Women in Sports - 20x20 Podcast

 20x20 Podcast for Women in Sports - Loreto Balbriggan 

In a year when even sport took a backstep, Transition Year students in Loreto Balbriggan decided to celebrate the achievements of sportswomen everywhere by interviewing three of their most accomplished teachers. Ms Sarah Rowe (Mayo LGFA and Collingwood AFLW), Ms Michelle Claffey (Ireland and Leinster Rugby) and Ms Muireann Atkinson (Monaghan LGFA) are teachers with impressive sporting resumés and have won widespread acclaim in the fields of International Rugby, Gaelic Football and Australian Football Rules. On Wednesday, 2nd December, these athletes were interviewed by a student communications team in the school hall on the struggles and triumphs of being women in sport and on the importance of resilience. Throughout the sixty-minute interview - which was live streamed to an audience of over 220 students - the panel discussed the impact that COVID-19 had on extra-curricular activities within the school and on sport in general. 

The national Women in Sport 20x20 campaign has three main goals to make women’s sport more mainstream. “We want “20% more media coverage of women’s sport; 20% more female participation at all levels; and 20% more attendance at women’s games,” explained student chairperson for the day, Anna Keddie. Other student interviewers on the day promoting the “if she can’t see it, she can’t be it” message were Preethi Kumaresan, Leah Brady and Adriana Ciot who covered a wide range of interview topics with their teachers from injuries to role models. The interviewers even tested the mental agility of their teachers with a quick fire round about pet peeves and their favourite sporting movies and foods. 

While all the girls agreed that it has been difficult to promote 20x20 Women in Sport goals in 2020, they believe a podcast featuring inspirational role models living close to home is a good way to get young women more actively involved in sports. The interview was a wonderful success and a selection of lucky students were even treated to a coaching session by the female athletes afterwards. The TY Communications Podcast - the first podcast to be launched in the school - is available to the general public on Spotify and the school’s website on Friday, 17th December.  

Written by Roisin Smyth