Girls Don't Play Sport

Book excerpt: A timely and defiant manifesto unpacking the past, present and future of women's sport, from the Olympic gold medal-winning founder of The [Female] Athlete Project. 'Enthralling'—Ellyse Perry 'A must-read'—Laura Henshaw A brilliant argument in favour of the case for women's sport'—Liz Ellis When Chloe Dalton was eight years old, she would practise her goal kicks in the half-time break of her brothers' rugby matches, all the while telling impressed onlookers: 'Girls don't play rugby.' Sixteen years later, Chloe Dalton won Olympic gold playing rugby sevens for Australia and is now a fixture in the AFLW. In 2020, she started her own news platform, The [Female] Athlete Project, because while she was surrounded by women achieving incredible things in sport, nobody was hearing about them. This book shines a light on the interlinked quagmires of respect, opportunity, representation and pay that continue to stall the progress of women's teams around the world. Girls Don't Play Sport is a fierce manifesto advocating for female athletes at all levels. It explores how we got to this point and asks where we need to go next to embrace the untapped potential of women's sport. 'Captivating, empowering and relatable . . . a must-read.'—Ellie Cole 'Chloe's tireless commitment to sharing female athletes' unique stories and struggles is inspiring.'—Tayla Harris 'For too long, female sport has been undervalued and under-resourced. But the tide is turning, and the message this book presents is clear: ignore us at your own peril.'—Cate Campbell