“We can’t take a foot off the pedal when it comes to funding for women and girls” is the rallying cry from Michelle Tanner, Director of Sport & Physical Activity at Trinity College Dublin, in a podcast interview with Sport for Business. As the Irish Government pledges €4 million to Women in Sport Programmes for 2025, matching last year’s record investment, Michelle joined the Sport for Business podcast to reflect on how far women’s sport has come and what it will take to truly sustain the momentum.
In her role on the Board of Sport Ireland and in her interview, Michelle champions Women In Sport (WIS) programmes built to last, with sustainability and long-term impact at their core. In the past, Michelle notes, WIS programmes got girls through the door - but failed to keep them there. Now, the focus is shifting toward building and funding initiatives that sustain long-term participation as well as spark the interest of girls and women in sport.
Having a strong background and passion for in sports coaching through volleyball, Michelle emphasised the difficulty women face when coaching. Too often, Michelle says, women coaches don’t receive the same respect as their male counterparts. A lot of the programmes that are being supported such as the HER Moves initiatives focus on changing the culture around women coaches and officials, often seen by key words and slogans such as “You can do this” and “You can coach”. One of Michelle’s desires, she says, is to see the profile of women coaches and officials to become prominent in sport in Ireland and for there be more of a focus on having women involved in governance and leadership positions in sport.
At Trinity, Michelle is watching her vision take shape firsthand through her overseeing of the college’s sports programme. The Women in Sport Campaign launched in February 2024 made a huge impact across campus. As a result, more women are becoming involved in leadership positions in club committees and are taking on coaching roles for their clubs.
“I would always encourage women to take on those roles, they are so rewarding”, says Michelle. As a result of the Women in Sport campaign, the Trinity Sport Union Executive has over 50% female representation and will now be led by newly elected TSU chairperson Jane Prendergast, the first-ever woman to take on the prestigious role. She will be supported by Vice Chairperson Ciara Mulligan, ensuring that women have a strong voice in decision-making and governance within the university sport.
Furthermore, female membership in Trinity’s sports clubs has surged to 55% and the number of female activators running social sport sessions has skyrocketed by 450% in just one year of the initiative, highlighting the massive success Trinity Sport’s Women in Sport Campaign has had in empowering women and ensuring long term participation of women in sports.
Despite all the significant achievements and breakthroughs in recent times, Michelle continues to highlight the remaining challenges that women in sport in face, particularly in middle management and coaching. Michelle is a real believer in “male allyship” and believes that creating gender equality is key for creating systemic changes in society and sport. In the podcast interview, she highlights how she’s pushing for a future where inclusive sporting cultures are standard - not standout - and where gender diversity is embedded at every level. With this, she argues, the transformation of women’s sport in Ireland will continue to progress for generations to come.
Listen to Michelle Tanner's Sport for Business podcast episode