#42 Women's Sport Is Booming – So Why Are Semi-Elite Athletes Going Backwards?

A woman just ran 253 miles through the Arizona desert, through the night, through the mountains, for 56 hours straight – and beat every single man in the race. Her name is Rachel Entrekin, and her mantra was simple: "Why not you?"

Women are redefining sport, growing in leaps and bounds over the past 5-10 years, and investment at the elite level has never been higher. So why are girls still quitting at 15?

This solo episode digs into one of the most important conversations in women's sport right now – the growing gap between elite investment and what is actually happening at grassroots, pathway, and semi-elite level. VFLW players earning as little as $25 a game, if lucky enough to be paid at all. A-League Women players on $26,000 watching male teammates earn five times that. Semi-elite athletes are working two jobs just to keep training and keeping food on the table. This is the pipeline that feeds professional women's sport – and it is being underfunded, undersupported, and overlooked.

Kylie Lynch breaks down why this matters not just for sport, but for society.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why elite investment without grassroots funding is a roof with no walls
• The real reason girls are dropping out at 14 and 15
• What semi-elite female athletes are actually earning right now
• Why female-friendly infrastructure, coaching, and registration costs are non-negotiable
• What needs to happen for the momentum at the top to trickle down with intention