The vision, it turns out, is to eliminate the need for any vision at all, that someday a women in sport policy will be one and the same with sport itself. Only for now there are still gaps to be filled and further gender balance to be attained.
That’s both the design and intention of Sport Ireland’s new women in sport policy, one year in the making, the main elements being the appointment of a full-time women in sport lead and the rewarding of sporting bodies who achieve greater gender diversity at board level – all boosted by an increased annual fund of €2 million.
The position of women in sport lead will be filled presently, and a 10-person steering committee also been named to oversee the implementation of the policy: chaired by former Irish women’s rugby international Lynne Cantwell, this will include asking the 58 national governing bodies (NGBs) to set gender diversity targets and develop equality action plans.
Explaining both the need and timing of the policy, Dr Una May, Sport Ireland director of participation and ethics, pointed at the progress that has been made: Sport Ireland established the women in sport programme in 2005, this being their first policy document in the sector.
“We have been working away to build capacity in the sector, but feel we’ve reached the point now where we can go from generalists, to specialists,” said Dr May.
“Even since some of these figures have been gathered, significant progress has been made, the gender gap has come down to a very strong level, to 4.5 per cent, at adult participation.
“The long-term vision is that we shouldn’t need a women in sport policy, we’d be talking about everybody. For now, we still see significant gaps out there, and this person (women in sport lead) can drive us to that level.”
Rewarding governing bodies for achieving greater gender diversity at board level, she said, was different to gender quotas.
“What was mooted before was gender quotas, and we’re certainly not going that direction, but we have reviewed the number on boards, and that’s at 24 per cent, so it is going the right direction, and our approach and vision is that we support and empower women to get to the point where they will automatically be getting these positions, rather than pushing or forcing women into these positions.
Steering committee
“It’s about creating a culture where women are given the support, and confidence, to put themselves forward for these positions. It’s up the steering committee to put concrete action on this, in terms of timelines, but we feel there is some way of recognising that.”
For Cantwell, who remains Ireland’s most capped women’s rugby player, the policy is also about further eliminating barriers to women in sport.
“Over my 13 years (playing rugby) there were lots of locked doors, and we felt suffocated by constant resistance,” she said.
“What we’re trying to do is, in five years’ time, for us to be not talking about those resistances and barriers anymore, to be not talking about women in sport, but to be talking about people in sport.”
Last month, an overall package of €1.8 million was announced towards investment in the 58 NGBs and 29 Local Sports Partnerships: for the last three years, the allocation for women in sport was €600,000, increasing to €2m from 2019, with NGBs now being invited to submit requests as part of a competitive-bid process at national level.
Some areas still aren’t faring so well: in terms of visibility, the proportion of sports print media articles devoted to women’s sport is just three per cent (according to Sport Ireland research 2015).
The policy also calls for more female athletes in receipt of funding to ‘give back’ as ambassadors for sport: “That’s for all funded athletes, sometimes it’s possible, sometimes it’s not,” said Dr May. “Male athletes are quicker to come forward, but it’s saying we value their input the same way as the men.
Sport Ireland Women in Sport Steering Committee: Lynne Cantwell, Chair - Sport Ireland Board; Joanne Cantwell - Broadcaster, RTÉ Sport; Mary Dorgan - Sport Ireland Board; Jenny Egan - International Athlete, Canoeing; John Fulham - President, Paralympics Ireland; Frances Kavanagh - Former Director of Sport, Special Olympics Ireland; Sarah Keane - Chief Executive, Swim Ireland/President, Olympic Federation of Ireland; Mary O'Connor - Chief Executive, Federation of Irish Sport; Kelli O'Keeffe - Managing Director, Teneo; John Sweeney - Coordinator, Clare Sports Partnership
WOMEN IN SPORT POLICY - FOUR KEY AREAS
1. Coaching and Officiating: Broaden the coaching base to include more women from grassroots to high performance; Increase the number of women officiating and refereeing
2. Active Participation: Significantly reduce the active sport participation gradient between men and women; reduce the drop-out from physical activity and sport in young girls
3. Leadership & Governance: Progress towards greater gender balance in Board membership of funded bodies; provide a pathway for women aspiring to become leaders of funded bodies
4. Visibility: Increase the visibility and profile of our female role models in sport; use the heroes of today to inspire the next generation of future Olympians and Paralympians
