New Zealand Sports Minister Grant Robertson put increased support for professional women athletes "as his main priority in a letter of expectations to Sport NZ." In the letter, Robertson said, "I wish to see Sport NZ promote the importance of support for our elite women athletes and where feasible, the development of professional sport opportunities in New Zealand including the long-standing issue of equitable remuneration" (STUFF, 5/22).
Expansion club Geelong was awarded the first two picks in October’s Australian Football League Women's draft after the league "used its discretion to reorder the draft in the interest of competitive balance." While the club landed Melbourne player Mel Hickey and Western Bulldogs player Aasta O’Connor, the league "still gave the fledgling club four compensation picks" as it only signed 13 players during its list build period (HERALD SUN, 5/22).
The Arab Esport Federation and Global Esport Resources announced a partnership that was signed on April 19. The 25-year exclusive agreement calls for GER, a global esport strategy, planning and execution company, to own, develop and operate on behalf of and in conjunction with AEF, a first-ever all-inclusive esport gaming portal to aggregate and manage the esport and video gaming activities of the 11 member AEF countries (AEF).
