An academic from the University of Chichester spoke at a leading summit on gender equality in sport this month – drawing on his experience running a leadership programme for women in the sector.
The International Working Group on Women & Sport (IWG) Global Summit took place on 9-11 July in Birmingham and saw more than 900 delegates gather to challenge thinking, share practical insights and explore what it will take to move ‘Beyond the Breakthrough’ for women and girls in sport and physical activity.
Dr Jordan Matthews, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management at the University of Chichester, was part of a panel discussion titled Designing Leadership Programmes for the Future.
He drew on his decade of experience with the Women’s Sport Leadership Academy (WSLA) – the University’s globally renowned leadership programme for women in sport – and contemporary insights generated with his doctoral research students, Michelize Van Heerden and Hatice Kubra Yilmaz. Michelize and Hatice presented initial findings from their research in digital poster sessions after the panel. Both are looking at the impact of leadership development programmes for women and the organisations they work for.
Jordan said: “It was a fantastic experience to network with some of the most influential figures across sport. We knew there would only be a handful of academics in attendance, so our team worked hard to ensure our messaging was appropriate for the Summit delegates. We also intended to further establish our profiles, including that of WSLA and the University. I’m grateful for the Research and Innovation Fund (RIF) that meant I could attend.”
Keynote speakers at the IWG Global Summit 2026 included Kirsty Coventry (President of the International Olympic Committee), Lord Sebastian Coe (President of World Athletics) and billionaire American businesswoman and football club owner Michele Kang.
The Summit has taken place every four years since 1994, and the University has been represented at the previous four editions.
Jordan and his team now turn their attention to the 11th annual Women’s Sport Leadership Academy (WSLA) in August, which provides unique development opportunities for women leaders from around the world to step up, take the lead and make an impact.
This year’s cohort includes 34 participants based in 18 countries, from middle-to-senior management to board positions across a range of international, national and regional sport federations, and sport-for-change organisations. All have been identified as future leaders at senior management level by their organisations.
Find out more about WSLA and this year’s cohort at: https://www.wsla.co.uk/