The Australian Women's Register

Ann Mitchell first played cricket with the Sydney University club in 1962. After working as manager of the New South Wales junior and senior cricket sides, she became manager of the Australian team in 1977. Mitchell has served on the board of Australian University Sport and was president of the International Women’s Cricket Council for six years. She served as president of the Australian Women’s Cricket Council from 1988, and is a now life member of Women’s Cricket Australia.

In 2005, Mitchell was awarded the Margaret Pewtress Memorial category of the 2005 Ausport Awards for developing and promoting opportunities for women in sport. She was praised for having ‘made a significant contribution to the status of women in sport, particularly by promoting gender equity in university sport’. In August 2006, as Co-ordinator of the Women in Sport Media Group, Mitchell played an active role in the Inquiry into women in sport and recreation in Australia. Today, Sydney University offers the Ann Mitchell award for Most Outstanding Performance at Australian University Games or Australian University Championships. Mitchell was awarded the OAM in 1990.

She was executive director of Sydney University Women’s Sport Association in 2002 when members agreed to combine with the men at the Sydney University Sports Union to create a new body called Sydney University Sport. About this move, she said, ‘some members may have had regrets [about the decision] but combining resources was seen as the best way forward.’