is the Gauteng Sports Arts Culture and Recreation MEC.
Nie Cele
A clarion call for the establishment of professional leagues for women sporting codes is fast becoming an everyday point of departure in every sports debate. This was evident during the Women in Sport Dialogue recently held Turffontein Race Course.
Lack of financial injection from big business is also a major stumbling block for the transformation and development of women’s sporting codes. These were just some of the sentiments echoed at the dialogue attended by Gauteng’s cream of the crop in women sport.
This event was a brainchild of Gauteng Sports Arts Culture and Recreation Department in partnership with the University of Johannesburg.
The department’s MEC, Faith Mazibuko was at pains to explain that women spend more revenue than men when it comes to retail shopping, yet in turn those businesses sponsor male dominated sport.
“It is high time that women fight for equality in sport and emulate what the women of 1956 did, taking a stance against inequality”, said Mazibuko.
The MEC also highlighted that, There needs to be transformation to elevate women sport which is perceived as a mere leisure and recreation to being more competitive.
She also argued that high performance centres should also be used to groom a generation of women who will compete with the world’s best athletes.
MEC also encouraged women to turn sport into a business, which will in turn assist them to make a living from doing what they love.
“Women must take a lead in the sporting arena and stop being spectators.
The ‘no nonsense’ MEC also noted that facilities for women sport are being turned into gardens because of the less valued accorded to women sporting codes.
“The establishment of professional leagues for women sporting codes will assist in keeping facilities intact and utilized. By nurturing the excellence of women in sport, we will begin to tell “her story” which will assist women to reach their
full potential in sport”.
As the Gauteng Provincial Government, we have no doubt that our sports women can compete with the best in the world. Let us always
carry the flag that Gauteng is the home of champions and that champions are only found in Gauteng”
