Fearless Conversations: Sport in the spotlight in the first of a 13-part Advertiser/Flinders University conversation series

Replay our new series Fearless Conversations, which kicks off with a panel of experts tackling SA’s big sporting questions from increasing participation to tackling racism.

Sport will play a vital role in rebuilding South Australian communities after 18 months of Covid-19 disruption, one of the state’s leading sports administrators says.

“We’ve been living in a global pandemic, so it’s all about people,” Netball SA chief executive officer BRONWYN Klei says.

“People thrive through sport … and that’s how we’ll rebuild our state. In a lot of regional communities, football and netball clubs are the heart of the town … and when the chips are down, you turn to your tribe.”

Ms Klei is charged with running an organisation boasting more than 35,000 registered players, while in her previous role with the Adelaide Strikers she helped guide the fortunes of one of the state’s most popular sporting teams.

It’s a resumé that makes her perfectly placed to tackle a variety of sporting-themed questions in the first of Flinders University’s Fearless Conversations series – a 13-week campaign in partnership with The Advertiser designed to get people thinking more bravely about some of the big issues facing South Australians in key growth areas and topics. It is hoped the campaign will create a more fearless approach in driving South Australia forward, both now and for generations to come.

Flinders University senior lecturer in sport, health and physical activity Dr Sam Elliott is among the panel of speakers at Wednesday’s opening Fearless Conversations seminar.

Ms Klei joined other prominent SA sporting influencers – Port Adelaide Football Club boss Matthew Richardson, Flinders University senior lecturer in sport, health and physical activity Sam Elliott and Adelaide Oval chief Andrew Daniels – in Wednesday’s opening 45-minute roundtable hosted by Advertiser journalist Andrew Capel. The panel discussed challenges such as how to progress women’s sport and what we learnt from the Taylor Walker racism scandal.

Ms Klei, who still plays regularly with the Aldgate Netball Club, said sport provides a fitting way to launch the campaign “because sport matters to communities”.

Adelaide players celebrate their 2019 AFLW Grand Final victory. How far can women’s sport progress in the next five years? Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos

Streamed live every Wednesday from 10.30am, the series encourages the community to join a range of discussions relevant to the future of South Australia. Subjects – all to be dissected by experts – will include the space industry, entrepreneurship, education, health, defence and creative fields.

All discussions will be streamed live via advertiser.com.au, with follow-up articles highlighting key issues.

People can submit their own questions to put forward to any of the weekly panels through advertiser.com.au or on Twitter via #FearlessConversations