Cricket is one of the most popular sports on the planet, and it is always placed second or third behind soccer, or as the rest of the world calls it, football. Cricket has billions of fans. Our City Tonight sat down with the popular Australian commentator, sports presenter, and TV personality, Grace Hayden on location from Delhi, India where she was working with the Domestic League for cricket.

GH: I am in Delhi, which is very far away from Vancouver, but this place really is the heartbeat of cricket I would have to say. I couldn’t get closer to the core of where it all happens and that is in India. I’m here for the next 30 days working on the Delhi Premier League. It is going to be an action-packed schedule where I will be covering two games per day as well as doing this great podcast.

OCT: I understand that your podcast is called Game on with Grace and It debuted on Willow TV.  For those who do not know Willow, and are also big fans of cricket, Willow TV is the premier streaming service in North America for cricket. I listened to the first episode with cricket legend Adam Gilchrist. I can really relate to the fact that when I get someone like you or another guest on for the television version of our show, I have limited time to talk to that guest. Alternatively, when you sit down and talk to somebody on a podcast or online format, it allows for a much longer conversation. This gives the conversation a flow like you’re just having coffee together and it can be however long you want it to be.  What can people expect from your new podcast?

GH: I feel podcasts really give you the opportunity to connect with your guest. That first episode with Adam was such a full circle moment because my dad, who is Matthew Hayden (legendary cricket player), had played with Adam Gilchrist. They had such a rich history together and I got to see that lens behind the dressing room. To have that conversation with him, as my very first episode, felt quite surreal and special. 

I feel so lucky to have had that relationship but also to be able to share some untold stories. I got to connect over similarities in our lives that we shared. In this podcast, I spoke about the special role my mom played in my family growing up. She was really the rock of our entire family. Dad was away for up to 11 months of the year and she really kept us centered. 

I guess for me this podcast is all about bringing you the untold stories of athletes, artists, and just connecting people with who you might see on the screen or on the cricket pitch or on the field. I want to just unpack these stories and share these people as human beings. I think people forget that outside of the people that they love and admire for what they are so talented at, there is a real person behind that. They have real passions and whatever that passion may be, there’s a unique person and I want to get to know every single part of that and connect it with cricket because it’s such a global sport now. I feel like it’s expanding by the second. 

I have a great connection with this game being the daughter of a famous cricket player and now obviously this affects who I get to work with in the industry too. This is such a full circle moment and I’m super excited to connect with a bunch of different people and not just from cricket, but from all the sports and the industries that we know and love. 

OCT: You mentioned your father, Matthew Hayden, and to clarify, this is like being the daughter of Wayne Gretzky in terms of hockey. Your father was part of that golden era of cricket in the 2000s. It’s also full circle for me where you’re involved because I interviewed your father back in Brisbane in 2011. You really do bring something different to the game of cricket because you grew up around this sport and had a front row seat. This gives you a whole other perspective now as a young adult to be able to talk to people about cricket and many whom you probably had met before. There’s more of a familiar setting for you and for them.

GH: It was incredible growing up in every stadium around the world, every iconic cricket stadium was my playground.

OCT: Let’s talk about your relationship with Willow TV. It is the top station for streaming cricket in our part of the world, Canada and the US.

GH: They came to me earlier in the year to express interest in creating this podcast with me. It’s the first exclusive podcast that people can consume on Willow TV but then obviously across Spotify or whatever you want to watch your podcast on. It is an exciting partnership and obviously cricket is growing so much in the US and Canada now. 

I covered a World Cup in the US last year and it was so funny when I walked into the New York airport, which is one of the biggest airports in the USA, the customs guy asked me what I was here for. It was weird for me that someone in New York customs knew what cricket was. There was the tournament last year in Canada called GT 20 which was quite packed. It was a surreal experience, and it is super exciting to do it with Willow TV. They are really making waves in the US and Canada market. It’s great to be their first podcast and exclusive platform for cricket.

Game on with Grace can be found on Willow TV (willow.tv)