Dutch sport minister Conny Helder wants the women’s world cup in Holland in 2027 (SBS)

THIS ONE IS IN DUTCH – Dutch Minister for sport Conny Helder, wants the women’s world cup soccer in the Netherlands in 2027. To that end she was in NZ and AU (during this year’s event) to have some chats with FIFA and to learn how things were organised over here. She also spoke with local sports organisations about equality and safety in athletics. I spoke to her about her aspirations for the WWC, the pay gap between male and female sporters, and how to best address issues like that. I tried to coax out of her which Dutch parliamentarians could do with some more exercise, but like a true MP (which she is after all) she remained stoically silent on that subject.