Nike Australia and The Daily Aus (TDA) have joined forces to create The Training Squad, a new program to help young female and gender diverse sports journalists to enter the professional field.
The partnership aims to provide mentorship and opportunities to offer the next generation the support they need to build a strong professional identity and work portfolio. Although women make up roughly 50 per cent of all journalists in Australia, only 10 per cent of sports journalists identify as female.
The Training Squad aims to address this gender imbalance in sports journalism by providing emerging female and gender diverse journalists the support and opportunities to break into the industry, enabling them to contribute their voices to the sporting conversation.
Inspired by Nike’s commitment to grow women’s sport and create bigger change on and off the pitch, and TDA’s wide reach and expertise in digital media and journalism, the three-month program aims to provide five aspiring journalists with the tools, connections, and confidence they need to build a career in sports media.
By offering participants an opportunity to grow their platforms and reputations in Australian media, it aims to establish a national collective of Gen Z female and gender diverse sports journalists.
Participants will gain access to some of the biggest sporting moments in Australia and learn important media skills via sessions with innovative media professionals across all disciplines of TDA’s growing business. They’ll receive personalised support from TDA’s co-founders, and be assisted in growing their personal media platform.
Abbey Wirth, narrative & communications lead at Nike Pacific said: “Nike’s mission is to move sport forward and create opportunity for her everywhere you look. It’s not just about who is on the pitch, track or field, but who is reporting on it too.
“We’re looking ahead to a monumental decade for women’s sport, particularly in the Pacific, and we’re proud to partner with TDA to support the next generation of female and gender diverse journalists at this pivotal moment.”
Sam Koslowski, co-founder of The Daily Aus said: “TDA’s role in this program is to provide the support and guidance necessary to help our squad members build a strong professional identity and portfolio, opening doors to new opportunities in the industry. We will know we’ve nailed it when the sports journalists on the panels of major sporting moments in 5-10 years time are alumni of this program.”
The Training Squad is now accepting applications from female and gender diverse journalists aged 18-35 across Australia, who are passionate about sports journalism and ready to take the next step in their careers.
Applications open on May 25 2023, and close on June 13 2023. Applicants will be asked to submit a sample of their work from their own channels – from a TikTok video previewing a big match, to a blog post profiling a rising star.
