For generations of ambitious career women shackled by cultural constraints, the invisible barrier to success – the so-called glass ceiling – was certainly no myth. 

While discrimination does undoubtedly still exist in some workplaces – and that includes some boardrooms within the sport sector, where unconscious bias can influence decision-making – the future looks brighter than it ever has.

This is thanks to women like Vivienne Aiyela, Jo Moseley, Stacey Copeland, Tina Bowden, and the rest of the presenters and award nominees who attended the sixth Women in Sport North Conference held in Huddersfield. 

We heard from women, and men, who are at the forefront of the drive to make sport more female-friendly.

This is their story of how, through the application of courage and confidence, they are tearing down society’s remaining glass ceilings and helping to create a land of opportunity for everyone, irrespective of their gender, race, sexual orientation, disability or age.

The insight and knowledge that lived experience has brought them will resonate with coaches, and their valuable advice will help both new and more experienced female coaches as they plot their own career prospects and self-development journeys. 

Speak up and speak out

Vivienne Aiyela is a diversity and inclusion specialist who, in 2017, became football's first ever black female Non-Executive Director when she joined the board of the London Football Association (FA). Amongst many other roles, she is Chair of the FA’s Anti-Discrimination Disciplinary Panel and a trustee for an LGBTQ+ organisation.

She is a firm believer that action breeds confidence, and that to conquer your fears, you must face up to them. 

In her keynote, she encouraged women to stand up and talk about their achievements and to be proud of them.

If the door is ajar, she says sometimes women need to kick it open in order to take their seat at the table.

“You should be there. If you’re not, then men will be making decisions for you. You must put yourself forward.”

She says the challenges she has faced in her career have made her stronger and the person she is today; and that having confidence and courage will enable you to approach any roadblocks you face, in sport, coaching or any other aspect of your life, more effectively.

Lack of confidence and self-belief as well as a lack of opportunities is a double whammy that can stunt the career prospects of women and prevent them from realising their ambitions. But fixing the former can go a long way to reversing the latter.

Giving a personal account of how she created her own opportunities, she advises women to put aside their fears, stop listening to negative self-talk and open the doors to a climate of possibilities.

“For me, it’s about being brave; being courageous. I have my coping mechanisms. I like to listen to TED talks, read [empowering] books – such as those by Brené Brown – and I love podcasts, because they give me the inspiration to continue to fight for diversity and inclusion in sport and in society. 

“Unless you tell people about yourself, what you’ve done and what you’ve achieved, nobody will know. It’s so important we stand up and be brave enough to do this.

Step out of your comfort zone

Vivienne is the first to admit that she stands out in a crowd.

“I think it comes from being tall and bold. Even in my younger days I was the tallest in the class, so I couldn’t really hide. And it has helped me take the steps I have done over the years.”

But while courage is important, it is okay to be vulnerable. Feeling uncomfortable in your surroundings can be a positive thing as it takes you out of your comfort zone. Entering this psychological state is conducive for learning as, when we confront problematic circumstances, it allows us to think differently.

It is why Vivienne never shies away from uncomfortable conversations.

“I still get a bit nervous and feel butterflies. I’m 6ft 4, 6ft 5 when I’m wearing high heels and I don’t see anyone who looks like me. So sometimes when I walk into a boardroom, people stare at me and can think I look intimidating.

“It can have a dent on confidence at the beginning, because you want to walk in somewhere and see other women, even if they don’t look like you. But I can’t change my height and I can’t change me.”

Eorl Crabtree is a former professional rugby league player who knows exactly what Vivienne is talking about. At 6ft 5in, and tipping the scales at more than 18 stone, the ex-Huddersfield Giants and England prop forward is instantly recognisable, as much for his long blond hair as his considerable frame.

“I’m a chameleon, I don’t stand out. I just fit in anywhere,” he says, tongue firmly in cheek, as he discusses the value of being and feeling different.

While he is clearly joking when he says he doesn’t stand out, he is deadly serious when he says feeling you don’t blend in with the status quo should not impact negatively on your confidence levels.

He gives this advice to women who feel they don’t fit in.

“I’m actually very proud of the fact I’ve always stood out and always been unique, and it’s something I am trying to instil into my daughter,” adds Eorl, who works as a club ambassador in the Giants’ commercial department.

“She’s about to turn 18 and she stands out as well. So, I’ve taken her to networking events and tried to get her to socialise and interact with people so she feels comfortable in every type of social setting. I’m a great believer in social intelligence.”

‘Opportunity isn’t universally distributed’

Stacey Copeland picked up the Women in Sport North Community Individual of the Year award for her work as Head of Personal Development at Parrs Wood High School in Manchester, where she runs boxing sessions to build pupils’ self-esteem and confidence and uses coaching to develop life skills to enable children to make better choices.

The boxing gym is where you will probably find Stacey outside of work too. Last summer she became the first British female boxer to win a Commonwealth Games title. 

After receiving her award, she discussed the need for women to speak up to raise the profile of women’s sport, recalling a conversation she had with an official after her success in Zimbabwe. 

“I was told they gave replica belts to women and real belts to men, and that they had stopped producing the replica belts. When I asked how quickly I could get a real belt, I was told that they were quite expensive so unless I had a Sugar Daddy I probably wouldn’t be able to afford one.

“When I was younger, after that conversation on the phone I probably would have said, ‘well, thanks anyway’, and scuttled off quietly and just been grateful to have been there. But now I’m not accepting the line that that is how things are.”

The story has a happy ending. The Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) introduced a Commonwealth title belt, which Stacey received in December last year, eight months after her Commonwealth Games success.

Echoing the views of those who had taken the stage before her, Stacey spoke eloquently on the importance of courage and confidence, saying that, equipped with those attributes, there is nothing that cannot be achieved.

You’re never too old 

The stories of ordinary people with extraordinary stories triggered strong emotions, and several award winners had to fight back tears as they revealed the life-changing benefits to their physical health and mental and emotional well-being that resulted from taking that courageous leap in their lives.

Midlife adventurer Jo Moseley, whose intrepid exploits include being the first woman to stand-up paddleboard coast to coast from Liverpool to Goole, was another keynote presenter. 

When planning her trip, she was told it was ‘too much for a woman of 50’.

“I just want to highlight the things that have come from being part of a community and being inspired by watching and interacting with other inspirational women on Twitter. The first is courage and confidence. I am really not a confident person but I saw people who were doing extraordinary things but who looked like me. I gained confidence from that, and from the sense of community.

Get ready, go for it!

Queensbury Queens Cycling Club scooped the Community Team of the Year accolade, growing its all-female membership from 13 to 153 members in just three years and expanding from an all-abilities cycling club for all ages, to a club offering open water swimming and triathlon too.

One of its founder members spoke of the huge confidence lift she had received by getting fit after giving birth.

“Exercise was a big thing for me but when I had my son it all stopped. I was quite afraid to get on a bike but somebody told me about the Queensbury Queens of the Mountain when it first started and I wanted to do something again with my life. My well-being was quite bad and I wanted to get fit and meet people like myself who felt the same way. We’re all friends and it’s like a family and it’s amazing.”

Businesswoman Tina Boden works in schools to help children with positive image and mental health. 

Continuing the day’s running theme, she stressed the need for women to shout about their achievements and to embrace their discomfort. And she is certainly leading by example.

“One of the things I really believe is that we, as older women, need to have that confidence and share that for younger women.

“We have to start to believe in ourselves and our own body positivity to actually enable us to have that strength with our mental health to walk into a room and say ‘yes, I can do this’.”

These inspirational women who shared their empowering stories of success hail from  diverse careers and backgrounds – racial, geographic, life experience – and comprise a range of ages, abilities and motivations, but their message was the same: take that leap of faith and have the confidence and courage to try new things and take more risks, as it can open doors to rewarding, life-fulfilling experiences. 

So, be inspired, get ready, and go for it.