Progress towards Gender Balance on Boards - Leadership Composition Snapshot 1
In line with its Policy on Women in Sport, Sport Ireland will be publishing a biannual snapshot of female representation on the boards of funded National Governing Bodies of Sport.
The first update shows that females make up an average of 29% of boards across funded National Governing Bodies. This is an increase from 24% when the Sport Ireland Policy on Women in Sport was published in 2019.
Leadership and Governance is one of the four key strategic areas on which the Sport Ireland Policy on Women in Sport is built, along with Coaching & Officiating, Visibility and Active Participation.
In this regard, a key objective of the Leadership and Governance target area is to progress towards greater gender balance in board membership of funded bodies. The second objective is to provide a pathway for women aspiring to become leaders of funded bodies.
Commenting on the publication of the statistics, Chair of Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport Steering Committee, Lynne Cantwell, said:
“Boards are responsible for the direction & performance of Sport in Ireland. To do this well, all our Irish Sports need to draw on diverse perspectives and a variety of viewpoints in order to accurately represent sport & sports people in our country. The Women in Sports Steering Committee is committed to balancing board composition by increasing female representation to achieve gender equity.”
Action 32 of the Government’s National Sports Policy 2018-2027 tasks National Governing Bodies with developing equality action plans and setting gender diversity targets.
Sport Ireland Director of Participation and Ethics, Dr Una May, commented:
“As part of Sport Ireland’s responsibilities under the National Sport Policy, we are monitoring progress and providing periodical public updates on the progress of our funded bodies towards gender diversity, in particular the make-up of boards. It is encouraging to see progress in this area and we will continue to provide support to our funded bodies to keep up the momentum.”
The purpose of this update is to outline the current position, the progress made since the publication of the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Policy and highlight some of the action being taken across the sector as part of Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport Programme.
Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead, Nora Stapleton, added: “The work of the Sport Ireland Policy on Women in Sport and Women in Sport Programme invests in female leadership capacity, increases availability of skilled female board members and guides governance best practice that supports gender equity. Publishing these biannual Board & Leadership statistics aims to help all sports in Ireland achieve these goals as we aim to help Irish sport thrive from grassroots to elite sport.”
Click here to view the Board Composition Snapshot March 2020
Board Representation
The information contained within this update has been provided by National Governing Bodies. It is encouraging to note that 23 National Governing Bodies have achieved a target of at least 30% females on their board.
NGBs that have obtained 30% female representation |
|
|
Irish Tenpin Bowling Association |
50% |
|
Gymnastics Ireland |
44% |
|
Irish Wheelchair Association Sport |
50% |
|
Ladies Gaelic Football Association |
50% |
|
Mountaineering Ireland |
55% |
|
National Community Games |
56% |
|
ONAKAI |
42% |
|
Rowing Ireland |
55% |
|
Basketball Ireland |
38% |
|
Fencing Ireland |
45% |
|
Horse Sport Ireland |
38% |
|
Irish Martial Arts Commission |
32% |
|
Irish Orienteering Association |
36% |
|
Croquet Association of Ireland |
30% |
|
Hockey Ireland |
45% |
|
Irish Squash |
33% |
|
Irish Taekwondo Union |
33% |
|
Racquetball Association of Ireland |
30% |
|
Special Olympics Ireland |
46% |
|
Tennis Ireland |
31% |
|
The Camogie Association |
88% |
|
Vision Sports Ireland |
33% |
|
Volleyball Ireland |
63% |
National Governing Bodies with the most balanced board composition have a 60/40 gender split.
NGBs that have balanced board composition i.e. 60/40 split |
|
|
Irish Tenpin Bowling Association |
50% |
|
Gymnastics Ireland |
44% |
|
Irish Wheelchair Association Sport |
50% |
|
Ladies Gaelic Football Association |
50% |
|
Mountaineering Ireland |
55% |
|
National Community Games |
56% |
|
ONAKAI |
42% |
|
Rowing Ireland |
55% |
|
Special Olympics Ireland |
46% |
|
Fencing Ireland |
45% |
While the increase in overall board composition across National Governing Bodies has increased from 24% to 29%, the journey to gender balance on boards is in its infancy. Over the coming six to twelve months, Sport Ireland will continue to pursue and seek new means and opportunities in order to support and assist funded bodies as they look to change this trend.
Sport Ireland Women in Sport Programme Leadership & Governance
While the figures in some National Governing Bodies may indicate that they have some distance to travel before achieving appropriate gender diversity on boards (for example, 13 NGBs have boards of 10% or less females on their board), it is important to acknowledge the great work that is underway in order to speed up the process of achieving gender diversity. Numerous National Governing Bodies, through support from Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport Programme, are in the process of delivering female leadership training across their sport.
Sample programmes
Canoeing Ireland and Athletics Ireland are just two examples of programmes currently underway.
Click the arrows below to read more.
Canoeing Ireland
Women in Sport Programme: Bridge the Gap
Current board composition, 8 male, 2 female (25%)
The programme will use a strategic framework of mentors and workshops to provide females with the toolkit and resources to fully realise their leadership potential and give them the appetite and confidence to take leadership roles, become role models and mentor future leaders.
Canoeing Ireland CEO Moira Aston said; “The Bridge the Gap program has helped us identify and recruit 35 ambassadors with a variety of experiences and backgrounds within our sport but with a shared goal to develop their leadership potential, raise awareness of and breakdown barriers to participation and mentor the next generation of strong female leaders. The positive feedback and engagement with program participants has opened a conversation that has transcended our expected outcomes and will enrich our sport into the future”.
Athletics Ireland
Women in Sport Programme: Forerunners
Current board composition, 12 male, 4 female (25%)
Through the Forerunners programme, Athletics Ireland aim to equip female club service officers and leaders in becoming more effective and efficient in their operations. The programme will address the importance of female leadership in athletics, its important role in promoting good governance whilst creating invaluable experiences for those involved in the programme. The programme will consist of three core modules, namely Club Development, Coaching, Communication and Connectivity and include an action-orientated mentorship programme to support and encourage future female leaders in sport to reach their potential.
Athletics Ireland CEO Hamish Adams stated his aims for the project, “Athletics gender participation is extremely balanced at a competition and recreational level yet as a sport we are struggling to encourage women into leadership roles in coaching, administration and officiating. The Women in Sport programme led by Lily-Ann O’Hora aims to identify and remove barriers to female progression into our sports leadership roles. We value the considerable investment in this programme from both our membership and Sport Ireland and we sincerely believe that gender balance across all aspects of our organisation will deliver continued success for Athletics Ireland”.