Forwardzone celebrates women in sport

This Women’s Month, Forwardzone celebrated women across the country with an exhilarating line up of events and activities centred around fostering women’s leadership skills in sports and business. Their innovative programming focused on three key areas designed to live well beyond Women’s Month, and will help elevate women’s personal and professional lives: Coaching and leadership.

“South African sportswomen are quickly becoming known and celebrated for their contribution to our country, and we’re dedicated to ensuring we maintain and accelerate this momentum for women in sport,” Laura Lake, COO of Forwardzone, a sports management and advising firm.

“Our programmes are designed to help women step into their power so they can continue to grow women’s sport in South Africa, bringing it to new heights. It’s challenging for our country’s sportswomen because while they’re giving it their best out on the field or on the court, they also have work to do off the field, growing awareness and encouraging funding. We believe it’s our responsibly – and in fact, the responsibility of corporate South Africa – to help progress women’s sport, to create undeniable energy and enthusiasm that lets these women know they are wholeheartedly supported.”

Forwardzone works towards upskilling women in sport, providing them with skills that can help progress their sporting careers.

The first of Forwardzone’s Women’s Month offerings was the All-in-One Coach clinic powered by SuperSport. This collaborative leadership series featured South African Schools Netball and helped netball coaches reconnect with each other and renew their passion for the sport in a time when netball play has been halted. This clinic focussed on the key skills netball coaches can benefit from and included discussions on leadership, report writing, team planning, alignment and sport traits, talent identification, and recruitment. South African Schools Netball executives, and provincial and regional Coaching Convenors and its members were invited to attend.

The Betway Women’s Thought Leadership Talk was the group’s second August offering. The inaugural event focussed on women in sports and business. Featured discussions included what makes women different, The XX Factor, Brand Me, building a global brand, the media and sponsorships, and future-proofing the game. South African business coaches specialising in working with women made up the speakers’ roster, and guests from all sports were invited to attend.

“The Forwardzone team is proud to play a part in enhancing and expanding opportunities for women in sports and business across South Africa and celebrating the incredible social and political contributions and sacrifices women have made in creating a more equitable society,” said Lake.