Stephanie Brantz

Stephanie Brantz (born 1972 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian sports presenter currently on the Nine Network.

Brantz, born in Queensland to Dutch parents, began a modelling career in 1985 while attending St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly. In 2000, she moved to television presenting with SBS where she became a well known presenter of On the Ball in 2000, before filling in as host of Toyota World Sports and later co-hosting the show in 2006 with Les Murray.

She also became the face of SBS during their coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and began secretly dating football commentator Simon Hill. She is a mother of three.

In July 2006, just after the World Cup, Brantz was recruited by Nine CEO Eddie McGuire to front several sporting programmes, including National Nine News, The Cricket Show, Sunday & The Footy Show.

As well as her on-air duties, Brantz is presenter of a pre and post match function at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Aussie Stadium. At this event, she chats with various commentators from the sport being played at the time.

Brantz is currently presenting a weekly highlights show of the National Basketball League on the Nine Network, which began on October 15. She will also be doing "analysis and roving reports" for the network's 2006-07 Ashes cricket coverage.

On the 19 February 2007, she was appointed the sports presenter on "Nightline".

Issues with Channel Nine and cricket players

Australian cricketers are not usually short of a nice woman on their arm, but apparently when it comes to being interviewed, they'd rather not speak to the opposite sex. It is reported that Stephanie Brantz, a Channel Nine reporter, has been axed from the channel's cricket coverage because the players only want to be interviewed by Mark Taylor or Ian Healy.

"I think the culture needs to change," Brantz told the Herald. "I think this is perhaps a case of Channel Nine not being quite sure about what to do with a woman in sport." Peter Young, a Cricket Australia spokesman, said: "They [the players] don't have gender concerns and most of the players I know enjoy female company." But clearly only away from the cricket field.

External links

* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/football/soccer-mum/2006/02/25/1140670300263.html Stephanie's journey from soccer mum to the face of World Cup] , Anthony Stavrinos "The Sydney Morning Herald" 26 February 2006
* [http://www.theage.com.au/news/geoff-mcclure/demon-neale-a-ski-bunny-snow-chance/2006/06/26/1151174134511.html?page=2 Simon and Steph a real team]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/a-six-for-women/2006/11/11/1162661944773.html Women get second shot at cricket] , Annette Sharp "The Sun-Herald" 12 November 2006