Australian Cricket has been on a path of progression since 2015 when it comes to opportunities for female players. The introduction of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in 2015 and in 2017 Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) reached a deal to ensure all Australian cricketers, regardless of gender, would receive equal pay on signing.
Hannah Darlington, member of the Sydney Thunder WBBL team said, “I believe we have made a step in the right direction in bringing the two sports to equality. There are many more steps to be taken but at the moment we are in the correct spot.”
Hannah was the youngest female to receive a contract in the WBBL at 15-years-old, and still currently represents the Sydney Thunder at 17-years-old while still in school and completing her HSC.
Hannah, who currently resides in Western Sydney has had the opportunity to play cricket professionally in Australia, with the introduction of the WBBL and to travel the world representing Australia and the Australian Indigenous team.
Hannah believes that sport for women in Australia has improved significantly in recent years and said being a professional athlete is now a serious option for many female athletes.
“Sport for women in Australia especially has changed immensely with the boost in coverage of sport and the rise of players easily becoming household names such as Sam Kerr and Ellyse Perry,” she said.
“We are able to play sport as our profession and not work on the side. The opportunity to be full-time athletes was never an option before.
“Currently I feel as though we are half way through a development stage for women’s sport and this has been achieved over eight years. It wasn’t easy so there is definitely much more to develop such as increase in crowds, participation numbers and publicity of those below the national level especially.
“With the country we live in, I don’t think women’s or men’s sport will ever stop growing as we are a nation that loves and thrives off sport and our outstanding record on the world stage.
“Women’s sport may grow a little slower or rapidly rise to join the path of the men’s. There is no way of knowing which way that could go but over the next three years, but I think a rapid increase is on the way.”
Hannah’s main sport quickly became cricket playing for the St Clair Hawks Cricket Club. Hannah was playing U18’s representative cricket from 13-years-old and it quickly became her passion and dream to play professionally.
“I always had a dream of playing professional cricket and from a young age I was easily kept grounded with the belief it was possible but may not set me up well in terms of the pay checks coming in,” she said.
“The doubt was never based around the opportunity as I knew they were playing overseas and playing cricket for their country which was what I wanted to do.
“The doubt always came from the fact that I would need to study or work or both on the side to do this and that caused a lot of doubt on whether that was physically possible.”
Hannah believes that cricket in Australia is doing everything they can at this stage to progress, and that female athletes should be patient and not expect equality to happen overnight.
“I have been lucky enough to see the rapid rise over the eight years of women’s sport being in the system and watching people play that I now play with and against,” she said,
“Kids coming through now are so lucky to have the pathway they do, and the funding behind the women’s game in every sport means in the next couple of years we will have some amazing talent.
“Don’t ever think it’s not possible. Sport doesn’t last forever, and this will never change so always have something to pursue after or during your time as an athlete. If you make it, by then the competitiveness will be lethal and at any given time you could find yourself injured or out of form and needed a secure trade, degree or qualification to fall back on.
“Go hard or go home. Put in the work when nobody is looking because that will lead to success. Anything’s possible and their time as a full-time athlete is definitely in reach.”
The ACA has been the first sporting association in Australia to equal the pay between the male and female athletes. The growth of the WBBL in the last four seasons and the expanding development for women across all sport codes is fantastic for the Australian sporting community. The growth will continue for years to come, and potentially all codes will follow in the footsteps of the ACA.
The Exponential Rise of Women’s Sport in Australia 