Keynote: Storytelling for influence
19 March 2025
Presenters: Ann Odong, Football Australia
Open Access - Available to the public
Biography
Born in Uganda and arriving in Australia as a six-year-old refugee, Ann Odong has emerged as an award-winning, globally respected storyteller, communicator and advocate for women’s sport.
Passionate about gender equality in sport for women and girls of all backgrounds, for 20 years Ann has tirelessly worked to elevate and amplify women’s voices. In 2008 she founded Australia’s groundbreaking first dedicated digital platform for women’s football, The Women’s Game, which she managed for a decade. The Women’s Game assisted in driving the growth of women’s football in Australia and its investigations instigated change in pay and conditions for athletes in the W-League. Off the pitch Ann worked to nurture and provide opportunities to up and coming female media professionals with several alumni from The Women’s Game employed in organisations including the ABC, Football Australia, The Guardian, ESPN, and Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
Ann joined Football Australia in 2018 as a key member of their successful bid to co-host the historic FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. In 2019 she transitioned to the Matildas becoming their media and PR lead where she has driven the visibility of the Matildas for the past five years to become one of Australia’s most recognisable and loved sporting teams.
Working with Carlee Millikin (GM of Women’s Football), she initiated the OUR GAME Media Program which aims to open doors and provide opportunities for women and non-binary persons to ensure that the push for gender parity in football is not limited to just on the pitch.
She has garnered global acclaim and in 2023 was named one of the eleven most influential people in global women’s football for the year in Relevent Sports’ Best XI, alongside Matildas captain, Sam Kerr. She was also awarded the Inaugural Grant Wahl Memorial Award for her services to women’s football.
In 2024 Ann was named in the NewsCorp Power 100 Most Influential Women in Sport and named the winner of Impactful Storytellers category in The Female Athlete Project Awards.
