Whilst we celebrate the achievements of our incredible female athletes, it’s also important to commemorate the women who bring sports into our living rooms, our pubs and, subsequently, our hearts. There is no one who embodies this better than Clare Balding.
The iconic presenter began her broadcasting career in 1994, appearing on various BBC radio stations, including Radio 1 and Radio 5 Live. She then became the lead horse-racing presenter in 1997, fronting the coverage of the legendary Grand National ever since.
Balding has led the coverage for several major sporting events, such as rugby league matches, Wimbledon and The Boat Race. She has even presented Crufts since 2013!
However, what Balding is best known for is her coverage of the Olympic Games. She has reported from eight different summer games, starting at BBC Radio in Atlanta 1996, and seven different winter games, starting with a lead presenter role in Salt Lake City 2002. Alongside these, Balding has presented at five Commonwealth games and five Paralympic Games. Talk about a stacked CV!
Balding is an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and equality within the male-dominated sports industry. In an interview with The Guardian in 2013, she said, “Women’s sport helps break down a lot of barriers for women in other areas, whether in religion or politics.”
If you’ve ever watched a live sports broadcast in the last century, there’s a high chance you will have recognised the presenter from her signature blonde pixie cut. She is a warm presence within the high-octane world of sports, who can strike the perfect balance between informative and entertaining reporting.
Balding inspires me a great deal, as her presenting on the London 2012 Olympic Games made me believe that I could become a sports reporter too. She builds up the excitement to forthcoming matches through her opening monologues, makes the games accessible to all viewers through her interviews with former athletes – and certainly isn’t afraid to show her emotions on-camera.
In the UK, where football is the most popular sport, dominating in participation and viewership, women still are not seen as equal whether the play or follow the sport, but Leah Williamson has revolutionised women’s football and changed the face of the sport.
Amanda Williamson, Leah’s mother, cut her her short in her youth so she’d be mistaken for a boy and allowed to play; it was only 1972 that the FA rescinded it’s ban on women playing on EFL grounds. Starting at her first club at 6 years old, Williamson rose from Arsenal’s youth programme to the bench of the England squad, eventually becoming captain and arguably the face of women’s football in England.
Alongside her career, Williamson has been an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights, refugees, women’s health (having endometriosis herself), sustainability, and FIFAs responsibilities as a governing body.
Most of all, Williamson advocates for girls’ participation in sport, between writing for children, campaigning to government, and working with Coaching for Life (a collaboration between Save the Children and the Arsenal Foundation) to improve the wellbeing of children in and from conflict-afflicted areas.
In the heavily male-dominated world of rugby union, Ellie Kildunne is paving the way for young Northern women to enter into the sport. Born and raised in West Yorkshire, Kildunne started playing rugby aged 7 and was the only girl on the pitch for Keighley RUFC.
After studying Sport and Exercise Science via scholarship at St Mary’s University Twickenham, the young player went on to join Wasps Women in 2020, before moving to Harlequins Women in 2021 where she remains currently. Setting her sights on the bright lights of international rugby, Kildunne made her debut for England in 2017, scoring a try for the England 15s against Canada.
Her career has only gone from strength to strength – from winning the 2020 Women’s Six Nations Championship to being the top try scorer of the 2024 Six Nations grand slam (as well as winning), Kildunne has shaped modern women’s rugby in Britain. T
The Red Roses inspirational World Cup win in 2025 broke all records as the most-watched women’s rugby union match ever on UK television AND the most watched England Rugby match of the year, cementing the team and Kildunne as lasting legends.
I didn’t grow up watching a lot of sport – much to my dad’s dismay – I spent much more time playing it. As most young girls do, I was coerced into my primary school’s netball team and shoved into GK because I was unusually tall. But it wasn’t until went to secondary school that I found a sport that I loved with all my being – rugby.
Rugby, unfortunately, was a second thought at my school and when in Year 7 I joined the team on a whim, there were 10 of us running drills on a pitch for 40 minutes at lunch. By the time I left, we had won two London Youth Games and had a future international rugby player in our midst.
This success can only be attributed to our coach who, despite the lack of interest, funding and care being put into our team, never ceased to push, motivate and encourage us all. She transformed the team in 7 years from dawdling preteens to powerful women. I have so many fond memories of late-night sessions, minivan drives, practice matches and a united team of women deeply invested in sport.
She herself played in the Rugby World Cup and was an inspiration to me as a young girl in a male dominated sport never to doubt my ability, skill and potential. This made an impression on me beyond the rugby pitch. I have taken this confidence from 11 to 21, from school to university, and soon, a future beyond education. It is strikingly important to have that drive and unfailing self-belief as women navigating life and dealing with the inevitable challenges which ensue. I can only express how lucky I was to have such a passionate woman teaching (at times frankly unruly) young girls to become women in their own rights.