The most prestigious honour bestowed at the Victorian Sport Awards, the Outstanding Contribution to Victorian Sport Award is presented to an individual or organisation in recognition of outstanding achievement in, or contribution to, sport in Victoria.

A pioneer on and off the cricket field who has challenged stereotypes and broken down barriers for women in a traditionally male-dominated sport, this year’srecipient of the Outstanding Contribution toVictorian Sport Award is Mel Jones OAM.

From Melbourne, Mel’s passion for cricket started in playgrounds and streets aroundMiddle Park Primary School and Elwood High School before blossoming under the guidance of her high school geography teacher who put together a girls’ team and forged connections between players and local clubs.

Starting her career as an opening bowler for Victoria and the Under-21 national team,Mel developed into a middle-order batter and went on to play for Australia between 1997-2005. Debuting against Pakistan in a One Day International (ODI),she contributed to an era of dominance and played alongside the greats likeBelinda Clark and Karen Rolton.

The134th woman to play tests for Australia, Mel burst onto the scene with an Ashes score of 131 on debut which was a world record score at the time. Also making a name for herself with exceptional fielding, Mel won two Ashes campaigns in 1998and 2002/03 as well as two ODI World Cup’s in 1997 and 2005 to bookend her career. Domestically, she played 122 Women’s National Cricket League matches, scoring over 3,300 runs with a top score of 95 and when she retired, she sat third on the all-time runs scorers list.

Playing in the amateur era meant Mel had to juggle her playing commitments with work asa teacher and in cricket development throughout Australia, England and SouthAfrica. Working for Surrey Cricket in 2000, a moment of adversity transformed into a blessing when she was dropped for the Ashes. While only one women's game was broadcast for the summer, her name was passed on to Sky Sports as a potential commentator and she went on to hold that position for several years. Mel then took up a commentary role athome with Channel 9 when they won the rights to the cricket in 2007.

2015 was a pivotal moment in her commentary career, as she was one of the first four female commentators for the IndianPremier League. Making the decision to go full time into commentary in 2018, Mel became the first female lead on the Big Bash and has been a regular with FoxSports Cricket over the Australian summer, Sky Sports over the England summer and ICC World Cup events.

Since retirement, Mel has focused on supporting, developing and expanding career opportunities for women in sport, through cricket as well as the broader sporting industry. She has volunteered and worked for various task forces that focus on women in sport, joined the board of Bowls Australia and in November 2019, was the first former female player to hold a Director role on the board of Cricket Australia.

In August 2021 while stuck in hotel quarantine, Mel saw a news story on the overthrow of the Afghanistan government by the Taliban and the Afghan sports women that were, among other groups, being specifically targeted. After theAfghanistan national women’s football team evacuated the country, Mel helped assemble a coterie of trusted, reliable and proactive women who could do the same for the national women’s cricket team. Having to keep their plans secret and facing terrifying deadlines and threats, the group secured 135 HumanitarianVisa’s for the players and their families which allowed them to flee Kabul, through Pakistan and into Australia.

While the players continue to fight to set up a life in Australia and, one day hopefully return home, a match hosted by CricketAustralia in Melbourne at the start of 2025 amplified their plight while Mel has also launched Pitch Our Future, a charity focused on financially supporting the players in their playing and educational careers with the hope that they, and other Afghan women, can play under their new founded refugee logo.

FoundingJET Group International in 2023, Mel’s company runs personal development immersion for women in sport and sports fandom tours to world events. Within this, they aim to address the imbalance of women at decision-making tables andhelp shape sport in a way that includes everyone.

Melalso sits on the MCC World Cricket Connects Advisory Panel and is an ambassador for Victoria University and for Red Dust, who aim to enrich the lives andstrengthen the future of remote Indigenous youth through health promotion programs.

Mel Jones OAM says:

“My sporting career, on and off the field, has been shaped by the experiences I’ve had in Victorian sport. From playing to coaching, volunteering, administration, calling and as a fan. I, like so many others, developed a passion for sport through a community of sports loving people and have tried in different ways to ensure other Victorians experience the joy of what sport can bring.

“I’m humbled by the recognition and to be joining such an exemplary list of Victorians. I can’t thank enough all the people along the way whoplayed such an important role in my career.”

The Hon. Ros Spence, Minister for Community Sport says:

“Mel Jones has been an outstanding advocate for women’s sport and has played an integral part in the rise of women in cricket and sport on andoff the field. Mel is a thoroughly deserving winner of this year’s OutstandingContribution to Victorian Sport Award.”

Vicsport CEO Lisa Hasker says:

“Melis a role model for all and a champion athlete and ambassador. I am thrilled to see her honoured with this award.”

In addition to this accolade, MelJones is a member of the Victoria University Sport Hall of Fame, was inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2017, earned a Medal of the Order ofAustralia (OAM) in 2021 for services towards cricket and the community and was named a Cricket Victoria LifeMember in 2024.

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Mel Jones will be presented with theOutstanding Contribution to Victorian SportAward at the 2024Victorian Sport Awards on Wednesday 14 May.

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Tickets are now on sale for the Awards and can be purchased via the Vicsport website, email or on (03) 9698 8100.

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Presented by the State Government of Victoria and Vicsport, the VictorianSport Awards is the night of nights for the Victorian sporting community, celebrating the athletes, coaches, administrators and volunteers who have made an exceptional contribution to sport in Victoria as well as the initiatives that promoted sport and active recreation participation.

Event details:

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Wednesday 14 May, 2025

Members Dining Room at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne
Tickets

Finalists in the 18 nominated categories of the 2024 VictorianSport Awards were announced on 26 March and can be found here. Winners will be announced on 14 June alongside Mel Jones’ presentation.

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