Niamh Digby Bratton accepting the award from Rosaura Mendez Gamboa, Member of FISU Executive Committee and Chairwoman of the Gender Equality Committee and FISU President Leonz Eder.
Trinity College Dublin’s groundbreaking ‘Women in Sport’ campaign has been honoured on the global stage by winning the 2025 Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) Gender Equality Project Award. This prestigious international accolade recognises exceptional initiatives that drive gender equality and build more inclusive sporting environments in universities worldwide. The award was announced on 14 July 2025 at the FISU General Assembly in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Launched in 2024, Trinity's "Women in Sport" campaign is a university-wide initiative promoting gender equality across all levels of sport at Trinity College Dublin. The campaign aligns with Trinity Sport's ‘Realising Potential: A Strategy for Sport at Trinity 2022 – 2026’ and Sport Ireland’s ‘Women in Sport’ policy. The campaign reaffirms Trinity’s commitment to cultivating a more inclusive, empowering and diverse sporting environment where women’s achievements are recognised, participation is encouraged, and leadership is nurtured.
Trinity Sport’s Niamh Digby Bratton who accepted the award on behalf of Student Sport Ireland and Trinity Sport at the FISU General Assembly shared: “It was a real honour to attend the FISU General Assembly and collect this prestigious global Gender Equality Award. We are nearing the end of the second year of the Trinity ‘Women in Sport’ campaign and this award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the students, staff and wider stakeholders who have brought the campaign to life. As the Clubs Operations & Development Manager I have seen first hand the impact this has had on female club members, the visibility of our student athletes and the development & learning our student leaders are able to access. We are excited to embark on the final year of the campaign and look forward to finishing as strongly as we have started.”
The campaign has successfully completed one full annual cycle, building on the successes of the first year including Trinity ‘Women in Sport’ week introduced in 2024 and has made significant strides around the four core pillars of Leadership & Governance, Active Participation, Coaching & Officiating, and Visibility and Media Coverage with key achievements being:
Leadership & Governance: The Trinity Sport Union Executive now has 52% female representation across its 21 members, ensuring that women have a strong voice in decision-making and governance within university sport. This represents an increase from 38% before the project commenced
Active Participation:
- Female membership in Trinity’s sports clubs now stands at 55%, highlighting a thriving and engaged female sports community.
- Female participation in social sport programmes has surged by an impressive 71% in 2024, demonstrating a growing interest and commitment to inclusive sporting initiatives.
- Trinity Sport Centre proudly supports 8,000 female members.
Coaching & Officiating:
- The number of female activators delivering social sport activities has grown from 2 to 11 in 2024 - a 450% increase, empowering more women to take leadership roles in sport.
- Eight female students have successfully received accreditation through the Student Sport Ireland (SSI) Women’s Student Coaching Academy.
Visibility & Media Coverage:
- Coverage of women’s sport on the Trinity Sport website has increased by 12% in 2024, ensuring greater representation and recognition of female athletes.
- Trinity Sport social media channels have seen a 27% rise in women’s sport content, bringing more awareness and engagement to female-led sporting achievements.
Ciarán Ó hIarnáin, CEO of Student Sport Ireland, commented: “On behalf of Student Sport Ireland, I congratulate our colleagues at Trinity College Dublin on winning the prestigious FISU Gender Equality Award for its Women in Sport campaign. This is fantastic achievement and is due recognition for the great work undertaken and the leadership shown by the team at Trinity Sport in developing and delivering this innovative cross collaborative initiative. After only one year the campaign has already achieved significant milestones in the areas of participation, coaching, leadership, and visibility of females in sport and physical activity. The awarding by FISU of its Gender Equality Award to the campaign is another such milestone. I very much look forward to following the campaign’s progress and its continued positive impact on female sport.”
Trinity Provost Dr Linda Doyle added, “At Trinity, we believe that sport is a powerful force for inclusion, leadership and belonging. Our ‘Women in Sport’ campaign has been in place for a little over a year so it is fantastic to see it already receiving this international recognition. It is a great acknowledgement of the hard work of so many in Trinity Sport and I congratulate all involved and look forward to the ‘Women in Sport’ campaign continuing to go from strength to strength.”
Michelle Tanner, Director of Sport and Physical Activity, Trinity College Dublin, said, “We are very proud of the FISU Gender Equality Award and recognition of the remarkable impact that the Trinity 'Women in Sport' campaign has had, which is a testament to the vision, dedication and collaborative effort of the Trinity Sport team. This Award highlights the importance of the FISU Gender Equality task to showcase best practice projects, staff and students who champion equality and opportunity in sport every day. We would like to thank our Student Sport Ireland and FISU colleagues and friends for their continued support and drive to promote gender equality in sport.”
Lisa Cafferky, Student Sport Pathway Manager at Trinity Sport, said, “Being awarded the FISU Gender Equality Awards is an incredible honour and a proud moment for everyone involved in the Trinity "Women in Sport" campaign. This recognition reflects the collective effort of our staff, students and coaches, and the genuine progress we’ve made in creating a more inclusive sporting environment. What makes this especially meaningful is the acknowledgement of our work not only in gender equality but also in sustainability and the potential for international replication. We look forward to continuing our work to inspire change, break down barriers and create opportunities for female students.”
Further information
For further information, contact Niamh Digby Bratton, Clubs Operations & Development Manager at Trinity Sport at DIGBYBRN@tcd.ie.
Award announcement on the FISU website
Trinity College Dublin Launches ‘Women in Sport’ Campaign [2024]
Trinity Women in Sport Campaign: A Year of Progress and Impact [2025]
Sport Ireland’s ‘Women in Sport’ policy
