European Women and Sport Conference

Limassol, 2009

Amanda Bennett

Chair, European Women and Sport

Head of Policy, UK Sport

Background

• Welsh – rugby, music, dance

• Physical education teacher

• Women’s Sports Foundation

• UK Sport

• Elite rugby player and coach

• EWS 2004-09

UK support for EWS

• History of UK leadership

• Ministerial endorsement

• Integrated into UK Sport International Relations Strategy

• Singapore Vision – London 2012

EWS Main Aim

Develop a sports culture of practised gender equality in terms of equal opportunities for girls and boys, women

and men with regard to education and training, participation and promotion as well as co-determination in

decision-making processes in sport.

EWS Objectives

• To represent, defend and promote the interests of women in sport at a European level;

• To help increasing the number of women in decision-making bodies and in the administration of sport at all levels;

• To educate women for decision-making in sport (e.g. through mentor programmes)

• To strengthen co-operation and encourage the exchange of experience on women and sport issues among European countries at bilateral and multilateral levels;

•

Mission for European Women and Sport

Develop relationships, tools and frameworks that enable the increased

involvement of women in sport in Europe.

EWS Strategy

• Leadership

› Be the voice for women in European sport

› Reconnect the network – build communication tools

• Partnership

› Olympic, Paralympic, governmental and non-governmental organisations

EWS Strategy

• Influence - use existing legislative and policy frameworks to bring about change

› EU Roadmap for Gender Equality 2006-10

› EU White Paper on Women and Sport – EU Policy

› EU Resolution on Women and Sport 2003

Leadership is about getting people to do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they want to achieve

www.ews-online.org

www.uksport.gov.uk

EWS Steering Group 2009-11

• Barbara Aff - Germany

• Ana Marija Simonovic – Serbia

• Daniele Salva – France

• Carmen Trocan - Romania

• Marianne Soderberg – Sweden

• Athina Kyriakidou – Cyprus (co-chair)

• Amanda Bennett – UK (chair)

• Helen Tan – UK (secretary)

Thank you and we will see you in London

in 2011!