[transcript]
 

Book launch: Developing Sport for Women and Girls

I had the immense pleasure of launching the new book, 'Developing Sport for Women and Girls' edited by Emma Sherry and Katie Rowe on Friday June 12.

When Emma asked me to be part of the launch event, and we started to workshop what a virtual book launch might look like, we did so with an initial sadness that we would not be able to get everyone together in one place to celebrate due to COVID-19.

Upon reflection, the silver lining of having a virtual book launch in this new environment meant that we were able to bring our global community together in a way we would not have been able to before. This book, the first of its kind, features authors and research from all around the world and it was wonderful to bring everyone together at this online event.

Additionally, without a live panel like most book launches, we opted to pre-record video interviews with some authors to create a package that detailed the research that was brought together. For me personally, as an Early Career Researcher working in the women in sport space, it was such a thrill to be able to talk to these esteemed experts about their work, methods, key findings and learn more about their passion for women in sport research.

The online book launch also brought together so many different people in different fields, from academia to government and industry who were able to participate in a lively and engaging Q&A facilitated by the book's editors, Emma Sherry and Katie Rowe.

The questions were thoughtful and insightful, and portrayed the absolute need for this resource to assist many, from community sports participation to high performance, administration, governance, media and more, in addressing the barriers when it comes to developing sport for women and girls.

Developing Sport for Women and Girls is introduced by Dr Kasey Symons, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Swinburne University working within the Sport Innovation Research Group. Kasey works across projects specialising in sport for development and sport and social impact. Kasey has completed a Bachelor of Arts (Professional Writing), Bachelor of Creative Arts (Honours) and PhD at Victoria University. Kasey's creative PhD thesis investigated experiences of female fans of elite men's sport through the lens of gender bias and performance.

Kasey’s current research interests include community development through sport, undertaking a broad range of research projects with national and regional sport organisations in Australia including the Victorian Government, National Rugby League and Australian Football League. Other recent research has included access and equity in sport participation, sport and recreation for at-risk and marginalised communities, sport marketing and fan engagement and representation of women in sport in literature and popular culture. Kasey is also the media manager for the North American based Sport Literature Association.

Outside of her academic career, Kasey has worked in Australian Rules football administration across several AFL clubs and AFL Head Office in marketing and communications. Kasey also frequently works in the media covering, predominantly, women's sport. Kasey is also a Director of the Fitzroy Football Club managing the portfolio of marketing and communications and recently collaborated to form Siren: A Women in Sport Collective.