AFLW star to headline Women in Sport event in Torquay

TORQUAY Cricket Club women’s captain Andi Oliver says the club is excited to welcome multi-sport athlete and Melbourne Demon Tayla Harris to Spring Creek Reserve tomorrow (Saturday, February 3).

Harris, best known for her performances on the footy field and in the ring as a professional boxer, will headline the cricket club’s first Women in Sport event and take part in a Q&A.

Ms Oliver said former AFLW star Daisy Pearce was originally lined up for the event but was recently appointed as the new West Coast Eagles coach, forcing her to relocate to Perth.

“Tayla, a four-time AFLW All Australian and 2022 Melbourne premiership player, was kind enough to step in for us, which we are extremely grateful for,” Oliver said.

“This is a first for the club, we’ve had a lot of male sports figures come through the club for events similar to this in the past, but to my knowledge we haven’t had a woman in sport speak to us.

“It’s a great chance to celebrate women’s sports as a whole and we have a great bunch of girls part of our women’s program here at Torquay.

“We think Tayla’s story is a great one to listen to and provide heaps of knowledge not just in sport, but about life as well.”

The Women in Sport event was in part made possible by a Victorian government grant through its Change Our Game program.

The Change Our Game program aims to bridge the participation gap in sport between women and men from grassroots to senior leadership roles.

Clubs can apply for grants up to $10,000 to improve female sports programs through special guest appearances and female program promotion.

“It will be an awesome opportunity to hear from one of the country’s elite female sporting figures,” Ms Oliver said.

“It will also be a great chance for a lot of our players to learn more about leadership from someone with real-life leadership at the top of sport in this country.

“We can all learn something from her, and we hope to be able to host more events like this in the future as well.”

The event inside the Spring Creek Reserve pavilion will begin from 1pm.

Head to the Torquay Cricket Club Facebook page for information.