The second annual Grand Women’s Summit took place today at Aintree, where people gathered to listen to a star-studded panel discuss the issues facing women, not just in horseracing but women in sport in general.
After a course walk with Katie Walsh Oliver and Tarnya Sherwood and Carrie Ford delegates enjoyed a Moet champagne brunch in the Crabbie’s Marquee.
The panel was chaired by Channel 4’s betting pundit, Tanya Stevenson, and she was joined by rugby world cup winning captain Maggie Alphonsi MBE, former Fed Cup captain Judy Murray, editorial lead for women’s sport at the BBC Shelley Alexander and chief executive at the BHA Nick Rust.
Following introductions from Rose Paterson, the chairman of Aintree, and Sally Rowley-Williamns, chair of Women in Racing, discussion turned to challenges facing women in sport.
Murray talked about her struggles when she became a coach in the women’s game and the lack of support showed to the females compared to the men. She then spoke about initiative “Miss-Hits”, which aims to encourage young girls aged 5-8 into tennis at the grass roots.
Rust was honest about the challenges horseracing faces with the lack of female riders right at the top of the sport. However, he was quick to add that the diversity at the BHA was healthy, with women involved in top roles, but urged that “more work needs to be done.”
Alphonsi, spoke passionately about the challenge she faced playing an historically male-dominated sport like rugby and in her new role as a rugby pundit the pressures and overriding scrutiny she feels, compared to her male colleagues. She also touched upon the difficulty she faces with body image, trying the shake off the stereotype that women “should not be aggressive,” and instead play more traditionally female sports.
Shelley, previously programme editor of Football Focus and also the Sports News Editor at BBC Radio 5 Live, bemoaned the lack of female sports on television, and talked about the backlash the BBC received when a woman commentated a football match on Match of the Day.
Aptly the closing comments were from Walsh, who was slightly apologetic with her words: “Maybe I’m not doing my bit really, because I don’t see myself as a female. I go out and I love what I do but I don’t see myself as a female jockey. I’m just a jockey. Loads of people say that:
“If I win the National, I would be the first female to do so. I don’t see it like that. I just think it would be great to win a Crabbie’s Grand National.”