Alice Soper: Tauihi’s ambition means women’s sport takes flight

Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.
Tokomanawa Queens players celebrate winning Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. Photo / Photosport
THREE KEY FACTS
Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she has a particular interest in telling stories of the emerging world of women sports.
OPINION

It’s the beginning of another Tauihi basketball season, which means I
am here to tell you yet again why this is the best domestic women’s competition in Aotearoa. Year one was defined by pay equity, year two by game development and, now, in year three, a group of women is stepping up in what is reported as a world first. It’s a wonder anyone can play basketball with all that glass from shattered ceilings on the court.

So often in the world of women’s sports, the meaning of the word professionalism is stretched to define anything but a pay cheque. It’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for players. Invest your talent in this league and one day others may be paid your dividends. Wage rates often appear arbitrary. More in line with maintaining optics than the financial security of your players. Which is why pay equity at the launch of Tauihi was so surprising. Our jaws are on the floor now that the weekly pay this season is reported to be more than their male counterparts.
It’s not just the pay bracket that’s shifted this year, the playing window has too. This new window means clear air for women’s sports fans as there are no other domestic leagues to compete with for eyeballs. Now running in alignment with the timing of Australia’s WNBL, the league is positioning itself as a real contender for talent in the southern hemisphere. While still leaving the door open for potential crossovers like what we’ve seen in football and league.
The signals Tauihi have been sending about their vision for this competition have been recognised by those at the top of their game. Last season, nine players with affiliations to the WNBA took to the court in this startup league. This recruitment has hit a whole other level with Tokomanawa Queens securing the signature of Seattle Storm forward Jordan Horston. This WNBA top 10 draft pick is currently in the playoffs against A’ja Wilson’s Las Vegas Aces. Her new teammates will be cheering her on but not that loud. Hoping that she joins their squad sooner rather than later.
The Wellington-based franchise has been setting the standard in this competition. Establishing a reputation as the ones to beat in off-court activity, the Tokomanawa Queens’ home games are a vibe all of their own. Which makes the news this week of the sale of their fiercest rival, the Auckland Kāhu, all the more intriguing. The Kahū are now all women owned, managed and coached. A world first in professional sport.
This group of women includes an English rugby captain, Paula George, alongside her wife and the All Blacks’ first official photographer, Jo Caird. They are joined by Womenzsports founder Dani Marshall and former Football Fern turned Adidas executive Rachel Howard. Their basketball credentials are boosted with current Kāhu coach and former Tall Fern Jody Cameron completing the set.
These two teams have gone tit for tat, winning a Tauihi title each. This rivalry will only level up this year with the ownership of both franchises going all in for women’s sport. Talk to any of them and they will tell you that they see their role as extending beyond the court and the code. They are here to change the game for women’s sport and they want us all along for the ride.
Round one of season three tips off on October 4. If the action on court provides fans with even a fraction of the excitement we’ve seen in the lead-up, it will be another blockbuster season. Tauihi means to soar. Thanks to basketball’s ambition, it’s not just the league but women’s sport that is taking flight.
Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.