Sue Anstiss joined SMS in September 2020 as the company’s first special advisor in women’s sport. To celebrate welcoming Sue to the team, we sat down to get to know her better, and set the sporting world to rights.
Question (SMS). What is your first sporting memory?
Answer (Sue Anstiss). Beating Wendy Vincent at the 1 length breaststroke in the borough championships at Heston pool in 1976. I was 10.
Q. Who is your all-time favourite sports person?
A. Denise Lewis. Amazing athlete and inspirational woman.
Q. What is your favourite sporting moment you have seen live?
A. England versus France at Sandy Park in Exeter in March 2019. Women’s rugby. Packed stands, incredible atmosphere, felt like we were making history.
Q. What achievement are you most proud of?
A. Being awarded an MBE in 2018 for my contribution to women’s sport.
Q. What are your dreams for women’s sport?
A. That one day we won’t talk about it as ‘women’s sport’. It will be just seen as ‘sport’.
Q. If you were Prime Minister for a day, what would you do?
A. Ensure sports and PE were as much a part of the curriculum as Maths and English.
Q. Which sporting event would you most like to attend?
A. The World Cup in New Zealand next October.
Q. If you could be professional in any sport, what would it be and why?
A. Basketball. Love what the WNBA are doing right now.
Q. What is the biggest misconception you hear about women’s sport?
A. That there’s no audience for it.
Q. How do you define success?
A. Getting paid to do something I love.
Q. What has been your favourite moment in lockdown?
A. The moment I finished writing my book. It will be published in 2021. https://unbound.com/books/game-on/
Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever heard?
A. Never stop learning
