Erin Phillips of the Adelaide Crows and Brianna Davey of the Blues contest the ball during the AFLW Grand Final match.Credit:AAP
The document did not specify what non-marquee sports could be affected by the reduced spending. Foxtel was awarded a $30 million grant in 2017 by the Turnbull government with the aim of boosting women's,niche and emerging sports.
Last year,theSydney Morning Herald andThe Age revealed that 12 sporting codes benefited from the first instalment of the ad-hoc grant during the 2017-18 financial year:AFL,soccer,rugby union,rugby league,cycling,lawn bowls,surfing,Ironman,surf lifesaving,cricket,basketball and hockey.
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A number of sports within those codes – such as the AFL's women's league – have run on free-to-air networks with much larger audiences.
A News Corp spokesperson said:"We are proud of our commitment to supporting women in sport - both on air and on the field - and will continue to do so."
Opposition communications spokesperson Michelle Rowlandquestioned the $30 million grant in a recent interview with this newspaper.
Foxtel's appetite for sport has driven record deals for top tier sports,including a $1.2 billion deal with Seven West Media last year for broadcast rights to domestic cricket.