If sporting utopia existed, Clare Balding came close to realising it on 31 July. “The shots of the crowd at Wembley, it made you smile,” Balding says as she reflects on the impact of the Lionesses and, more broadly, a historic year for women’s sport. “This is what it should look like and this is how it should feel,” Balding thought, and with a career in broadcasting that has featured six Olympic and Paralympic Games and taken her closer to the action than most could dream of, those words carry particular significance. Balding has witnessed many moments that have transcended sport, but 2022 has been different.
It is one that could yet reach greater heights this month, across both rugby union and rugby league World Cups. In rugby union, the Red Roses will face hosts New Zealand in the final on Saturday, while in rugby league England will try to emulate the success of the Lionesses by winning a major tournament on home soil. As president of the RFL, it is a cause that is close to Balding’s heart but the presenter’s extensive knowledge and appreciation of a landmark year extends wider ahead of the 2022 BT Sport Action Woman of the Year Awards, and an opportunity to celebrate and highlight what has already been accomplished.
