Adele Willie

Adele Willie is a female sports commentator.[1][2] Willie is from Vanuatu.[1] She is among a group of the first female sports commentators from the Pacific Islands.[1] Willie provides commentary on soccer.[1] She discusses soccer in her own indigenous language, which is Bislama.[3][4] Willie is one of the first commentators from the Pacific Islands to cover the Women’s World Cup. [5]

Early life

Willie did not get to play soccer as a child.[6] In Vanuatu, mostly boys play soccer.[6]

Career

Willie was a sports journalist for the Daily Post Vanuatu.[7] She said men did not want to talk to female journalists.[7]

Willie, Jannesa Hinge Moli and Lavenia Yalovi got to call the Pacific Games in 2015, the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and the OFC Women’s Nations Cup.[4] Willie, Hinge Moli, and Yalovi trained for 8 months through an organization called WINS (Women in News and Sports) to get the opportunity to speak about soccer.[3] Willie and Hinge Moli talked in Bislama, and Yalovi talked in Fijian. [8]

Then, they were the first female commentators to go to the Women’s World Cup from the Pacific Islands.[5][1][9] They were invited by FIFA.[4][2][10] It was part of FIFA Women’s World Cup Pacific Commentary Project.[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Rosman, Rebecca (June 19, 2019). "'Commentary for Good' brings underrepresented languages to the Women's World Cup". The World.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "BBC World Service - Sportshour, 'I am so proud that we are the first female commentators in our country'". BBC. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Australia: The pacific road to the women's world cup. (2019, May 31). Asia News Monitor Retrieved from ProQuest
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 HANNEY, DANIEL (2019-05-30). "A Pacific Lingo". Beyond 90. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Pacific women get historic opportunity". Oceania Football Confederation. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Sportshour - 'I am so proud that we are the first female commentators in our country' - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Vanuatu Women Sports Journalist". Loop Vanuatu. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  8. 3 PACIFIC WOMEN ALL SET TO BOARD PLANE FOR WOMEN'S WORLD CUP IN FRANCE. (2019, May 28). Gov Australia Live (Australia). Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current
  9. "As the Fijian football team steps closer to the Women's World Cup in France, a special group of women in media are also achieving their sporting dreams". ABC International Development. 2018-09-05. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  10. "Vanuatu sports journalists to commentate in FIFA Women's World Cup". Sista Magazine. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2023-02-16.