Stars of Women’s Sport light up Bankwest Stadium
They excel in a range of different sports – from the rugby codes, football, Aussie rules and cricket, to netball, rowing, tennis and athletics.
However, the star female athletes who stepped out on to the new Bankwest Stadium turf on Tuesday night came together with a common purpose.
They are determined to close the gap between on-field activities and off-field success by helping one another understand their full potential both on and off the field, including how to benefit from the commerce of sport.
The Minerva Network was established to help elite sportswomen identify and navigate commercial challenges through meaningful mentor-mentee relationships.
The foundation class of athletes included some of the biggest names in Australian sport such as cricketers Rachael Haynes and Alyssa Healy, Olympic Rugby 7s gold medallists Alicia Quirk, Emma Tonegato and Charlotte Caslick, Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter and Western Sydney Wanderers’ Football NSW Role Model of The Year Jada Whyman, and rugby league powerhouse Kezie Apps.
Healy, Quirk and Whyman were among the athletes at Bankwest Stadium for Tuesday night’s Minerva Network Workshop and Cocktail Event.
The athletes heard from inspirational and informative speakers including Thinkerbell marketing guru Adam Ferrier and the Executive Director of Human Resources at QIC, Glenn Jackson.
Quirk said: “Fundamentally I believe female athletes are the greatest role models and best, most easily marketed athletes, so it’s great that there’s now a platform like Minerva Network for that to happen.
“I feel very privileged to be part of the Network and it’s always wonderful to catch up with athletes from other sports at our events.”
Minerva Network co-founders Christine McLoughlin, the Chair of the Venues NSW Board and of the Suncorp Group and nib Holdings, and Sam Mostyn, Chair of CitiGroup, were joined by Venues NSW Board Members John Quayle and Glenn Turner at the Bankwest Stadium Minerva Network event.
Creating a spectacular backdrop for the event, Bankwest Stadium lit up as the athletes congregated on the pitch with the Enigma-inspired Minerva Network branding appearing on the big screens and on the LED ribbons that run around the seating bowl.
The success of Minerva would not have been possible without the backing of sponsors such as Enigma, the creative firm behind the network’s branding and website, and major support from Venues NSW, the NSW Government agency that oversees Bankwest Stadium, and VenuesLive, the leading venue management company that operates the Stadium.
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