Tennis ACT’s Women Leaders in Tennis (WLIT) Program cohort for May 2023 graduated earlier this month, completing four months of formal learning opportunities, networking and mentoring in alignment with tennis’s commitment to increasing and supporting women leaders in tennis.
The free program aims to continue to develop the leadership capabilities of women across tennis as well as build the pipeline for the next generation of female leaders.
“The 15 women came together as a group to advocate for women’s sport and leadership in tennis,” said Tennis ACT Women and Girls Lead Alison Bai. “Every woman has a part to play in their community, not just in the ACT and Region as part of this program, but also as a community of women leaders in sport across the nation. At the conclusion of the program each woman shared their action learning projects on how they can make a difference in their clubs.”
Women are currently under-represented in community leadership, with just 26% of club presidents being women. The program looks to ensure women and girls have an equal voice and can influence decision making at the community level on and off the court.
“It was great to network with the other participants and I was particularly impressed by the women newer to our volunteering community – their ideas and drive,” said participant Giorgina Williams, who is the Public Officer at Turner Tennis Club. “The course reinvigorated my interest in sports volunteering, with the design thinking, leadership and frameworks offered that can be built upon giving new perspectives and approaches to improving women’s involvement in tennis.”
“To create change, you need to be advocating for that change,” continued Bai. “These women came together in a safe environment to chat, network, take part in workshops and share their experiences.”
Participants built their leadership knowledge, skills and confidence within the leadership domain as well as receiving mentoring and support, contributing to a community practice amongst women community leaders.
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