Women In Sport Congress: Building the future of female athlete performance

“We weren’t just attending another conference,” says Jody Cameron, HPSNZ Te Hāpaitanga lead. “We’re on the edge of building something more collaborative and more impactful.”

Joining Jody at the Congress was Dr Sue Robson, HPSNZ Healthy Women in Sport lead, and three women from national sporting organisations (NSOs), each supported through HPSNZ’s journey to strengthen pathways and development for female coaches and leaders: Janey Charlton (Rowing NZ Athlete Development Lead), Elyse Fraser (Cycling NZ Athlete Development Coach), and Sara McGlashan (NZ Cricket Female Pathways Manager).

The two-day international Congress focused on the female athlete lifecycle, spanning adolescence, development pathways, elite performance, and transitions out of sport.

Rather than sitting solely within academic discussion, the Congress challenged how knowledge is applied in high performance environments and who needs to be in the room when those conversations take place.

That proximity was central to the New Zealand experience.

Sue provided the science translation lens for the New Zealand group, helping interpret emerging research through a coaching and performance context.

Increased confidence in areas such as menstrual health, pregnancy and postpartum was evident across the Congress, Sue says. “The real powerhouse for change sits within sports and through coaches.”

She reinforces that meaningful progress requires supporting active partnerships between health professionals, other athlete performance support disciplines and coaches, relationships that allow for nuance, context and enhance shared understanding rather than one-directional knowledge transfer.

For Janey, the Congress reinforced that performance, wellbeing and retention are inseparable, and that systems must be intentionally designed for women rather than adapted from male models.

“Coaches,” says Janey, “are the critical bridge between research and athletes, mediating technology, data and science through relationships, trust and athlete readiness.”

Sara echoes this, highlighting the importance of environments where young female athletes feel valued, safe and supported.

“Stepping outside my sport provided a broader lens on female development, life transitions and the role of coaches in shaping long-term engagement.

“Performance environments must see athletes as whole humans, not just performers,” says Sara.

The Congress provided some affirmations and support for Elyse at both a personal and professional level.

With the support of HPSNZ, and especially Jody, Elyse was able to attend the Congress with her partner and baby son. “The support was incredible and was a remarkable demonstration of empowering women to do their jobs,” says Elyse.

One of the key outtakes for Elyse was the focus on looking after women through every phase of life.

“As a new mum I was particularly eager to learn about the pregnancy and post-partum phase, and it has also been invaluable in my work with two mums who are being supported by HPSNZ and CNZ in their return to sport.”

Another highlight for Elyse was the day spent with AIS female coaches.

“Getting to sit in a room with coaches from other countries was a valuable experience. We all have the same issues so the opportunity to strengthen connections was great.”

For Jody and Sue, the Congress affirmed HPSNZ’s direction: moving beyond isolated expertise towards integrated, lifecycle-informed systems that support female athletes to perform, develop and remain in sport.

Tips for coaches from Jody Cameron

HPSNZ encourages coaches across all sports and pathways to:

• Lean into conversations around female athlete health — curiosity and openness matter as much as technical knowledge
• Partner with health practitioners, asking questions and sharing context to translate science into practical decisions
• Design environments intentionally for women, recognising that relationships, safety and trust underpin performance.

By working together, coaches, athletes and practitioners can ensure performance systems that truly support female athletes across every stage of their journey continue to evolve.