One of her former Australian cricket team-mates lost her job in a sports store because she was picked to go on a two-week tour to New Zealand.

“The Australian women’s team was playing a one-day match at Lord’s and it started to rain,’’ Jones recalled.

“The covers came on the ground, but the staff only covered the pitch that was two across from the one we were playing on because there was a (men’s) county game starting two days later. A men’s county game had priority over a women’s international game.”

Gender equality was high on Jones’ agenda throughout her glittering on-field career and that campaign has continued off-field in her teaching, coaching and media roles.

“From a domestic violence point of view sport is not an avenue for women to get away from it. Domestic violence shouldn’t be there in the first place,’’ Jones said.

“Having a variety of sports out there for women to play and explore helps with gender equity.

“As a society, the more we can understand that everyone as an equal place in this world the flow-on effect is men will respect women more.”

Jones, who will be in Bendigo on Monday night as special guest at the Sports Focus Administrator of the Year award, said negative pre-conceived ideas about women playing sport still existed.

“There’s still some people who say women shouldn’t play AFL because it’s not feminine,’’ Jones said.

“The AFLW and teams like the Jillaroos (rugby league) and all these wonderful role models show great diversity in women.

“We don’t have to look and act like Maria Sharapova all the time. There’s a whole gamut of wonderful athletic, sporting women and they’re finding their niche in different sports.”

Jones said she “pinches herself everyday” when she thinks about how far women’s sport has come in the past decade.

“We’ve had this wonderful resurgence of women’s sport in the past two years,’’ Jones said.

“We had a couple of waves beforehand, but this one seems to have more guts to it. Social media probably has a lot to do with that because a lot of people have a voice to support women’s sport and educate and advertise what’s out there in women’s sport.

“I’m excited about the potential we have in the next couple of years for athletes, but also coaches, administrators and people involved in the media.

“At the same time I’m a little bit nervous that we make sure we do things right and that we do things that suit the women’s game the best and not just copy and mimic things that have happened in the past.

“Sport is a vehicle for social change whether that’s gender equity, inclusion and diversity or it’s for using sport as a message for domestic violence. It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring women, but also men, on the journey with us as well.”