A competition result, a coaching appointment, or a contribution to club leadership can all be stories worth sharing. Which stories receive attention, and how they are told, influence whose achievements audiences see and whose expertise they recognise.
Within GENDERWISE’s focus on gender equality and dual careers, media visibility offers an opportunity to explore how young female athletes are represented. Coverage that takes their sporting achievements, knowledge, and ambitions seriously can introduce audiences to a wider range of women contributing to sport.
Putting Sporting Achievement at the Centre
An athlete’s performance deserves clear and informed reporting. Preparation, technique, tactical decisions, and progress provide meaningful ways to explain an achievement.
Coverage of female athletes should give these aspects appropriate attention. References to appearance, relationships, or personal life should serve a relevant purpose and reflect the athlete’s willingness to discuss them.
A useful editorial question is whether the same detail would be included in a comparable story about a male athlete. Applying consistent standards helps keep reporting focused and respectful.
Making Room for Athletes’ Own Perspectives
Young women can offer insights into their training, competitive experiences, and future goals. Giving them opportunities to speak allows a story to reflect their perspective directly.
Interview questions can explore how an athlete prepared, what she learned, or which aspects of her sport she would like audiences to understand. Conversations about education and professional interests can also show the broader ambitions connected to a dual career.
Journalists and communications teams should explain how interviews and images will be used. When working with younger athletes, they should follow appropriate consent and safeguarding procedures.
Looking Beyond Major Competitions
Women’s contributions to sport extend across local clubs, community activities, coaching, administration, and leadership. These stories deserve consideration alongside high-profile results.
A young athlete helping organise a club event, a woman beginning her coaching journey, or a former competitor contributing to sports management can offer a valuable perspective on participation and professional development.
Local organisations are well placed to identify these stories. Regular communication with athletes and staff can help reveal achievements and experiences that might otherwise receive little attention.
Choosing Images and Headlines Carefully
Headlines, photographs, and captions shape a reader’s first impression. They should accurately reflect the story and give appropriate context to the athlete’s activity or achievement.
Images that show training, competition, or professional responsibilities can help audiences understand what the person does. Captions should identify athletes correctly and explain the moment being presented.
Communications teams should also respect preferences about photography and publication. Clear consent arrangements matter, particularly when featuring minors or sharing personal experiences.
Showing Different Paths Through Sport
Representation can include women from different sporting disciplines, communities, age groups, and backgrounds. It can also reflect athletes with disabilities and those pursuing opportunities outside major urban centres.
This requires looking beyond familiar contacts and repeatedly featured individuals. Clubs and project partners can invite contributions through different local networks and consider whose perspectives are missing.
Stories should reflect each participant’s experience without expecting one athlete to speak for all women in sport.
Turning Project Communication into Meaningful Coverage
Project communication provides an opportunity to connect activities with the people taking part. An article about an educational session can explore what participants discussed, which questions they raised, and how the learning relates to their goals.
As GENDERWISE activities progress, participant interviews and reflections could provide useful perspectives, with permission and accurate reporting. Any claims about results or impact should be supported by evidence.
This approach gives audiences a clearer understanding of both the activity and the experiences behind it.
Connecting Visibility with GENDERWISE
GENDERWISE supports young female athletes aged 14 to 26 through educational resources, digital learning opportunities, and mentoring. Its focus on coaching, management, and leadership offers several perspectives for discussing women’s roles in sport.
For BRAVO, communicating about the project is an opportunity to give appropriate attention to young women’s knowledge, achievements, and ambitions. Thoughtful reporting can help audiences see the range of contributions women make throughout the sports sector.
Every published story involves choices about whose voice is heard and what receives attention. Making those choices carefully is part of communicating gender equality in practice.
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
GENDERWISE is a 30-month initiative funded under the Erasmus+ Sport programme, bringing together seven partners from six European countries. The project promotes gender equality in sport and supports dual careers for young female athletes through educational resources, online learning, and mentoring.
Stay tuned as BRAVO continues sharing GENDERWISE activities and perspectives on creating more inclusive opportunities for young women in sport.
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