With five days to go until the official opening of the new Australian Sports Museum, the latest addition has been revealed - a life-size 3D hologram of AFLW star, Tayla Harris.
Harris’ hologram addresses some of the key issues in female sport today, from growing up playing football with limited female pathway opportunities, to the social media trolling she faced in 2019.
“I think other aspiring female athletes can take from my hologram the fact that I actually stood up for what I believe in,” Harris said.
“It’s ok to have your own personality and actually stand up for something you believe in.”
Along with Harris, Richmond premiership player Bachar Houli and cricket legend Shane Warne are also immortalised in the new football gallery at the Australian Sports Museum.
“I saw the Shane Warne one earlier and the fact that an Australian legend and hero is kind of in the same breadth as me is pretty amazing.”
“I feel pretty proud, but I don’t think it will sink in until years down the track that this is history.”
Harris’ hologram is just one of many exhibits in the museum which showcases the rise of female sport.
Harris said the equal spread of female and male representation in the museum demonstrates the normalisation of females in sport.
“There is plenty of female representation and I think it seems really normal and it just normalises the fact that women play sport at the same level as men.”
“We can come in here it’s very normal to see female athletes as represented as men, so it doesn’t really feel like a different occasion, it just seems like another sporting event, and I think that’s perfect.”
Melbourne Cricket Club President and board member of the Australian Sports Museum, Michael Happell echoed Harris’ sentiment, acknowledging the balance achieved in the museum.
“The gender balance in the museum is 40 per cent about men’s sport, 40 per cent about women’s sport and 20 per cent about any gender,” Happell said.
“We have over 90 different sports represented in the museum – from rugby league to wood chopping and everything in between.”
“We want the Australian Sports Museum to be a place that celebrates all aspects of sport in Australia. To give people, regardless of gender, race or background, a place to feel inspired, to feel involved and to feel important.”
Harris was also joined by young footballers from the U12 Camberwell Sharks female team to preview the new-look Game On section, which features sport-based activities allowing visitors to be part of the action - from football to surfing and soccer to horse racing.
The Australian Sports Museum officially opens on Saturday February 29. Tickets are on sale now at australiansportsmuseum.org.au.
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