Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Alyssa Healy’s retirement this week marks the end of an era, but new audience data suggests women’s sport in Australia isn’t slowing down.
Is Women’s Sport Set for Its Biggest Year Yet in 2026?
As interest in women’s sport gains momentum across Australia, new analysis examining long-term search trends and recent audience behaviour offers insight into whether that growth is set to continue into 2026.
New analysis from McGuigan Wines, official partner of Cricket Australia, examined Google search behaviour and Instagram followings across 120 Australian sportswomen spanning 26 sports, alongside search trends for women-specific sports and competitions.
Women’s cricket leads sustained growth
Five-year Google search trends show sustained and growing interest across multiple women’s sports in Australia, despite fluctuations between individual sports.
Several women’s sports have recorded notable increases in search interest over this period, including women’s cricket, women’s rugby sevens, the WNBL and women’s CrossFit, reflecting broader momentum across women’s sport.
Within that longer-term trend, women’s cricket stands out for both scale and consistency, with average monthly searches up 311% year-on-year and increasing 50% in the past three months.
Five-year Search Interest Across Women’s Sports
| Women’s Sport | Avg. monthly searches | Three month change | YoY change |
| matildas | 246000 | +83% | -45% |
| aflw | 165000 | +22% | -18% |
| nrlw | 40500 | -97% | +50% |
| womens cricket | 27100 | +50% | +311% |
| wnbl | 14800 | +400% | +22% |
| super netball | 8100 | -12% | +22% |
| hockeyroos | 2900 | -63% | 0% |
| womens boxing | 1900 | -23% | -58% |
| womens golf | 1900 | +23% | +23% |
| womens swimming | 880 | 0% | -19% |
Multiple Australian cricketers also appear among both the most searched and most followed sportswomen nationally, positioning women’s cricket as a sport converting long-term interest into sustained engagement.
Australians are actively engaging with sportswomen: search vs social
Across the 120 sportswomen analysed, search interest over the past 12 months was led by Sam Kerr and Jelena Dokic (both 74,000 average monthly searches), followed by Mary Fowler (49,500) and Cathy Freeman (33,100).
Cricket featured strongly, with Ellyse Perry (27,100) and Alyssa Healy (22,200) also ranking among the most searched Australian sportswomen.
Australian Sportswomen by Average Monthly Google Searches (past 12 months)
| Rank | Sportswoman | Sport | Avg. monthly searches |
| 1 | Sam Kerr | Soccer | 74000 |
| 2 | Jelena Dokic | Tennis | 74000 |
| 3 | Mary Fowler | Soccer | 49500 |
| 4 | Cathy Freeman | Athletics | 33100 |
| 5 | Ellyse Perry | Cricket | 27100 |
| 6 | Alyssa Healy | Cricket | 22200 |
| 7 | Ariarne Titmus | Swimming | 18100 |
| 7 | Ash Barty | Tennis | 18100 |
| 7 | Minjee Lee | Golf | 18100 |
| 10 | Michelle Payne | Horseriding | 14800 |
Instagram tells a different story of influence. Ellyse Perry leads on Instagram (2.6M followers), ahead of Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr (2.1M) and Sam Kerr (1.7M), while several highly followed athletes do not appear among the most searched, highlighting that social reach does not always translate to active search demand.
Australian Sportswomen by Instagram Followers
| Rank | Sportswoman | Sport | IG Followers |
| 1 | Ellyse Perry | Cricket | 2.6M |
| 2 | Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr | CrossFit / Weightlifting | 2.1M |
| 3 | Sam Kerr | Soccer | 1.7M |
| 4 | Elizabeth Cambage | Basketball | 1.1M |
| 5 | Stephanie Gilmore | Surfing | 639k |
| 6 | Michelle Jenneke | Athletics | 569k |
| 7 | Megan Anderson | MMA | 537k |
| 8 | Sally Fitzgibbons | Surfing | 533k |
| 9 | Skye Nicolson | Boxing | 531k |
| 10 | Ash Barty | Tennis | 491k |
Only a small number of athletes — Sam Kerr, Ellyse Perry and Ash Barty — appear near the top across both search demand and Instagram following, indicating a limited group capturing both active interest and large social audiences.
Search interest also spans generations, with both legacy figures (such as Cathy Freeman and Jelena Dokic) and current stars featuring prominently among Australia’s most searched sportswomen, pointing to sustained, long-term interest in women’s sport rather than attention driven by a single moment or cohort.
Supporting women’s cricket at a key moment
Alyssa Kane, Senior Brand Manager at McGuigan said the partnership reflects the growing prominence of women’s cricket and its connection with Australian audiences.
“Cricket brings people together in a way few sports can, and we’re seeing that connection strengthen as interest in the women’s game continues to grow. Supporting Australian cricket at this moment feels like a natural extension of that shared sense of celebration.”
To help bring fans closer to the women’s game, McGuigan Wines will also be giving away tickets to the upcoming Australian Women’s vs Indian Women’s international at the SCG on 15 February, reinforcing its commitment to supporting women’s cricket both on and off the field.
She added: “Australians are engaging with women’s sport in more ways than ever, whether that’s attending matches, following along online or actively searching for the athletes behind the game.”
Methodology
Average monthly search figures for individual sportswomen are based on Google Keyword Planner data from the past 12 months. Search trends for women-specific sports and official women’s competitions are based on Google searches in Australia from December 2021 to November 2025. The analysis includes 120 Australian sportswomen across 26 sports. Instagram follower counts were recorded at the time of analysis (Jan 2026)
