Rana Hussain: Writer and broadcaster with the Outer Sanctum podcast

Rana Hussain is writer, broadcaster with the Outer Sanctum podcast and a diversity and inclusion specialist. She’s also a footy fan who has worked most recently with Richmond on connecting them with their diverse community. I’m interested to hear Rana’s thoughts on the ‘whitewashing’ that occurs in the Australian media industry and the role of sport in achieving social change.

Maria O’Dwyer How did you develop your passion for AFL?

Rana Hussain  Growing up in an Indian household, cricket was always the number one sport, but during the winter footy was on in the background. It never really felt like my game. However, I was taken to the footy for the first time as a teenager (Friday night Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs) and I absolutely fell in love. It was electric. It was unruly, loud, and fierce and filled me with an amazing energy that I've been hooked on ever since. I love the game in all its forms.

You were one of the first women to wear the hijab and be employed by the AFL. What did this mean to you?

It’s a funny thing to be a ‘first’ in. I think there were women who worked at the Huddle (North Melbourne’s community arm) who wore a hijab, but certainly until 2017 no club had hired a visibly Muslim woman to work in administration. It's uncomfortable to talk about because, why is it even important? However, I know the power of visibility and representation and so, in that sense, it makes me feel ok to tell my story and put myself in the spotlight a bit. Until Bachar Houli played AFL, I honestly had never considered how Muslims and other culturally diverse communities were part of the game. I know that me being in the industry and visible kind of makes it possible for others, so that means a lot. I know that, in any institution, I look for the woman, the brown woman and gravitate to the most relatable image or touch point, so if I can be the ‘in’ point for someone that’s kind of amazing. It’s also a lot of pressure and, like I said, a weird position to be in. Whether I’m the first or not is kind of inconsequential but that I am, or that people like me are there, is important.

There’s been a lot more discussion recently about the lack of diversity in Australian media. Do you see this changing anytime soon?

I do! Especially if a critical mass continues to demand for it. Had you asked me six months ago I may have had a different answer. The rate of change has been glacially slow. However, I think Black Lives Matter has necessarily shifted the conversation for the better. We’ll see real change when leadership, news and editorial rooms consider quotas and people invest in pathways for diverse talent. I’m not seeing that so much. So I have hope, but I'm also a realist and, until markets start demanding diversity and calling out the extreme whitewashing that occurs in our media and entertainment industries – which will then affect financial bottom lines – I don't see fast and sustainable progress being made. What I do see is, with the increase in democratic online media culture, diversity is thriving because there’s less hierarchy to wade through. Big media would be smart to go there and find their content makers.

Do you think sport is uniquely positioned to combat racism? And if so, what would it take for it to make a real difference?

I would say sport has a great opportunity and obligation to move on systemic racism. Sport has a way of cutting through in Australia that other industries just don’t. There’s also a culture (to a degree) of egalitarianism in sport, in that on field/court talent is paramount and valued, so this can sometimes feel like an equaliser. What sport needs to do is to really assess who holds power in leagues, clubs and peak bodies and ensure that they are diverse and inclusive. Again, to me this is quotas. It won’t happen otherwise. Similarly, sport is so good at creating the symbolism around social cohesion. So continuing to do that while also making sure that behind the scenes the appropriate work is being done will make a difference. Diversity of identity, thought and experience in leadership positions coupled with appropriate anti-racist policies will see things really shift.

Does the AFL in particular have a role in speaking out and standing up against racism?

I think AFL, like everyone else, needs to do this work. I would say that, given the AFL have an over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on-field and celebrate Aboriginal culture from a brand perspective, they are obligated to also work on systemic and casual racism, starting with their own industry and organisations.

As a woman who moved into sport – a traditionally male-dominated arena – from school counselling, did you find this shift difficult to navigate?

Yes, I did! Quite hard actually. There are plenty of women in football which perhaps people aren't aware of. However, there's a really white, masculine, patriarchal culture that pervades the entire industry and so that is quite hard to exist in as a brown, Muslim woman who came from completely outside football. And I already know and loved the game! The industry is competitive in every way, has a very distinct culture and set of norms that if you’re not used to is difficult to navigate. The stuff that makes it great, like collegiality, a sense of family and tradition, a cultivation of a strong ‘team’ driven culture can be equally alienating if you’re not coming from the same place or are perceived to be on the outside of that. It takes a while to understand and find a way in. It’s an industry that has been built on certain notions of ‘the masculine’ so, despite a lot of good will to be more progressive, it’s still got a long way to go. I will say though that what I was surprised with was that there are plenty of people who are eager for the industry to be better and grow. They are working really hard and strategically to make that happen sustainably. AFLW is one of those spaces in the game and is beginning to really flourish – with more support and investment, it will. It was an incredible thing to be at Richmond when the club acquired their women’s team. That’s the stuff that’s super exciting and makes you feel hopeful.

As an employee of Richmond FC, you’ve been stood down as the AFL grapples with the COVID-19 epidemic. How are you dealing with the uncertainty this brings?

Lots of hot baths! It’s tough on everyone. I’m grateful to have plenty of skills to fall back on and am proud of the networks I've cultivated that have produced opportunities for me to tap in to. My main sadness is that the communities we were working with as a Community department may have to miss out for a while, and that’s really hard to live with.

You have a young daughter. What do you hope the world of sport looks like for her as she grows up?

I hope that for her sport is a diverse and inclusive space at all levels. I hope that she doesn’t blink an eye at the hijab wearing, brown CEO of a sporting club or at the AFL Blind footy league – that people in all their forms play and contribute to sport, from grass roots to elite. Ultimately I want her to feel like sport is for her, at every age, in every phase of her life.