It's meant to be a banner year for women’s sport but the dream and the reality may be very different.
The 2020 women's T20 Cricket World Cup final in Melbourne hosted record crowds for a women's sports event with more than 80,000 people there to watch.
It's those scenes 2022 women's Cricket World Cup organisers will be crying out for - as well as the players.
"Walking into the MCG and seeing 80,000 people to watch a cricket game was a pinch your self-moment," White Ferns star Suzie Bates said.
"That’s what we envision in the final at Hagley Park."
It's a vision that's seeming more and more distant with Covid-19 restrictions under the Government's freshly-imposed Red settings meaning fans could still enter but they'd be limited to pods of just 100.
Bates said that's not the only worry from the White Ferns.
"There’s some of those anxieties around what tour life may look like and if we're going to be in bubbles and if we're going to be able to get out and about," she said.
"There's been some chat but I think we just keep bringing it back to what we can control."
Tournament organisers are still looking at options and fortunately have more time than the Super Rugby teams, who have just under three weeks before the men's competition kicks off ahead of the women's competition launching in March.
Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge said the franchises are now planning for when Covid-19 gets in, not if.
"I think we all know it's going to get in so it's actually how do you manage it when it is in and how do you make sure you’ve got players available when it is in your environment" Mansbridge said.
But maximising crowds has become another pressing issue for them too.
"There'd be separate entrances and-or the ability to exit and enter at different times," Mansbridge explained.
"Separate facilities, toilets and wash rooms and separate if there is any food or beverage and making sure that's delivered in a separate environment, splitting bubbles up so they aren’t crossing over."
Super Rugby teams are already admitting they'll be financially bruised this year too with Mansbridge adding while having crowds is important to their club, tight protocols and restrictions will cost the franchise more money.
"You can't actually just throw fans out - you've got to do the best you can to make it viable and safe for them to attend.
"If it was a pure financial decision we'd probably have different measures and different plans than what we have now."
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