Two decades after the launch of Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport programme, the 2025 Summit in Dublin was a celebration of what has been achieved over that period, but even more so, a call to action.
Yes, the numbers impress: investment up from €650,000 in 2005 to over €35 million today, and the gender gap in participation down from almost 16% to 3%, but the conversation at a festively dressed Crown Plaza hotel in Blanchardstown was about what comes next.
“Funding helps, but people make the difference,” said Michelle Tanner, Chair of the Women in Sport Committee, opening up the morning of conversations and keynote presentations.
The programme, held under the theme “From Progress to Impact,” explored how policy can translate into participation, and how inclusion can become habit rather than headline.
Leadership, Courage, and the Loneliness of Command
The day’s first keynote came from Marie Gleeson, a former Naval Officer and ship’s captain, turned leadership consultant. Drawing on years of service at sea, she spoke about leading through pressure, adversity, and uncertainty.
“Make your decision,” she told the audience. “Don’t sit on the fence.” She described how the slowest team member defines the pace, how competence earns credibility, and how leadership sometimes means confronting the “loneliness of command.”
Gleeson’s story resonated far beyond the military. Her message that courage, care, and clarity of purpose outweigh titles or rank echoed the day’s wider themes.
She spoke powerfully of the confidence shown by a first-time navigation officer steering a course through fog into Cork Harbour, and of the power of a team of her peers who stood by her during a personal crisis.
It was a pin-drop presentation, as powerful as it was unexpected from a great speaker who admitted that she had been unable to find any images of here as a sporty child because there was always something that was more important at the time.
Allyship and Culture
The morning continued with a conversation between Rob Hartnett, CEO of Sport for Business, and Paul Haran, Chairperson of Golf Ireland.
Haran, a former Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, played a key role in unifying men’s and women’s golf under one governing body, an achievement he attributes to partnership and patience.
“The evolution of Golf Ireland showed what can be achieved through true collaboration,” he said. “The next step is ensuring that every sport benefits from that same spirit of equality.”
Both he and Hartnett stressed that allyship must go beyond symbolism. “It’s about everyday culture,” said Haran. “Meetings that work for parents. Conversations that include every voice. Real equality happens in the small decisions.”
Female Participation in Sport
The first panel, moderated by Benny Cullen, Sport Ireland’s Director of Research and Innovation, turned to participation, how to sustain and grow the involvement of women and girls across every life stage.
Lynn Savage, LGFA National Development Manager, spotlighted the success of Gaelic Mothers and Others, now active in 634 clubs and more than 20,000 women. “It’s about connection, not competition,” she said. “When women re-enter the club environment, they don’t just play, they coach, they join committees, they lead, biut all of that starts from having fun together.”
Anna Grealish, Women in Sport Lead at Athletics Ireland, discussed how Her Moves and the Girls Squad initiative have engaged over 2,800 teenage girls by giving them ownership of their experience. “We asked them what they wanted — and they told us,” she said. “Fun, friendship, flexibility. Once we built around that, participation followed.” Now that initiative is to be expanded towards the club environment in 2026. A space we will be watching.
From the community level, Nicola Collins of Wexford Local Sports Partnership described how collaboration can turn creativity into inclusion, with school-based programmes, sports roadshows, and social-focused events. “We meet girls where they are,” she said. “It’s not about making them fit sport, it’s about making sport fit them.”
Cullen closed the discussion with a reminder that the next chapter must be measured not just by participation but by retention. “If participation only grows in line with population, we’ve stood still,” he said. “Impact means connection — women staying involved long after they stop competing.”
What’s Next for Women’s Sport
The second panel, moderated by Nora Stapleton, Sport Ireland’s Director of Strategic NGB Programmes, looked to the horizon: what the next decade of Women in Sport should look like.
For Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, the key lies in leadership. “It’s not enough to have women at the table,” she said. “They need the confidence, skills, and support to drive the agenda once they’re there.” O’Connor highlighted the Federation’s Board Readiness Programme, which has already trained more than 60 women to take on governance roles across Irish sport.
Lynne Cantwell, Head of Women’s Strategy at the IRFU, brought the perspective of high performance and policy. She spoke about visibility and value — moving from exposure to elevation. “We’ve built awareness; now we have to build equity,” she said. Drawing on her experience from the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, Cantwell described how inclusive design — from facilities to broadcast presentation — can transform both athlete and audience experience, sometimes in the most basic of areas such as ensuring there are enough toilet facilities.
Neasa Russell, COO of Paralympics Ireland, reframed inclusion as a social movement. “We’ve built women in sport,” she said. “Now we must build women through sport — where participation shapes communities, not just competitions.”
Stapleton closed the session with a call for courage and collaboration: “Every barrier we break down here makes it easier for the next generation to step forward,” she said.
The Minotaur and the Mirror: Dr Fiona Chambers’ Closing Keynote
The Summit closed with an inspiring keynote from Dr Fiona Chambers, Professor of Education at University College Cork, who blended myth, psychology, and leadership into a deeply human message.
Drawing on the Greek legend of the Minotaur and the labyrinth, Chambers used the story as a metaphor for the challenges of leadership and change. “Every organisation has its labyrinth,” she said. “The Minotaur represents the fears and biases we must face, not destroy, but understand, to find our way through.”
She encouraged delegates to confront their own “Minotaurs” — self-doubt, perfectionism, inertia or whatever they might be and to replace fear with empathy and connection. “Courage isn’t the absence of fear,” she said. “It’s empathy in motion — choosing to move, together.”
Keeping our focus through an exercise with Red Thread and where we were all asked to complete a postcard with three actionable things that we will be reminded about next St Brigids Day, made this a memorable presentation.
Her closing words tied the day together: “When we lead together, we light the way out for others. Progress isn’t a destination — it’s a direction. Keep moving.”
The 2025 Women in Sport Summit was inspiring and brilliantly pulled together by Bethany Carson and Nora Stapleton.
As Anne McCormack of Hockey Ireland said afterwards, that when the invitation landed it looked like a ‘nice to go to’ rather than a ‘have to go to’ event, particularly on a Saturday, but that the addition of a childcare option made the difference and she was so pleased that it had.
There is something very special about working within the space of Women in Sport, perhaps especially as a male ally. There should be a greater presence of men at these events because the absolute reality is that when we work together, we work better.
We can only hope to echo the success of this weekend at our own 12th Annual Women in Sport Conference on Tuesday December 9th, but the line up we have makes us confident that will be the case.
Image Credit: Sport Ireland and Ryan
Further Reading for Sport for Business members:
Read our Sport for Business Coverage of Women in Sport
SPORT FOR BUSINESS Upcoming Events
November 20th – Playing for the Planet – A new event focused on Sustainability in Sport with the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
December 9th – Our 12th Annual Women in Sport Conference in partnership with Lidl.
January – The Sporting Year Ahead 2026 in partnership with Teneo.
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