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The Game Changers
In this award-winning podcast Sue Anstiss talks to trailblazers in women sport. These are the individuals who are knocking down barriers and challenging the status quo for women and girls everywhere. Along with openly sharing their historic careers, what drives them and how they’ve dealt with tough challenges, each episode explores key issues for equality in sport and beyond.
We’re incredibly grateful to Sport England who support The Game Changers through a National Lottery award.
You can find out about all the guests at https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers
Fearless Women in Sport
The Game Changers
Series 19 of The Game Changers
Hello and welcome back to The Game Changers, the podcast where you'll hear from trailblazing women in sport who are challenging the status quo for women and girls everywhere. What can we learn from their stories as we explore equality in sport and beyond.
This is the 19th series of The Game Changers and what an incredible range of guests we have. Talented, inspiring women who are changing the game in sport.
With new episodes launching every Tuesday from March 4, the guests for this series include:
Dame Tracey Crouch – The former sports Minister, who drove huge change in British sport and served as an MP for 14 years before standing down in 2024 and becoming Managing Director of Hanover Sport
Mel Marshall – a former Olympic swimmer turned highly respected coach, best known for coaching Adam Peaty to multiple world records and Olympic golds.
Sarah Massey – Managing Director of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, who shares her extensive experience in delivering major international sporting events.
Professor Kirsty Elliott-Sale – a leader in female sports science and exercise physiology who heads the Centre of Excellence for Women in Sport at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Jess Thirlby - head coach of the England Netball team – Jess is a former international player with extensive experience in the sport, known for her strategic acumen and dedication to the netball community.
Khalida Popal - former captain of the Afghanistan women's national football team and a pioneering activist who has dedicated her life to empowering women through sport, advocating for gender equality, and using football as a tool for social change.
Lucy Wray – the former CEO of Saracens Rugby Club, who is now helping to shape the future of women's sport and is co-owner of London Mavericks Netball Team.
And
Jenny Meadows - a world-class middle-distance runner, World Championship bronze medallist and Olympian, who is now an award-winning coach, recently honoured as the BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year.
The Game Changers is available for free wherever you find your podcasts or you can listen directly from our website at fearlesswomen.co.uk.
Please do start following the podcast now so you don’t miss out on these brilliant new conversations.
We also have a fantastic back catalogue of over free 200 episodes – including interviews with elite athletes, broadcasters, coaches, entrepreneurs, scientists, journalists and CEOs – all women who are changing the game in sport.
The whole of Sue Anstiss’ book ‘Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport’ is also available on the podcast. You’ll find a free audio book in series 13.
As well as listening to The Game Changers on the Fearless Women website, it’s also where you can find out more about the Women's Sport Collective, a free inclusive community for all women working in sport. We now have over 10,000 members across the world, so please do come and join us.
Do come and say hello on social media where you’ll find the host of The Game Changers @sueanstiss
Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.
Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers
Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media
A Fearless Women production
That's the beauty of the female athletes is they're willing to promote their songs. They've got great personalities and they've got great storytelling, wasn't it? After the Paris Olympics, all of the research showed that the most social following was for female athletes, not male athletes, because they they want to tell their stories and people, and females and males alike, want to follow them and listen to them and hear what they've got to say.
Sue Anstiss:Hello and welcome to the Game Changers. I'm Sue Anstis, and this is the podcast where you'll hear from trailblazing women in sport who are challenging the status quo for women and girls everywhere. What can we learn from their stories as we explore equality in sport and beyond? I'd like to start with a very big thank you to our partners, sport England, who support the Game Changers podcast through a national lottery award. This is the 19th series of the Game Changers, and what an incredible range of guests we have Talented, inspiring women who are changing the game in sports, with new episodes launching every Tuesday from March the 4th.
Sue Anstiss:The guests for this series include Dame Tracey Crouch, the former sports minister, who drove huge change in British sport and served as an MP for 14 years before standing down in 2024 and becoming Managing Director of Hanover Sport. Mel Marshall, the former Olympic swimmer turned highly respected coach, best known for coaching Adam Peaty to multiple world records and Olympic golds. Sarah Massey, managing Director of the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, who shares her extensive experience in delivering major international sporting events. Professor Kirsty Elliott-Sale, a leader in female sports science and exercise physiology, who heads the Centre of Excellence for Women in Sport at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Sue Anstiss:Jess Thirlby, head coach of the England netball team. Jess is a former international player with extensive experience in the sport, known for her strategic acumen and dedication to the netball community. Halida Popal, former captain of the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team and a pioneering activist who has dedicated her life to empowering women through sport, advocating for gender equality and using football as a tool for social change. Lucy Ray, the former CEO of Saracens Rugby Club, who is now helping to shape the future of women's sport and is co-owner of London Mavericks netball team. And Jenny Meadows, a world-class middle distance runner, world championship bronze medalist and Olympian who is now an award-winning coach, recently honoured as the BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year.
Prof Kirsty Elliot-Sale:I do worry a little bit that when we start talking about female-specific considerations, it's always in a negative way. Oh, girls and women menstruate and that's very challenging and that will limit their ability to train and to compete. Women maybe then seem less than. How can we change that and say to these girls and women actually that reproductive function, that system that's such a marker of good health and your body's ability, that's brilliant and should be celebrated the game changes is available free wherever you find your podcasts or you can listen directly from our website at fearlesswomencouk.
Sue Anstiss:Please do start following the podcast now so you don't miss out on these brilliant new conversations. We also have a fantastic back catalogue of over 200 free episodes, including interviews with elite athletes, broadcasters, coaches, entrepreneurs, scientists, entrepreneurs scientists, journalists and CEOs all women who are changing the game in sport. The whole of my book Game On the Unstoppable Rise of Women's Sport is also available on the podcast. You'll find a free audiobook in series 13. As well as listening to the game changers on the Fear the fearless women website, it's also where you can find out more about the women's sport collective, a free, inclusive community for all women working in sport. We now have over 10 000 members across the world, so please do come and join us.
Sue Anstiss:Thank you once again to sport england. Support the Game Changers and the Women's Sport Collective with a National Lottery Award. A huge thank you to Sam Walker at what Goes On Media, who does such a wonderful job as our executive producer, and also big thanks to my colleague at Fearless Women, kate Hannan. Do come and say hello on social media, where you'll find me at, sue Anstis. I really, really hope you enjoy this new series as much as I've enjoyed making it and talking to these extraordinary women who are driving change.
Tracey Crouch:I coached girls. It gave me a real insight into some of the challenges of grassroots football and in particular, the challenges of girls in grassroots football how they would get second dibs on pitch allocation, how the facilities weren't appropriate for girls. You know, it really opened my eyes to a lot of the challenges.
