You Should Be Watching…

Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport is released on Netflix on 26 June. It’s a powerful documentary that showcases and celebrates the incredible recent growth in women’s sport, featuring a host of sporting pioneers and global events, as it charts the past, present and future for women’s sport and its impact on society.

The film’s director, Sue Anstiss MBE, confronts controversial issues that have hampered the progress of women’s sport in the past. Why do we expect women and girls to play sport in revealing clothes when men can remain modestly covered, and why has it taken so long to finally address the issue of women playing sport in whites? Why do schoolgirls drop out of sport at twice the rate of boys, and why does women’s sport still not have the funding and investment of men’s?

Told through the eyes of sporting legends and pioneers, it includes candid interviews with Denise Lewis, Clare Balding, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Kelly Smith, Laura Woods, Ugo Monye and Pamela Cookey. Along with addressing the biggest issues, they also consider what’s changed in recent years to result in the massive growth we’re now seeing, and what the future holds.

The one-hour documentary follows professional rugby player Poppy Cleall’s journey to the 2022 World Cup, with former international footballer and boxer Stacey Copeland exploring the impact of the England Lionesses winning last summer’s Euros, and the powerful Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano headline boxing bout at Madison Square Gardens in New York.

Commenting on her ambition for the documentary, Director Sue Anstiss, a renowned women’s sport activist, author and podcast host, says: “I hope this beautiful, engaging film will strike a chord with both male and female audiences –opening their minds to the power sport has to drive change in society, and showcasing the challenges female athletes still face in their fight for equality. It was a privilege to film with such an array of sporting talent both on and off the field.”