The Women of Sport Leadership Program is an initiative designed to support women across all levels of the WA sports sector – from students and emerging professionals to elite athletes and senior executives. The program offers leadership workshops, mentoring, career development tools, and networking opportunities to help women build confidence, grow their careers, and step into influential roles within sport.
Proudly delivered by SportWest with the support of The State government through the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport.
Empowering the Next Generation of Women Leaders in Sport.
Are you a woman working or volunteering in sport, ready to take the next step in your leadership journey?
The Women in Sport Emerging Leaders Program empowers aspiring leaders by providing career development, networking opportunities, and access to industry mentors – supporting the future generation of female leaders in WA sports industry.
To find out more about the program and the commitment involved, we encourage you to download and read the full program overview before applying.
The Women of Sport Emerging Leaders Program’s primary objective is to increase the representation of women in senior leadership and management positions in the WA sports industry.
Mentorship forms a key element of the overall Program, offering participants a one-to-one professional relationship based on encouragement, openness, mutual trust, respect and a willingness to learn and share.
Participants of the Program will include:
The Women of Sport Student Mentoring Program, delivered in partnership with Edith Cowan University (ECU), SportWest and Metisphere, is a targeted career development opportunity for women, supporting ECU students in taking the first step towards a successful career in the sport and active recreation industry.
This program provides an exclusive opportunity for 10 women studying at ECU to gain industry insights, build connections, and develop professional skills through structured mentoring and tailored development activities.
SportWest’s Women of Sport provides networking and professional development opportunities for women working or volunteering in the sport industry in WA.
Our aim is to:
The Women of Sport Advisory Group has been formed to offer guidance and recommendations to SportWest on the initiatives and direction of the Women of Sport. They will also support event promotion and serve as advocates.
Advisory Group members:
Ms Robyn Kuhl
Ms Sophie Row
Ms Jacqui Jashari
Mr Daniel Tackenberg
Ms Olivia Birkett
Mr Troy Kirkham
Ms Sarah Jackson
For more information about the Women of Sport please email SportWest via email at info@sportwest.com.au.
The network was originally formed in 2013 by a passionate and committed group of female leaders involved in WA sport, who came together due to an unmet need for women working in leadership positions, to access informal networking opportunities, to share experiences and ideas in a safe and supportive environment. At this point in time, there were only four female chief executive officers and one chief financial officer of WA State Sporting Associations (SSAs).
This group commenced with five women who met semi-regularly and the number of women attending the group organically grew. Subsequently, there were four networking opportunities held annually at different locations hosted by SSAs or organisations with a connection to WA sport. The number of women attending the networking events continued to grow each year as well as the diversity of women.
The supportive, informal networking opportunities continued to be popular and well attended, enabling women involved with sport to socially engage, share experiences and meet new people. However, due to the increased size of the group, an opportunity was identified to review and reset the group’s purpose and objectives to ensure those who attended the events had their needs met.
