Why women need to start networking more

Not only were we treated to an excellent spectacle on the field, the night was sparked by an invigorating panel discussing all things about women's sport, in particular the AFLW, and what all sporting organisations can learn from its success.

But there was something else to be learned from the night as well and one discussion with a group of women really brought that home for me.

The game was well into the third quarter and this group of about six to seven women were engaged in a conversation, oblivious to the actual match. They were all former work colleagues, from one of the big accounting firms, and were taking this opportunity to catch up, see where they call were with their careers, what opportunities might be out there. They weren't really interested in the game at all. Networking men call it.

It's something women don't do enough. It's something women should do a lot more of. Make contacts, exchange business cards, exchange ideas, chew the fat, drink a glass, shake a few hands and make some new friends. Men do it all the time.

You see them at similar sporting events. Ties loosened and sleeves rolled up at the cricket, in woollen suits and scarves at the football, in fabulous plaid plus fours on golf courses around the world.

And speaking of golf, a girlfriend and I have been taking lessons for this very reason. We both see the opportunities in being able to corner someone for a couple of hours on the golf course for purposes of business rather than pleasure. Mind you, with my very inconsistent drive I'd be walking from one side of the fairway to the other with little interaction with my playing partner.

When I began to Google "women and sport and networking", I mean investigate this phenomenon, I found an interesting article that said networking in a male-dominated space, such as the sporting world, can be beneficial for women.

Debbie Thomas, a partner at Deloitte, said men are intrigued by having women in their space and they're more likely to remember you over the plethora of men.

But it also warned of the "male locker room camaraderie" which might be a barrier as men don't tend to relax as much when women are around, they might actually be resistant to you being in their space.

Other articles said women need to find ways to network up, that is network with people above them on the corporate ladder and, not surprisingly, these are usually men. The sporting arena, as such, can offer more of those opportunities

While I can see the benefits of things such as the Business Chicks breakfast I recently attended, getting a group of successful and like-minded women together, is this networking up?

And should we really get too hung up on the up?

Wandering around the Bradman Room I was surprised how many women I knew were there. Mothers from school, friends from hockey, a couple of women I had interviewed over the years, even some who I had no idea who they were but they knew I was Karen Hardy from The Canberra Times and they came over to say hello.

Is a woman's real strength in networking is her willingness to see that all people, regardless of what rung they're on, worth learning something about?

It's not a matter of what can you do for me, or what can I do for you, but more a matter of what we can do for each other.

Susan Alberti is a wonder. An amazing woman who has recognised the importance of women looking out for other women. And while she spent much of the night pressing the flesh in the corporate area at the final hooter she was down on the field talking to the players, pressing the sweaty flesh. She's a woman of influence who realises that women of all kinds can influence each other's lives.

And really, that's the whole point of a network.