Australia has a vast sporting fascination built on success across multiple disciplines. Oh, and it’s not just the men. Women are getting in the action, too; after all, it was recorded that the ratio between men to women was 49:50, meaning there are slightly more women in the country. So, which sports attract the most women in 2025, regarding participation and viewership?
Swimming still in a fast lane
Regarding female sports participation, a 2006 report from the Australian Sports Commission suggested that swimming was the most popular sport for women and girls. Similar reports have stated that over 11% of the female Australian population swim regularly. These numbers were only catapulted by the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, as swimmers like Susie O’Neill, Leisel Jones, and Petria Thomas all won medals for the country.
Soccer shows participation growth
Football Australia has set the goal of increasing female soccer participation. The most recent report believes that over 360,000 women in the country are playing the game (or other related activities), a figure set to eclipse 400,000 in the next few years.
Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 undoubtedly bolstered interest in football. The team more than did its bit on the field by reaching the semi-final, inspiring new generations to lace up their football boots and become the next Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, or Alana Kennedy.
Given the visibility that women’s football has had in recent years, sports betting on the Matildas games has become much more popular with fans of both genders, as they look for profit while cheering on the team.
Netball
Another sport with a lot more public gaze in Australia in recent years has been netball. Netball may be the only sport where the default is women’s games. Sports like football, cricket, and rugby all endure the prefix or suffix: Women’s. Men seldom play netball, so women get the de facto title.
The domestic competition recorded the highest number of attendees in history during the 2024 season, showing the growth of the sport. Add that to the national team’s success in international competitions, and it’s a recipe for success. While the sports betting markets aren’t as expansive for netball as they are for other sports, it is still attracting some sports bettors.
Women’s Cricket
Australia loves cricket. Whether it’s watching a multiple-day fixture at Melbourne Cricket Ground or a fast-paced T20. The Southern Stars, or the Women’s National Cricket team, have won six of the nine T20 World Cups they’ve played in, showing a real pedigree in the tournament. Key performances from Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry brought a lot of new eyes to the sport as it continued to grow.
Australians couldn’t get enough of women’s cricket, so the domestic competition only grew in stature and viewership. The Women’s Big Bash League reported a 41% rise in viewership for the 2024 season, and these figures have been rising for the last four years. As such, there is a lot of excitement for the eleventh season later in the year.
Interestingly it’s not just viewing numbers that have risen in the Big Bash, but interestingly, gambling on the event has risen too. According to Fiona Simmon’s article on GamblingNews.com, accessibility through mobile devices has contributed to an interesting spike in betting numbers from female players – something you can be sure the league and sponsors will be looking to take advantage of.
With the greater exposure of both women’s clubs and international cricket, girls and young women are now beginning to see cricket as their dream and potential future. This accessibility brings opportunity and prosperity to the sport.
Tennis continues to have good relationships with Australian girls
Before the rise of team sports for women, tennis offered opportunities to girls wanting to play a sport, historically only behind swimming in participation figures. While some girls now dream of playing with the Matildas or competing for the Ashes, plenty still vies to play on the center court at Rod Laver Arena.
When she retired, Ash Barty defined Australian and women’s tennis from 2021 to 2022. Her successes at Wimbledon and the Australian Open will have spurred many young girls to pick up a racket. Olivia Gadecki, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Daria Saville still carry the mantle for Australia in the WTA, but they do not have as much success as Barty.
Tennis betting always picks up when there’s a grand slam. Australian women are more tempted to do so when one of their national favourites has a deep run in the tournament. Tomljanovic famously made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in both 2021 and 2022, which saw more than a few bets back the Australian.
