Sportish

From the red dirt of Western Australia to icy Canberra mornings, Matilda's legend Lydia Williams has always turned to sport to find her place in the world. As a kid, she was a natural - her Dad said she could be anything she wanted to be. Then one day, he was gone. Sport became the thing that held her together. A Matilda's stalwart for two decades, Lydia went on to represent Australia at 5 World Cups and 2 Olympic Games, watching the team transform around her. But even that huge evolution doesn't compare to what sport gave her personally.

Cricket commentators aren't usually defined by the colour and pattern in their outfits, their long flowing hair, or their personality. They're talked about in terms of their knowledge of the game and their ability to take an audience on a five-day sporting odyssey. When it comes to Bharat Sundaresan, it's all of that, and more. There is nothing boring about cricket when Bharat is in the picture. He knows the impact of the game goes far beyond wins and losses; it helped him survive an abusive brother, beat addiction, and find community in Australia. "Cricket literally kept me alive through my childhood, and ended up being the rock I could cling onto when I was sinking and I was going very close to completely drowning in my own mistakes." A student of the game, Bharat has an ability to connect with even the most hardened cricket naysayers (just ask Libby Trickett) and bring cricket to life. Respected by players and colleagues and loved by audiences, his take on cricket is bigger than the game itself.

Federal Minister Anika Wells runs what we believe is the best of all portfolios: sport. From her days of playing and umpiring as a kid to setting up a parkrun on Brisbane’s northside that’s still operating today, Anika Wells understands that sports participation is crucial to community connection in an increasing digital world. Do we discuss Brisbane 2032? OF COURSE WE DO! But as exciting to us in the opportunity that sport has following the ban on social media.

Known for her near-death experience running the Australian outback, Turia Pitt has become a much-loved household name. What you might not know is that building off her own rehabilitation experience, she absolutely understands how to get women running, so much so that 4,000 women (and counting!) have changed their relationship with sport as a result. With an appreciation of needing to re-evaluate our relationship with sport, Turia’s now on a mission to make women feel safer while moving, all while raising two boys with her partner Michael.

You might know Jimmy Rees from his work on ABC’s Giggle and Hoot, or more recently, for his pandemic level comedy. So it should be no surprise that in his other roles; dad of 3 boys, sideline parent and u8 basketball coach, Jimmy knows what the biggest priority should be when it comes to sport: fun. Navigating a family that supported two rival AFL clubs and becoming an ‘old man basketball’ player in his 30s, Jimmy understands that sport gives communities the opportunity to come together and cheer for something bigger than themselves. From observing parents on the sidelines with blistering accuracy to reflecting on what’s best to say in the car after a game, Jimmy has an ability to remind us to not take this sporting life too seriously.