The Brisbane Broncos, St George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors have been named as the teams that will compete as part of the inaugural NRL Holden Women’s Premiership in 2018.

NRL Chief Executive, Todd Greenberg confirmed the four teams today, which finalises a full year of women’s rugby league competition.

In women's sport they call it the "grass ceiling". It's like the "glass ceiling" - that invisible barrier to advancement for professional women - which sees female sports stars paid considerably less and attracting considerably smaller corporate sponsorships than their male counterparts. Despite the fact Australia's national female sporting teams in sports such as cricket, rugby union, rugby league and football are as successful and in some cases more successful than their sporting brothers.

A SELL-OUT crowd descended on ANZ Stadium to see global idol Ed Sheeran open the Sydney leg of his World Tour. But the English singer-songwriter wasn’t the only star being celebrated.

On Level 3, overlooking the enormous crowd, the official launch of the Minerva Network recognised some of Australia’s best sportswomen.

The Minerva Network is a mentor program aimed at supporting elite female athletes both on and off the field.

The countdown to the Australian Sevens campaign at the Commonwealth Games is on, with both squads named on Thursday.

There’s nothing quite like an Olympic gold medal to catapult an athlete into the limelight. Just ask Alicia Quirk.

Women leaders supporting athletes in the business of sports.  The sports landscape in Australia is changing. The nation’s favourite pastime is experiencing a seismic cultural shift and, finally, our elite sportswomen are being offered the spotlight.

As the profile of women’s sport increases, so do the demands on its athletes. And these demands stretch well beyond the battleground.

The Minerva Network has been established to support elite sportswomen navigate commercial challenges, both on and off the field. The Network is pairing each of its athletes with an experienced business woman who will help them leverage their rising influence.

The NRL has announced the inaugural 40 elite female rugby league players based in Australia, who will represent the game as marquee NRL players in 2018.

Romilly Madew and Jane Spring have competed together in oceans swims for five years.

The Westfield Matildas and superstar striker Sam Kerr were the big winners with fans at the AIS Sport Performance Awards in Sydney.

Raelene Castle will officially begin as Rugby Australia CEO in January, and her first priority will be to take stock of her new territory.

Tears of joy have flowed with the Jillaroos farewelling co-captains Steph Hancock and Renae Kunst in style, defending their Rugby League World Cup title with a 23-16 win over the Kiwi Ferns.

Hosts take 8-4 points lead and need one more win to take the series outright