SSS Webinar Celebrates International Women’s Day

In line with our growing ambition to get more people participating in sport and as part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, SSS were delighted be joined by four fantastic females who shared their experiences as women working within the sporting world.

Georgia Moran hosted the call that exemplified the wide range of different career paths in sport. We heard from Laura Montgomery of Glasgow City FC, Rachel Cremin from the University of Strathclyde and Netball Scotland, and Sophie Fusco Mckeown, official at Wimbledon in 2019 and University of Edinburgh graduate.

There were many similarities between the panels first experiences of sport, and some of the barriers they faced. This ranged from a lack of enough opportunities to participate, to the conscious and unconscious bias within sport and society. There was a particular emphasis on the importance of positive role models and for projecting the opportunities for women to participate. Though this shouldn’t focus solely on playing – we should highlight the variety of roles that women can get involved in throughout sport.

In keeping with the theme for International Women’s Day our panel shared experiences of when they have to decide to #ChooseToChallenge. These were a mixture of people and processes that have stood in the way of women progressing in sport. While it is important to recognise these challenges, it is equally important to look ahead.

In a post-Covid world, sport has the opportunity to engage and empower a whole new audience. We have seen habits change and more people become more accustomed to regular physical activity. Providing opportunities to participate, for every level of ability, is where student sport should focus the collective efforts to ensure a healthier and more confident future for women in sport.

Watch the webinar in full here ⬇️