4TG

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

Kylie Lynch Season 2 Episode 42

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 33:20

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

Support the show

Did this episode inspire you?

  • Please subscribe to 4TG, leave a five-star review, and share it with an athlete, parent or coach who needs to hear it 
  • Follow @4tg_podcast on all socials and visit us at 4tg.com.au 📱

Want to support 4TG?

🔗  Struggle with Pre-Game Nerves?

Here is our FREE 5 Min Pre-Game Reset Tool that will help you calm the noise, lock in your focus, and walk into game time with more self-belief, not panic, to perform your best.

🧠 1:1 Athlete Mentoring – Confidence and Champion’s Mindset 

  • Want 1:1 support to build real self-belief and perform with freedom? The 4TG 1:1 Athlete Mentoring is a 6-week program for driven female athletes who want to back themselves, lead with confidence and play to their strengths – on the field and off it. 
  • We will work on mindset, habits, resilience, leadership ...