Elle Williams, Author at FairBreak Global

FairBreak XI to play in the UK this July 2019

– Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Founder

The FairBreak XI will arrive in the UK in a couple of weeks to play four exhibition games supporting our Gender Equality program and our CSR partner, SolarBuddy.

What has been amazing and so pleasing is the reaction to our team announcement from supporters around the world.

Our team brings together 14 players from 10 countries:

Alex Blackwell, Australia
Sana Mir, Pakistan
Mariko Hill, Hong Kong
Kathryn Bryce, Scotland
Akanksha Kohli, India
Stephanie Fronhmayer, Germany
Ryana Macdonald-Gay, England
Sterre Kalis, Netherlands
Laura Mophakedi, Botswana
Shameelah Mosweu, Botswana
Ruchitha Venkatesh, Hong Kong
Chelsey Rowson, England
Grace Scrivens, England
Celeste Raack, Ireland

All these players are exceptional and, apart from Alex Blackwell and Sana Mir, these athletes are not household names, but they should be. For example, Sterre Kalis from the Netherlands has lifted her profile after equaling the world record for a T2O innings in women’s cricket scoring 126 (not out) from 76 balls. Incredible.

All of the players from associate nations desperately need more available cricket games and tournaments, and more financial resources.

What we strive for at FairBreak is greater recognition for these players. The 14 women taking part in this year’s UK program not only get to share their cricketing expertise, but also their life experience with one another and supporters. Cricket is a wonderfully inclusive game.

It would be ideal if next year’s World T20 women’s tournament had more than 10 countries participating. There are 16 men’s teams playing, but sadly only 10 women’s team. It would be helpful to understand the thinking behind this.

It can’t be financial. There is plenty of money in the coffers of cricket’s governing bodies. It’s not a gender equality issue because that has been disregarded completely.

So, we’d like to understand the reasoning.

Opportunity drives development, learning, inclusiveness and success.

What a fantastic tournament it would be if six additional nations were added to the women’s program.

What a superb opportunity to grow the game, demonstrate equality and celebrate the great programs running in all corners of the globe.

In very simple, humble terms, that is what we seek to do by continuing to bring players together from everywhere, and provide opportunity.

Join us in becoming a #FairBreaker. Connect with us on our social channels for news from the players and FairBreak team.

Elle Williams2019-07-08T08:25:46-04:00July 8th, 2019|News|

Kookaburra and FairBreak Global announce a partnership supporting gender equality

Kookaburra and FairBreak Global announce a partnership supporting gender equality

FairBreak Global and Kookaburra are proud to announce a partnership that brings together the most recognizable brand in world cricket with FairBreak’s focus on advancing gender equality in leadership and performance roles.

The partnership will see Kookaburra balls and equipment used in FairBreak’s global cricket competitions and academies, giving female players from developing cricket countries the chance to play and compete at the elite level with the best equipment.
Team Kookaburra player and Australian star Rachael Haynes will be an ambassador for the partnership.

“Kookaburra had led the industry in its sponsorship of elite female players in Australia and around the globe and has been a leader in instituting gender-neutral sizes for grassroots cricket to make the cricket experience more inclusive for young girls, ” Haynes said.

“I’m a big supporter of the FairBreak concept so its great that Kookaburra can now extend its support of female cricket to the emerging cricket nations via FairBreak’s programs.”

FairBreak Global founder Shaun Martyn says, “Having the most recognizable brand in world cricket partnering with us is a powerful statement from Kookaburra about their commitment to gender equality. There is much work to do in this space. Kookaburra shares our values and desire to see all areas of cricket prosper with gender no barrier to opportunity or equality.”

About Kookaburra: Established in 1890 Kookaburra Sport is the ball of choice for cricketers and hockey players around the world. Kookaburra has been a pioneer in Australia and around the world in its support of female athletes. Current Team Kookaburra cricket players include Alyssa Healy, Natalie Sciver, Amy Satterthwaite, Lizelle Lee, Rachael Haynes, Megan Schutt, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine and Sophie Molineux.

About FairBreak Global: Around the globe, there are women who are talented, passionate and driven in their professional field, but they do not have the opportunity to give their best in a way that is acknowledged or encouraged by their community. FairBreak is an organisation that aims to create opportunities in sport, business, media, arts and education to achieve gender equality on a truly global scale.

For more information please contact:

Shannon Gill
Head of Communications
Kookaburra
Shannon@kooka.com.au
+61 417 086 813

Shaun Martyn
FairBreak Global
shaun.martyn@test.fairbreak.net

Elle Williams2019-05-24T06:14:45-04:00May 24th, 2019|News|

Gencor partnership with FairBreak Global

Gencor partnership with FairBreak Global aligns science-based Ayurvedic wellness with pure sport and gender equality philosophies

Sydney, Australia (April 23, 2019) – FairBreak Global and Gencor are proud to announce their 2019 partnership in a move that brings together Gencor’s advanced research and development with FairBreak’s pure sport philosophies, with a focus on advancing gender equality in leadership and performance roles.

Mariko Hill – Product Development Executive, Captain of the National Women’s Hong Kong Cricket Team, and FairBreak representative – says, “Ever since the start of my career in the nutraceutical industry with Gencor, they have been a true advocate of my role as a professional cricket player. They support any upcoming tournaments without any hesitation, whether that is representing my country or FairBreak. This means I have a balance between work, sport and social affairs. Not many companies would do this and I am extremely grateful to work alongside both Gencor and FairBreak, who are the pioneers for this movement for gender equality and empowerment”.

Working alongside elite sports teams, Gencor provides unique solutions for injury management, sports performance and recovery. Developing products compliant with stringent specifications and certified by independent bodies (NSF and LGC), Gencor ingredients follow strict quality-assurance processes and have no banned-substances. Gencor complies with all IOC and WADA regulations for Supplementation in Sports.

“FairBreak’s values tie in closely with our value systems, in encouraging and developing sporting and work opportunities for women worldwide and providing them with a platform to showcase their talents at the highest level. Partnering with FairBreak provides us with a synergistic opportunity to foster pure sporting and healthy living opportunities for women,” says R. V. Venkatash, Gencor Managing Director.

Gencor is a well-known provider of clinically researched branded botanical ingredients, designed to improve quality of life through good health at all stages of life. Invested in cutting-edge science and technology, Gencor works closely with the best scientists of Ayurvedic institutes to make this ancient wisdom available to a modern global market. The business also supports women’s empowerment and gender equality by providing equal opportunity for women around the world in all areas of development: work, education and sport.

FairBreak Global founder Shaun Martyn says, “This is a partnership that really reflects our ‘Pure Sport’ ethos and attitude to health and well-being. The fact that Gencor also recognises that the opportunity we can provide is directly in line with their aspirations is exciting on every level’. 2 of 2

About Gencor: Gencor and its worldwide partners supply branded, clinically researched botanical ingredients designed to support the changing health needs through all stages of life. Rooted in Ayurvedic tradition, Gencor’s high-quality, potent, GRAS ingredients and herbs go through rigorous scientific analysis and are manufactured in GMP-certified conditions. Gencor’s current partnerships with Pharmako, Linnea, Bionap, Vinh Hoan, Pharmactive, BTC and future partnerships allow them to offer an extensive list of ingredients and innovative technologies that are changing and advancing the way ingredients are used. To learn more about Gencor’s ingredient offerings, product applications, newest technologies, and commitment to transparent sourcing and supply chain, visit www.gencorpacific.com.

About FairBreak Global: Around the globe, there are women who are talented, passionate and driven in their professional field, but they do not have the opportunity to give their best in a way that is acknowledged or encouraged by their community. FairBreak is an organisation that aims to create opportunities in sport, business, media, arts and education to achieve gender equality on a truly global scale. https://fairbreak.net https://fairbreak.net

Media contact – Gencor: Mariko Hill, mariko@gencorpacific.com
Media contact – FairBreak Global: Shaun Martyn, shaun.martyn@test.fairbreak.net

Elle Williams2019-04-29T06:23:33-04:00April 29th, 2019|News|

Golf finishes way ahead, on Even Par!

Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Founder

Who would have thought that a game so steeped in tradition, rules and regulations would move so positively and inclusively?

It was only a few years ago that women in golf clubs were associate members, not full members, and had the competition days they could play restricted.

Now they play in all competitions at all times as full members of golf clubs. The game and golf clubs are all the better for it.

Then along comes Golf Australia Victoria (@GolfAustVIC) and the ISPS Handa Vic Open and demonstrates not only parity of esteem, but also parity of PAY; Men and Women sharing the prize money equally.

This was an outstanding event on every level. Spectators were treated to some of the best players competing on an equal stage. No one player more important than another.

The players loved it, because if you are a true golfer, you know it’s about the game, the course, the personal challenge and the skill. Gender plays no role.

The symbolism of no ropes on the course restricting the movement of players and spectators was not lost on anyone either.

If only other sports could take a lesson from this.

Elle Williams2019-02-13T00:14:19-05:00February 13th, 2019|News|

Women’s World T20, 2020. A numbers game.

Shaun Martyn, Founder of FairBreak Global

I have taken great interest in the announcement surrounding the Women’s and Men’s T20 World Cups to be held in Australia in 2020.

What a great opportunity for the game.

When you look at early advertising and the make up of the competitions it raises a few questions.

Although it might be commendable to try and set a crowd record for a women’s sporting event, is that where effort and attention is best spent?

It was obvious at the end of the World Cup in 2018 that the gap between the top 2 or 3 nations and the rest of the world has increased, not decreased.

It may be a bold prediction but I would expect the women’s final at the MCG on March 8, 2020 will be contested between Australia and England. They are so far ahead of the rest of the pack it’s daylight third. If this is the case for the foreseeable future, what plans are in place to close the gap?

The men’s competition will be fought out between 16 teams. The women’s competition has only 10 teams. Why?

Can we please have parity??

If the women’s game is constantly presented as less valuable by the ICC and Cricket Boards then we will never achieve parity.

We saw this only last month in Australia when the WBBL final was played at 10.00am on a Saturday morning at a suburban Sydney ground.

CA erred massively here, again presenting women’s cricket as a less valuable, inferior product.

If you consistently signal that your product lacks value, how can you hope to break records?

There needs to be a massive reset.

We know that women’s cricket attracts a huge audience globally. 126 million viewers (ICC figures) watched England play India at Lords in 2017. That’s an enormous amount of advertising revenue.

Cost, therefore, can’t be a factor in only having 10 womens teams in the T20 World Cup.

How much money does each team receive for qualifying for the world cup?

Is it equal for both the men’s and women’s teams?

Hypothetically, if teams from Botswana, Thailand, USA, China, PNG, UAE, Holland, Vanuatu etc. qualified to make up 16 women’s teams, then that would be one step towards parity.

An injection of $500K US into the women’s programs in each of the 16 qualifying nations would move the women’s game forward in a very positive manner. The money is there.

Is there the will to drive towards parity and serious development of the women’s game, or is still a case of paying ‘lip service’?

Elle Williams2019-02-04T02:17:38-05:00February 4th, 2019|News|

If not pay parity then at least parity of esteem please!

Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Founder

Firstly, let me congratulate the Brisbane Heat for their victory in the WBBL. Let me also congratulate all players from all teams that took part in WBBL 2018/19. Women’s cricket in Australia has really become the shining light in the game.

The distressing piece for me is that the final of this remarkable competition was played at 10.00am on a Saturday morning to accommodate the broadcast of a Day/Night (men’s) Test match.

Usually the only thing on TV at 10.00am are cartoons, or while some parents are getting children to Saturday sport many adults are heading to their own sport or shopping, or engaged in the myriad of tasks that fill most Saturday mornings in Australia.

Can someone explain to me why this WBBL final could not have been played on Saturday evening at North Sydney Oval? A ground that has become the spiritual home of women’s cricket.

There are numerous public transport options, it’s the right size, has considerable history and a 7.00pm match start time acknowledges the quality and esteem this game and the players participating should be afforded.

The fact that there is a Day/Night Test match on at the same time is irrelevant.

In fact, there would be many viewers who may prefer to watch a WBBL final. Is that something that CA and the broadcaster don’t want to risk? Would the comparison of viewing numbers reflect a significant change in the value of the two products?

In future, I hope due consideration is given to the schedule so there is parity of esteem even though we are still a long way short of parity of pay.

Elle Williams2022-04-29T15:30:58-04:00January 28th, 2019|News|

Inclusion and opportunity in cricket

“Shaun Martyn and his team at Fairbreak should be recognised for their work in encouraging CA to push the women’s game forward. The skill of the players and the quality of the product has done the rest.” – Geoff Lawson for The Sydney Morning Herald article, ‘Given a Fairbreak, the WBBL has shown its true value‘

This article discusses the state of play of Australian women’s cricket, including the role of FairBreak in “lead[ing] the way with ideas and ambition, and CA cleverly followed”. There is still so much to be done to truly show support for women’s cricket as a national sport and team equal to that of Australian men’s cricket. Why is it taking so long?

Read the full article here and let us know your thoughts on Twitter – @fairbreakglobal where we’ve also shared the article.

FairBreak Global XI at Wormsley Estate for our International Women’s Day match in 2018

Elle Williams2019-01-26T22:10:30-05:00January 26th, 2019|News|

Hype or Performance?

I have no issue with words like HIGH, PERFORMANCE, ELITE or HONESTY, CORE or BUSINESS when used individually.

I now have a huge problem when they are used together.

Once the ‘Elite Honesty’ term came to light with Australian Cricket I started to question some of the language I had also been using. I realized that I too had allowed myself to be sucked into the black hole of meaningless double speak.

I have often referred to High Performance (HP) but what is that? What does a manager of HP do? What is a HP department?

If you google HP this is what comes up,

“a concept within organization development referring to teams, organizations, or virtual groups that are highly focused on their goals and that achieve superior business results.”

Don’t we want this for everyone and for every department within a business? I certainly want our accountancy team and our legal team to be achieving ‘superior’ results. What about sales and marketing, design, IT and distribution? Oh, and what about the BOARD?

Who’s the manager of mediocre performance or poor performance?…you see where I’m going with this.

It’s meaningless.

What is Elite Honesty? Who comes up with this stuff? I can’t imagine what it must be like to walk into the dressing room as an Australian player and see Elite Honesty emblazoned on the walls, as was the case recently in Perth. Surely the measure of performance should be runs, wickets, catches, fairness, effort, competition and respect. Isn’t honesty enough, how do we be elitely honest?

I’m starting to understand what Yogi Berra, the NY Yankees catcher and manager meant when he said, “Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.”

Meaningless doublespeak is everywhere. There’s Fake News, Core Business even in education we had ‘Functional Gramma’for a while, now it’s the 4 C’s? What’s the next? ‘box ticking’ exercise?

When I think about all of this plus the list of acronyms I no longer understand and the Business of FairBreak I’d like our organization to be kind, caring, respectful, fun, game changing, challenging, enlightening, profitable, supportive, inclusive and equal.

I want the people in it to own it and help shape it; I want it to be their Ship.

I don’t know if any of that is in a HP manifesto. The only ones I’ve seen have a lot of boxes to tick.

From now on I will only say, ‘I work with people’. HP be gone….. #elitehonesty

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.” Yogi Berra

Was Yogi talking about High Performance departments? I’m starting to think he was onto something…..

Elle Williams2018-12-04T07:34:06-05:00December 4th, 2018|News|

Mind the gap

– Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Global founder

First of all, big congratulations to the Australian Women’s Cricket Team for winning the WT20 on the weekend.

A completely professional performance.

The big takeaway from the whole World Cup is that the gap between Australi

a, England and India, and the rest of the world has grown larger, not smaller.

There is a lift in overall standard of play, however that has not closed the gap in relative terms.

I was interested to hear Melinda Farrell from ESPN interviewed from the West Indies and hear her say exactly the same thing.

This is an opinion shared by many.

Australian and English players are better funded and supported and, consequently, are ahead of India and a long way ahead of everyone else.

The opportunity that the WBBL and Kia Super League has provided has meant there is more frequent, high level cricket played in both countries.

In Australia, that extends to the state system as well, where players can have their income supplemented. This allows them to train, play and commit to the sport for a longer period of time.

If there are not more opportunities created and more funding provided globally, I believe we will see a drop off in participation rates around the world.

I also refer you to the interview on Twitter with Ireland Captain, Laura Delaney, after their defeat by Pakistan, and the subsequent follow up from Mariko Hill and others about the vital role FairBreak plays in creating opportunities.

Ireland has now had four players retire after the tournament in the West Indies. Most of the players have had to take over 60 days leave from work in order to represent their country and it is no longer sustainable for them to continue.

Apart from their attitude and commitment, they are not ‘professional’ in any way.

Ireland, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh for example, need to be playing against each other regularly and being paid a real ‘living’ wage in order to do that.

It’s not a level playing field.

Expectation of professionalism is one thing. Real funding and remuneration for full time professionalism is another. And that what is required if we want a real World Cup.

Elle Williams2018-11-27T10:05:44-05:00November 27th, 2018|News|

Australian cricket: ‘In my office now, boys!’ – Shaun Martyn on the current state of play

In 1984 England were getting smashed by the West Indies and everyone was looking for England and their leadership to make excuses for performance. England captain David Gower on being interviewed during the series said, “It is a Test match. It’s not Old Reptonians v Lymeswold, one off the mark and jolly good show. You are not expecting life to be made easy for you.”

If only that attitude prevailed at the moment in Australian cricket.
Gower was not looking for excuses; he and his players would deal with the problems and be judged on how they handled themselves. In reflecting on the release of the Longstaff review and the fallout from it, things just have to change.

The Chairman’s position has now become completely untenable and he has resigned. Unsurprising when you profess to have good governance and at the same time orchestrate your reinstatement prior to a review being released. Laughable!

The whole credibility of the board has been in question. Appointing someone from the current board as Chairman is also impossible from a governance perspective. This board has presided over this mess.

What equally amazes me is that the State CEO’s have the ability to start the process of fixing this mess. Why don’t they?

They seem to be complicit in condoning the behaviour called out by Longstaff.

I think it speaks volumes for the leadership in cricket across the board.

When you have organisations that are not accountable they can do whatever they like. There is no accountability! I was disgusted by the responses by the CA Chairman on the ABC’s 7.30 Report when his notion of accountability was that CA had voluntarily instigated a review into what is now being referred to as a “hiccup” in South Africa.

That “hiccup” reference said it all. It demonstrated mammoth incompetence and a complete and total lack of understanding of the game, its relevance, its history or its future.

As a result of the Chairman’s resignation it may now be possible for Kevin Roberts, the new CEO at CA to make some headway. It will depend on how the board reacts and the appointment of the new Chairman.

In my one brief exchange with Kevin Roberts I found him to be very open and thoughtful. He has a huge task and needs clean air.

The ACA are not adding anything positive to the debate at the moment either.

Regardless of whether you think the bans on Smith, Warner and Bancroft are too harsh or not, they are there and need to be served. Banging on about lifting the bans just alienates more of the public and reinforces the widely held view that the male players are indulged.

Grown men conspired to cheat in an environment that encouraged it and then lied about it. Fact. If there were older and wiser heads in that dressing room in South Africa it would never have happened. The fact that the coaching and management staff is still largely in place also speaks to the integrity of the whole set up.

We have seen this week the ACA publicly setting up another adversarial situation.
If the Australian team was performing better at the moment lifting bans wouldn’t even be spoken about.

The ACA have sought far too much media attention in this. They should be working quietly, negotiating responsibly, and with the best interest of the fans, the players and the game.

Cricket is a game of partnerships and good partnerships are built with trust, time, consistency and leaving your ego at the door or in the dressing room.

At the moment it feels like both CA and the ACA should be called into the headmasters office and suspended until they come back, with their parents, to be told by David Gower to start acting responsibly both in class and in the playground!

Elle Williams2018-11-01T10:34:47-04:00November 1st, 2018|News|

About Elle Williams