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

Episode Transcript

Sarah Massey (00:07):
That's the beauty of the female athletes is
they're willing to promote theirsongs.
They've got great personalitiesand they've got great
storytelling, wasn't it?
After the Paris Olympics, allof the research showed that the
most social following was forfemale athletes, not male
athletes, because they they wantto tell their stories and
people, and females and malesalike, want to follow them and
listen to them and hear whatthey've got to say.

Sue Anstiss (00:33):
Hello and welcome to the Game Changers.
I'm Sue Anstis, and this is thepodcast where you'll hear from
trailblazing women in sport whoare challenging the status quo
for women and girls everywhere.
What can we learn from theirstories as we explore equality
in sport and beyond?
I'd like to start with a verybig thank you to our partners,
sport England, who support theGame Changers podcast through a

(00:54):
national lottery award.
This is the 19th series of theGame Changers, and what an
incredible range of guests wehave Talented, inspiring women
who are changing the game insports, with new episodes
launching every Tuesday fromMarch the 4th.
The guests for this seriesinclude Dame Tracey Crouch, the
former sports minister, whodrove huge change in British

(01:16):
sport and served as an MP for 14years before standing down in
2024 and becoming ManagingDirector of Hanover Sport.
Mel Marshall, the formerOlympic swimmer turned highly
respected coach, best known forcoaching Adam Peaty to multiple
world records and Olympic golds.
Sarah Massey, managing Directorof the Women's Rugby World Cup

(01:40):
2025, who shares her extensiveexperience 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 atManchester Metropolitan
University.

(02:01):
Jess Thirlby, head coach of theEngland netball team.
Jess is a former internationalplayer with extensive experience
in the sport, known for herstrategic acumen and dedication
to the netball community.
Halida Popal, former captain ofthe Afghanistan Women's
National Football Team and apioneering activist who has

(02:22):
dedicated her life to empoweringwomen through sport, advocating
for gender equality and usingfootball as a tool for social
change.
Lucy Ray, the former CEO ofSaracens Rugby Club, who is now
helping to shape the future ofwomen's sport and is co-owner of
London Mavericks netball team.
And Jenny Meadows, aworld-class middle distance

(02:44):
runner, world championshipbronze medalist and Olympian who
is now an award-winning coach,recently honoured as the BBC
Sports Personality Coach of theYear.

Prof Kirsty Elliot-Sale (02:56):
I do worry a little bit that when we
start talking aboutfemale-specific considerations,
it's always in a negative way.
Oh, girls and women menstruateand that's very challenging and
that will limit their ability totrain and to compete.
Women maybe then seem less than.
How can we change that and sayto these girls and women
actually that reproductivefunction, that system that's

(03:20):
such a marker of good health andyour body's ability, that's
brilliant and should becelebrated the game changes is
available free wherever you findyour podcasts or you can listen
directly from our website atfearlesswomencouk.

Sue Anstiss (03:36):
Please do start following the podcast now so you
don't miss out on thesebrilliant new conversations.
We also have a fantastic backcatalogue of over 200 free
episodes, including interviewswith elite athletes,
broadcasters, coaches,entrepreneurs, scientists,
entrepreneurs scientists,journalists and CEOs all women
who are changing the game insport.
The whole of my book Game Onthe Unstoppable Rise of Women's

(04:00):
Sport is also available on thepodcast.
You'll find a free audiobook inseries 13.
As well as listening to thegame changers on the Fear the
fearless women website, it'salso where you can find out more
about the women's sportcollective, a free, inclusive
community for all women workingin sport.

(04:22):
We now have over 10 000 membersacross the world, so please do
come and join us.
Thank you once again to sportengland.
Support the Game Changers andthe Women's Sport Collective
with a National Lottery Award.
A huge thank you to Sam Walkerat what Goes On Media, who does
such a wonderful job as ourexecutive producer, and also big

(04:44):
thanks to my colleague atFearless Women, kate Hannan.
Do come and say hello on socialmedia, where you'll find me at,
sue Anstis.
I really, really hope you enjoythis new series as much as I've
enjoyed making it and talkingto these extraordinary women who
are driving change.

Tracey Crouch (05:02):
I coached girls.
It gave me a real insight intosome of the challenges of
grassroots football and inparticular, the challenges of
girls in grassroots football howthey would get second dibs on
pitch allocation, how thefacilities weren't appropriate
for girls.
You know, it really opened myeyes to a lot of the challenges.