June and July are busy months for women's sport, and New Zealand could learn a thing or two from our Commonwealth cousins, Australia and Canada, when it comes to promoting and developing women in sport and women's sport events.
Many may not know what is going on in sport for women because of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup happening in our backyard, the corruption scandals surrounding Fifa, the business end of Super rugby and league, and the tragic deaths of Jerry Collins and Alana Madill deaths touching the hearts of many.
These are newsworthy events and there is a demand for these stories that people feel passionate about and touched by. Unfortunately, as a result, women's sport gets overshadowed, overlooked and neglected to some degree.
So, this is an opportunity to remind us all of some key events happening in women's team sports in which New Zealanders are involved.
The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic will represent New Zealand in the ANZ Championship semifinal against the Swifts in Hamilton on Sunday, the Football Ferns are playing in the Women's World Cup in Canada, and the Black Ferns are also about to head to Canada to play tests against England, the United States and Canada.
On the netball front, everyone knows the Magic will need a lot of fairy dust and grit to beat the Swifts as the Australian franchises so far have been way ahead of us up to this point.
Netball New Zealand will be hoping the Magic steps up on home turf and provided an awesome platform for the Silver Ferns to perform well in the Netball World Cup, which takes place in Sydney in August.
Talking of world cups, the Football Ferns are already at one and haven't started off too well with a loss against the 12th-ranked Netherlands team.
They're learning quickly how to move on from a loss, however, because their next clash is against the host, Canada. Not only do they have to deal with an intense tournament environment, and a home team that will no doubt be lifted by the crowd, but also artificial playing surfaces and the drama of Fifa corruption scandals.
The controversy of using artificial turf for the women's tournament when it isn't used in the men's tournament, combined with the distraction of the corruption allegations, doesn't help the athletes and teams get the serious sports media attention they deserve.
This is the biggest world cup in the history of women's football with 24 teams involved, nearly one million tickets sold, and the opening game attracting 50,000 spectators.
Compare that with spectator numbers for the opening weekend of Fifa Under-20 World Cup games around New Zealand which drew in 71,000 fans across seven stadiums.
Canada has done a great job of attracting international sporting events for women. The Black Ferns will be playing Canada in Calgary, England in Red Deer, and the US in Edmonton. The match against the US will be on the same day that the Women's World Cup final is scheduled, so Canada will be a hive of activity with regards to women's sport that day.
As New Zealanders, we like to praise ourselves for producing some talented female athletes and teams, but we lack programmes or policies that promote women's sport development and initiatives.
In Australia, there is the Australian Women's Sport and Recreation Association that provides leadership and a voice for women and girls in sport, physical activity and recreation.
In Canada, there is the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women's Sport, and a policy on sport for women and girls which became effective in 2009 and provides quality sport experiences, where women and girls are actively engaged and equitably supported in a full range of roles.
Do we need similar associations and policies in New Zealand?Since the New Zealand Olympic Committee's women and sport group was disbanded (ironically when a woman took over the NZOC), there has been little research or attention regarding whether or not women in New Zealand sport are getting a fair go.
Maybe it is time to advocate for an organisation or association that acknowledges the role women play in sport as athletes, coaches, administrators and leaders.
Such an entity would keep women's issues in sport on the agenda and in the media spotlight, and when there is so much traffic, noise, and drama going on in men's sport, someone needs to stand up and remind others not to forget about us.
