November marked a significant milestone for female athlete empowerment: the official presentation of HerForm at the European Sport Congress in France, and at the HerForm to HerSolution Conference in Ireland.
Female athletes navigate a distinct set of personal and systemic challenges, including issues of identity, self-care, and mental health, alongside structural barriers like under-representation, unequal resources, and limited high-performance support. Co-funded by the European Union, HerForm is more than just a training programme; it is a critical response to these disparities. The online course comprises five comprehensive training modules that directly address the multifaceted complexities of the female athlete experience.
- Research-driven: Evidence-based personal development training tailored to the needs of aspiring female athletes.
- 100% online: Video training, educational podcasts and actionable resources: 10 hours of immersive learning to help advance women’s sporting careers.
- Best practice: Created by internationally recognized organizations in high-level athlete support.
Targeting both female athletes and their support providers, the complete course is freely accessible at herform.eu.
HerForm wins Best Communication Award at European Sport Congress
The EUSC 2025 is an influential international event dedicated to the design, implementation, and dissemination of innovative sport projects, particularly those funded through the Erasmus+ Sport programme. The Congress provides the perfect platform to connect with fellow coordinators, national sport organizations, policy makers, and academics who are all working toward a more fair and equitable sporting landscape.
Lille served as the hub for this vital conversation, and we are proud to announce that HerForm won the event’s Best Communication Award. This recognition is a tremendous validation of our efforts to effectively share our impact.
Dublin: From HerForm to HerSolution
Our Dublin Conference one week later served not only as the official programme launch but also as a critical forum offering detailed insights and solutions to the personal development challenges faced by aspiring female athletes. The event drew a targeted audience, including athletes, service providers, coaches, support staff, CEOs, and decision-makers across high-level sport, education, and training.
Top-tier speakers contributed crucial support perspectives on women’s sport, including Maria Walsh (Member of the European Parliament), Nancy Chillingworth (High Performance Manager with the Olympic Federation of Ireland), and Paola Ottonello (European Commission Sport Unit). High-level athletes such as Silvia Turani, Edel McMahon (Rugby), and Lisa Koop (Basketball) provided invaluable, lived-experience insights from across the European continent.
Don’t just pink it and shrink it
Support programmes for women’s sport are often deficient—either based on male athlete models that are merely adapted to a new environment, or entirely non-existent.
In their concluding remarks, HerForm co-creators Finola Roache (Rugby Players Ireland) and Wolfgang Stockinger (TWIN) drove home the programme’s mission, emphasizing the necessity of gender-specific training and the critical role of adoption:
“The rapid progress of women’s sport has outpaced the development of gender-specific support and policy. HerForm is one essential springboard for change. Now, we call on female athletes and their support organizations to take ownership by actively contextualizing this training to fit their unique situations.”
HerForm stands as a testament to the power of targeted, collaborative support. We are proud to offer our comprehensive training completely free of charge. Explore the modules, utilize the resources, and help us ensure that high-quality, gender-specific development is a standard, not an exception, for every aspiring female athlete in Europe and beyond.
•
•
•
