Abbie does it her way

It’s common knowledge that female athletes aren’t always given the same attention and opportunities as their male counterparts, and for one young sports fan this simply isn’t ok. Whether it be AFLW, cricket, soccer or basketball, Abbie has been to more women’s sporting matches than she can count and knows a lot about Australia’s best female athletes, so she decided to create a digital magazine to celebrate these women in sport. Aimed at young sport loving girls, the first issue of ‘Her Way’ magazine launched on September 24 at a cost of $2, with half the money going to UNICEF Australia’s Empower Girls Through Cricket appeal. Oh, and did we mention Abbie is only 11 years old! Wow!

Gosh Abbie, magazine editor at 11 years old! Tell us how Her Way came about.

I’ve always loved sport, and for a couple of years I’ve been buying magazines about TV shows and music and celebrities. But whenever I would go to an appointment, I would sit in the waiting room and see sports magazine and there was only ever a couple of pages about women’s sport, which I thought was unfair. So I asked my dad one day why there weren’t any magazines for kids about women’s sport, and he said, “well why don’t you make one?!” So I did, and here we are today!

Your magazine’s motto is “if she can, you can”. I guess that applies to you creating a magazine too! How much time do you spend creating each issue?

Yeah, it takes a fair bit of work. My dad helps me a bit with research for interviews and working out what should be in each issue. I try to take a week off after each new issue comes out before I get back into the next one. But I try to spend between an hour or two on the magazine most days in the lead, whether that’s doing an interview, typing, researching or doing the creative stuff!

You’ve got some pretty high profile athletes supporting you. Who has been the most exciting person who has bought the mag?

I’ve got a few AFLW players who have subscribed or bought it - it’s really exciting when someone you have admired for a while buys it and mentions it on their social media. Hannah Darlington, Maitland Brown and Elyse Villani are cricketers who have all bought it, plus Hannah Green the golfer, as well as hall of fame golfer Karrie Webb!

How do you come up with the ideas for content in the magazine?

It’s a combination of seeing what big sporting events and competitions might be coming up, and then trying to interview athletes from those to help create awareness of them. Also, some sports actually contact me saying they’d like

one of their athletes to be interviewed, so that’s pretty cool. And then I try to add some fun stuff too like athletes’ dogs!

Who has been the most exciting person you have interviewed so far and why?

Hmm… so many of them have been fun and exciting, it seems unfair to just say one. But for this new December issue I got to interview swimmer Cate Campbell, which was pretty incredible because I’ve admired her for basically half of my life! And she was so lovely and friendly which made it more special.

Who are we going to read about in the December issue?

Well, as I just mentioned, there’s a big interview with Cate Campbell, as well as another big interview with basketballer Shyla Heal - we went and chatted in a park which was cool. Plus I interviewed a couple of Matildas, a Paralympic gold medallist and even a speedway car racer!

What’s your favourite sport to play and do you aspire to play sport professionally one day too?

I love lots of sports, but the two I play the most now are AFL and cricket. I like basketball, tennis and lots of other sports too. I would love to be a professional one day, but we will have to wait and see!

What does an average weekend in Sydney look like for you? What do you get up to when sport isn’t involved?

I like being creative, so whether it’s drawing or writing. Plus I try to see family as much as I can. And to unwind I love watching a bit of Bluey with my little sister!

What do you see yourself doing when you finish school?

Starting ‘Her Way’ has made me want to maybe be a sports journalist, but there are a lot of things I am passionate about and enjoy doing, so there are lots of possibilities I hope.

Finally, where can we find your magazine?

You can purchase the mag at her-way-magazine. square.site for only $2!