When Isha Singhal first laced up a pair of football boots at 13, she didn’t imagine she would one day become a leading voice in Australia’s women’s football community. Back then, she was just a kid in love with the game – its pace, its energy, the way it gathered strangers onto the same patch of grass and made them feel like teammates. But years later, after diving deeper into the sport as both a player and spectator, she found herself increasingly frustrated.
“I just felt really disappointed,” she reflects. “There was limited coverage, and when I wanted to learn more about players, I had to dig so hard to find anything. And sometimes the way people spoke about women players, especially from different backgrounds, wasn’t always the most delicate.”
From that frustration came an idea. Not just to fill a gap, but to reshape the tone of women’s football media in Australia. In her words, “I wanted to provide something different because I’m really passionate about this, and I wanted to highlight the female athletes who put in so much effort to make this sport so enjoyable for all of us.”
Singhal first tested the waters on social media. It started casually with TikToks here and there, thoughts about matches, and commentary on stories she felt deserved attention.
“My TikToks really blew up,” she laughs. “I hit one million views in my first six months or something and it made me realise people actually wanted more. They wanted to talk about it. I had people messaging saying, ‘I didn’t know this game was on. I want to watch it.’ That kind of thing made me feel like, wow, this is a space people are craving.”
@ishaonthefield Captain Kimmy confirms that not only has she seen them but the players show her the memes. #arsenalwfc #KimLittle #melbourne #stephcatley ♬ original sound – Isha on the Field ⚽️
From there, she wanted “a space that wasn’t just reliant on social media… something I had full control over. And I also wanted to reach different demographics, because social media reaches one type of audience, but not always everyone.”
And so, this year, she launched Australia’s first dedicated women’s football newsletter, Womens Football Weekly. From the beginning, Isha Singhal was clear her newsletter was, “for anyone who cares.” “There are so many people who love this space, but they need nuance, they need conversations that aren’t already happening.”
Her audience ranges from dedicated fans to casual observers, full-time workers who can’t watch every game, and young girls who want to see themselves reflected in their sporting heroes. She also hopes to engage men, people of colour, and community members from all backgrounds.
“You don’t have to look any particular way or be any particular type to enjoy sport,” she says. “I want something that caters to people from all walks of life.”
But she also notes the importance of giving space to those starting out. “That’s where our future is made,” she says. “It’s so important that grassroots women’s football gets more attention. That’s where our next Matildas come from.”
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Women’s football media, compared to men’s sport, is still young but Singhal sees that as an opportunity, not an obstacle. “I watch men’s football too, and that’s part of why I focused my platform on women’s football. There are already so many voices covering the men’s game, but not enough covering the women’s.” So instead of competing, she has found a community. “I honestly don’t think the women’s football media market is saturated at all. There’s space for everyone. And the people in it are so supportive. We all learn and grow from each other. The more voices, the better.”
Despite being just four weeks old, Singhal’s newsletter is already gaining traction. “Within the first few hours, I hit 100 subscribers,” she shares. “Now I’m at about 150.” “The feedback has been so lovely,” she beams. “Someone emailed saying they don’t always have time to watch the games because they work full-time, but they love being in the know. Another person said the newsletter was really thoughtful and well-crafted.”
One of her early cover stories, about issues facing the women’s national team, deeply resonated with readers.“Someone told me they would’ve never known about it if I hadn’t covered it. That meant a lot.”
In a landscape where women in media, especially women of colour – are still severely underrepresented, Isha Singhal’s work is helping shape the tone of sports media in Australia. As she puts it: “Sport is magical. It brings people together. And I want women’s football at all levels to have the light it deserves.”
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