Mary Konstantopoulos is a lawyer, writer, and advocate for women in sport, best known as the founder of ‘Ladies Who League,’ a platform promoting female participation in sports conversations and highlighting women’s achievements in the industry.
Her award-winning writing has appeared in NRL.com, ESPN Australia, and The Sydney Morning Herald, shaping discussions on gender equality in Australian sport.
Beyond media, Mary is co-Chair of the Parramatta Eels Supporters Group Alliance, an Advisory Board member of SportsGrid, and a Commonwealth Games Australia Nominations Committee member.
On International Women’s Day (IWD), Mary will be on the panel at The Greek Festival of Sydney’s ‘Hellenic Horizons’ event, supported by The Greek Herald.
In this interview, she reflects on her Greek heritage, the evolution of women’s sport in Australia, and the ongoing fight for equal opportunities on and off the field.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your Greek heritage. How has your Greek heritage inspired you?
Both my parents were born overseas. My mum was born in a small village in Cyprus called Monagrouli and came to Australia with my grandparents when she was four years old. My dad was born in Neapolis, which is a small village in the Peloponnese region of Greece and he came to Australia with my grandparents when he was eight years old. I have always been extremely close with my grandparents, but over the last decade I have been reflecting on the migrant story and the courage it took to leave your family behind, never knowing if you would see them again, to start a better life for your family. My family and the generations around us stand on our grandparents’ shoulders and I’m incredibly proud of their story and my Greek heritage.
Your passion for rugby league began at a young age. How did your early experiences as a Parramatta Eels fan influence your decision to advocate for women’s involvement in the sport?
I had always been a passionate footy fan and was encouraged to ‘do something about it’ by one of my incredible colleagues Simone Whetton. So I did. I started a blog called ‘Ladies who League’ which at the time was about promoting women involved in sport and encouraging women to get involved in conversations about sport. But back then, women involved in sport really only extended to women involved in the administration, media, fans and volunteers.
Shortly after I started ‘Ladies who League,’ I realised that there was an amazing group of women called the Australian Jillaroos, who were Australia’s women’s rugby league team. I realised that if I was a passionate footy fan who didn’t know about them then there would be countless others like me, so I started talking about them and raising questions about their pay and the journey women’s rugby league had been on for several decades.
‘Ladies Who League’ started as a platform to encourage women’s participation in the male-dominated world of rugby league. What challenges did you face in the early stages of this initiative, and how did you overcome them?
It wasn’t necessarily a challenge, but the reality of ‘Ladies who League’ is that it is my business and its strength rests on my commitment to it and my willingness to work hard. I don’t have employees I can depend on, so it really rests on me. This taught me some really big lessons, particularly in the early years. These lessons included asking people for help. In the early days when I had a podcast, many people would ask ‘how did you get [insert] on your podcast’. It happened because I asked. If you don’t ask, you don’t get and I have found that people are generally very generous and giving with their time.
Our challenge is to continue to pay it forward and be generous with our time, particularly to the next generation. My grandparents and parents also instilled the value of hard work and I worked hard in those early years to build the brand – whether it was writing articles for free, having the financial freedom to pay to attend seminars so I could meet key people or being relentless on the weekend in attending women’s sport, that hard work has now given me the freedom to be a bit more selective in what I participate in due to the strong foundation ‘Ladies who League’ was built on.
You’ve created a strong and supportive community through ‘Ladies Who League.’ What has been the most rewarding personal moment or message you’ve received from someone inspired by your work?
There have been so many over the years, but two in particular stand out. I remember when the first season of the NRLW was announced and the then coach of the Australian Jillaroos Brad Donald called to thank me for my role in bringing it into being. That was hugely moving and to see the NRLW thriving now brings me a lot of pride. In addition, I remember a particular company who was interested in sponsoring women’s sport approaching me to see if I had any ideas. I did a big campaign where I got hundreds of emails with sponsorship proposals. I worked with that brand and as a result, several women’s sports teams received funding to continue to give women and girls the opportunity to play sport. I felt like I had made a real difference in that moment.
This year’s IWD theme, ‘March Forward,’ is about progress and pushing boundaries. How do you see this theme reflected in the evolution of women’s sport in Australia?
When I was a little girl, I never considered asking if women could play my favourite sports like rugby league or cricket. The reality is I couldn’t be what I couldn’t see and I couldn’t see any women playing those sports. To live in a world now, that has changed quite quickly, where every major sport has a professional women’s competition is astounding. There is a long way to go but it’s important to recognise how far we have come. I look forward to women being compensated appropriately for competing at the highest level and that not just extended to pay, but also additional support like insurance and having the appropriate facilities to play on.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of women in sport, and how can we all play a role in keeping the momentum moving forward?
One small thing we can all do is get our bottoms on seats. If you want to support women in sport, get out to a game, buy a membership or turn your television on. Eyes on the product makes a massive difference and is something we can all contribute to.
