Blackwell benefits from Women Leaders in Sport program

Since retiring from first-class cricket in February 2018, the former Australian captain has completed her first stint as a head coach, with UK Super League team Lancashire. She will continue her advocacy on such issues as equality and accessibility, and stagger her on-field departure by returning to play for the Sydney Thunder in the Women’s Big Bash League this summer.

Blackwell was also among the most recent group of recipients of a Women Leaders In Sport (WLIS) grant - an Australian Government initiative managed by Sport Australia in partnership with the Office for Women. WLIS provided access to a two-day workshop and helped fund an accredited Company Director Course for the first woman to be elected to the board of Cricket NSW.

Retirement? Blackwell prefers to call it a transition.

“I’m not leaving the sport,’’ Blackwell says. “I’ve just completed a head coach position. I’m still a professional cricketer with the Sydney Thunder. I’m sitting on a board, so I’m a director. And I’m negotiating some commentary opportunities. I’m more involved in the sport than I ever was.

“I’ve never just been a cricketer. I’ve had other interests, I’ve worked as a genetic counsellor, I did all sorts of study after school, I’ve put myself out there to advocate for different causes that I am passionate about.

“I’ve been doing that for most of my athletic career, so the important thing is that I’m well equipped for life after playing cricket, because I have already been doing many different things.’’

Blackwell’s access to The Australian Institute of Company Directors course, assisted by the WLIS grant, has helped to qualify her for the ground-breaking Cricket NSW board role. It ensures the expertise and knowledge accumulated over 15 years playing for the Australian women’s cricket team is not lost to the sport.

“Having women in all levels of sport - playing, administrating, officiating, running a business, being in the board room - is a constant reminder that sport is for everybody,’’ she says.

“Even without me saying anything, just having someone who looks different in the room will encourage people to keep thinking about how we include everyone, because it’s critically important in the business of sport that everyone feels they can consume the game and enjoy it.’’

Blackwell regards the Sport Australia WLIS workshop as a valuable investment in her development. As one of few elite athletes in the diverse group, she also relished the chance to engage and network with women from all levels and different areas of the sports industry, from climbing to handball.

Yet not only does Australia’s most capped female cricketer boast contemporary experience at the elite level, Blackwell has also witnessed the transition from amateur to professional for so many women’s team sports. The associated challenges, though, include the need to gain skills and qualifications for life afterwards.

“I think it’s really important for all athletes, both male and female, to continue to grow as people, because sport will end for you as a player, and you need to be equipped for that. So I guess I bring that perspective, and the lens of inclusion, and of celebrating diversity within sport.”

Blackwell’s dream job - playing cricket for her country - may have ended, but another beckons.

In partnership with her twin sister Kate, a former Australian cricketer who has forged a successful career in the medical devices industry, comes a new ambition: “to positively impact and upskill future female leaders in sport”, as well as in the academic STEM areas (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

As for the definition of strong leadership. Blackwell rates effective communication among several essentials. “I think the most important thing is to be your true self and to be really proud of who you are and the strengths you bring,”

The Women Leaders in Sport program was established in 2002 to develop more female administrators, coaches and officials in sport, and has supported more than 24,000 women over that time.

Applications for the 2019 Women Leaders in Sport grants and workshops close 5 September, 2018. Go to the Sport Australia website link here for more information and to apply.