As international Women’s Day rolls around once more, so to does the annual Women in Sports week. Now expanded to run from Friday the 6th to Thursday the 19th of March, the event aims to highlight and promote Trinity’s “Women in Sport”Campaign. The week hosts everything from panel talks to open social sport sessions, so there’s an option to entice everyone to get involved.
Launched in 2024, the “Women in Sport” campaign aims to promote gender equality across all levels of sport in the university. The project is a tribute to Trinity’s strong commitment to creating a more diverse and welcoming environment where women are encouraged to take part and inspired to become empowered leaders. The movement aligns with Sport Ireland’s campaign, the Irish National Sport Policy 2018-2027, and the university’s own sports strategy; “Realising potential: A strategy for Sport at Trinity 2022 – 2026”.
This project centres itself around four strategic pillars: Leadership & Governance, Active Participation, Visibility, and Coaching & Officiating. Over the two years the campaign has been running, all these target areas have seen growth and positive change occur. Examples of this progression is shown through the creation of programmes such as the “Lead-Her” programme, an increased focus on coverage for women’s sports teams and ‘Women in Sport’ week itself.
Notably, last year the campaign was shortlisted for the 9th FISU Gender Equality Awards, recognising the outstanding efforts made at the college that strive towards achieving gender equality. The campaign has been incredibly successful thus far, and ‘Women in Sport Week’ is an excellent opportunity to celebrate these successes by creating spaces where more women can become involved through the multiple events planned.
The week kicks off with a “Women in Sport” panel talk, organised by Trinity Development & Alumni in collaboration with Women’s health society, Trinity Business School and Maharry Theatre. The talk is completely free to attend, and a great opportunity to find out more about the campaign and the amazing women involved with sport at Trinity. Throughout the week there will be multiple drop-in social sport sessions, such as basketball, climbing, GAA and many more. Each one of these sessions is a chance to become more immersed in the sporting life at Trinity and engage with sports on a less stressful level. Students interested in attending these sessions should check Trinity Sport’s social media for the location and time of each session.
Various other exciting events are taking place during the week as well, including Women’s Lifting Hour, Yoga and Pastries in aid of Endo Charity and a ‘Bring a friend’ initiative in the social sport sessions. These are all excellent opportunities for both seasoned athletes and beginners to become more involved in sports. More information can be found through the Trinity Sport website and their social media pages.
Michelle Tanner, Director of Sport and Physical Activity at Trinity and Chair of the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Group, remarked on her excitement for the event, saying: “Aligned with Sport Ireland’s ‘Women in Sport’ campaign, our events are focused on increasing participation, celebrating leadership and creating visible spaces where women feel confident and supported in sport and physical activities. Whether you’re a club athlete or just curious to try something new, ‘Women in Sport’ week is your invitation to get involved!”
Nicole Harford, Sport & Physical Activity Intern at Trinity Sport also chimed in, saying: “As a member of the Trinity Sport team, I’ve seen firsthand the impact these types of events can have across campus – especially within the Women’s Lifting Hour programme, where I’ve seen immense growth and an increase in confidence among the women taking part.”
This year’s ‘Women in Sport’ week is the perfect time to get involved and support the inspirational female athletes in Trinity. Whether you decide to attend the panel talk or join in on one of the social sport sessions, supporting this campaign is a must on the road to gender equality in the college.
