Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Ian Smith: New Zealand's 'soul-destroying' lack of support for women's sport raises major concerns
Ian Smith • April 14th, 2025 2:36 pm
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
The 13th of July is an interesting date on the sporting calendar.
The NZ Warriors play the Wests Tigers at home, so there will likely be a full house for that anyway, but it's also the first big day out for the Wahine Warriors in the NRLW. It's made me inquisitive as to just how much interest this team will attract - and I say that after looking at pretty poor crowds lately for women's sport in New Zealand.
Was it not Black Fern Katelyn Vaha'akolo herself who said recently, "Where the bloody hell are you?"
She was really concerned at the lack of interest, this year in particular, in Super Rugby Aupiki. Katelyn was aghast and perhaps, rightly so.
My memories of the interest in women's rugby are not great, but a full house at Eden Park to watch the Black Ferns steal the World Cup off England, wasn't that supposed to flow on? Wasn't that a catalyst to really ignite the women's game across the board in New Zealand?
It didn't, it hasn't it seems, if bums on seats are the measure.
Auckland Rugby gave the Blues women top billing on Saturday and they duly obliged with victory over the Matatū in an Aupiki Grand Final thriller. It had plenty to keep you entertained and a fitting finale it was - it must've been quite soul-destroying for the ladies to look at a very poor level of support to match their efforts and the billing.
Fans were leaving the ground after the curtain raiser, just as the Aupiki Final was about to kick off. You look at that as a sporting person and think, "What the heck?"
Personally, I thought the crowds to watch the World Champion White Ferns, and they are World Champions at the moment, take on the amazing Australian team recently were also well sub par. The best players in the world on show, who's skill and craft apparently warrant mediocre attention, it's not on.
I look forward to the Wahine Warriors and their re-entry into the big time. Will the brand buy them a fanbase? I'm thinking it will. They'll have a nice double-header to kick them off, but they will have to standalone at some stage. When the time comes, who will come?
So, why aren't we going to women's sport? Or are we just watching it on TV instead? Those numbers would be very interesting.
The other simple question is: do we really care?
Why ex-All Blacks manager Darren Shand doesn't like hearing Super Rugby players described as "world class" | The Bunnings Trade Rugby Run
