Presentation abstracts

Arranged by ID number, here is a full rolling list of all oral, poster and symposia presentations details and abstracts.

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Gym Experiences Across the Lifespan: A Qualitative Study on Midlife and Older Women’s Physical Activity Journeys and the Role of Fitness Professionals

Kat Schneider (Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England)

Co-authors: Aline Tinoco (Centre for Appearance Research; University of the West of England)

Despite the benefits of physical activity, midlife and older women report feeling excluded from gyms, which are often seen as hypermasculine, appearance-focused, and unwelcoming. This qualitative study explored women’s gym experiences across the lifespan using a life history approach and Life Map visualisation. Nine women aged 35–67 years participated in semi-structured interviews reflecting on gym-related experiences and the role of fitness professionals. Thematic narrative analysis revealed three themes: (1) When Community, Fun, and Embracing Newness are Lacking; (2) The Search for Safe Spaces; and (3) Finding Meaningful Physical Activity Against All Odds. Early experiences were shaped by weight stigma, toxic fitness and health messaging, and poor instructor support, often leading to shame, injury, or disengagement from gym-based physical activity. While some women found joy in physical activity, it typically took years of trial and growth. The findings highlight the non-linear trajectories and the elements that drive women towards (or away from) enjoyable and meaningful physical activity, with a particular focus on the importance of the client-trainer relationship, providing actionable changes in gym culture.

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An exploration of coaches’ perceived capability, opportunity and motivation to embed female-specific health considerations to support adolescent female rugby players

Rebecca Partridge (Leeds Beckett University)

Education is recognised as an effective means of improving menstrual health literacy; however, research consistently reports limited coach confidence in their knowledge of female health and their ability to respond appropriately when athletes disclose related concerns. Although organisational awareness of female-specific health is increasing, female athletes emphasise the need for trust, closeness and comfort to support open communication. It remains unclear whether coaches integrate female-specific health considerations into their coaching practice, and whether they possess the capability, opportunity and motivation to do so effectively. As increased knowledge does not necessarily translate into applied practice or behaviour change, it is essential to examine the challenges and facilitators influencing coaches’ engagement with female health. Supporting adolescent female athletes requires a multifaceted approach that acknowledges the complex and layered nature of coaching, extending beyond education alone. By investigating the factors shaping coaches’ behaviours, the research aims to identify key barriers and enablers that can inform coach education, resource development and policy. The findings aim to contribute to the advancement of informed, inclusive coaching practices that better support the health, well-being and athletic development of adolescent female rugby players.

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Changing the Narrative: Rethinking Research and Practice Through the Female Athlete Voice

Bryna Chrismas (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Natalia Galan-Lopez, Natalie Brown, Georgie Bruinvels (Loughborough University; Swansea University; University College London)

This symposium challenges dominant models of knowledge generation in female athlete health and performance. Speakers will critically examine how athlete voices are – or are not – reflected in research design, translation, and applied practice. Drawing on case studies and empirical data, the session will question whether current scientific frameworks and gold standards align with the realities of athletes and their support teams. Key themes include menstrual cycle, urinary stress incontinence, pelvic health, pregnancy, and the priorities athletes identify through their lived experiences. Attendees will gain insight into co-created approaches that use athlete experiences to reshape both what questions are asked and how research is conducted, shared, and implemented. This session offers an alternative to traditional linear knowledge transfer by presenting examples of bi-directional, practice-informed, and context-sensitive research that aims to shift both the narrative and the landscape of female athlete support.

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Reimagining Girls’ Physical Education in China: An Activist Approach to Gender Democratisation and School-Based Interventions

Jiayi Du (University of Strathclyde)

Co-authors: Cara Lamb, Helin Zhao, David Kirk (University of Strathclyde)

Adolescent girls in China remain less engaged than boys in school-based physical education (PE), despite reforms positioning PE as a core subject. This paper outlines a three-phase qualitative study that seeks to understand and transform girls’ experiences of PE in Chinese middle schools.

Phase One involved online collection and analysis of PE unit and lesson plans, plus semi-structured interviews with teachers from multiple cities. It identified exam-oriented teaching shaped by the PE Zhongkao, large class sizes that limit differentiated pedagogy, gaps between curriculum standards and practice, and teachers’ reports of girls’ lower participation linked to fatigue, low physical self-confidence, limited autonomy and fear of peer judgement.

Phase Two uses multi-site case studies in four middle schools, combining lesson observations, focus group interviews with girls, and interviews with teachers and leaders to explore how PE is organised, enacted and experienced.

Phase Three will adopt an activist approach, co-designing and trialling gender-responsive, student-centred interventions with schools. Together, the three phases develop an empirically grounded, intervention-oriented framework for gender-democratising PE in contemporary China.

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Exploring Emotional Experiences and Stigma associated with seeking psychological help in Predicting Common Mental Health ill Symptoms among Women Sports Officials working in Culturally Men dominant settings

Hira Atta (University of Regina)

Co-authors: Dr. Kim Dorsch (University Of Regina)

Sports officials operate in high-pressure environments, making rapid decisions while ensuring athlete safety and fair competition. Unfortunately, abuse directed toward sports officials by the media, spectators, athletes, coaches, and even the organizations they represent has been widely documented (Mojtahedi et al., 2024). Persistent exposure to stressful situations, such as abuse, has been linked to referee attrition and has been identified as a negative factor in recruitment, retention (Jacobs et al., 2020), and mental health outcomes (Webb et al., 2021; Tingle et al., 2022). Stigmatization of mental health is a crucial concern often preventing individuals from seeking the treatment they need. Although research on the mental health of sports officials is growing, there is a notable gap in understanding the emotional experiences of female sports officials, particularly in culturally male-dominated settings. Furthermore, self-stigma associated with seeking psychological support among women officials remains underexplored. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to examine the prevalence mental health ill symptoms among women sports officials. (2) To explore their emotional experiences the role of self-stigma in seeking help and its relationship with mental health symptoms. Data was collected from active women sports officials in Pakistan. Psychological distress, depression, and anxiety were measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). Positive and negative emotional experiences were assessed using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE; Diener, 2009). Self-stigma related to help-seeking was measured using the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH; Vogel et al., 2006). The qualitative findings indicated the underlying factors of emotional experiences. Overall, findings revealed a clear divergence between positive and negative emotional experiences, with negative emotions closely associated with psychological distress, while positive emotions showed an inverse relationship. The results highlight the importance of addressing psychological distress, their causes and self stigma among women sports officials and emphasize the need for women officials’ mental health awareness programs.

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Fostering Privileged Students’ Critical Consciousness and Empowering Women through Representative Curriculum Design

Stacie Gray (Northampton University)

The sport industry’s longstanding patriarchal cultural legacy creates persistent challenges for women. Drawing on Jester’s reconceptualisation of curricula representation, this study explored the potential of representative curriculum design to foster critical consciousness and allyship among students with privileged identities, while engaging minoritised students (including women). Following reflexive thematic analysis of thirty-four interviews with sport management students, the findings evidenced curriculum design aligned with social justice education and transformational learning. Privileged (white, male) students reported that the curriculum developed allyship and critical consciousness through cognitive dissonance, disorientating dilemmas, and exposure to identity-matched role models. These insights are significant given previous reports of avoidance and defensiveness when privileged identities are implicated in curricula. Minoritised (and female) students explained how representative case studies and visible role models contributed to a sense of belonging, career aspirations, and preparedness to navigate industry challenges. As socialisation agents, faculty members are called upon to critically evaluate, redesign, and implement curricula that centralise representative content. Such curriculum design not only enhances the learning experience for women but also cultivates a generation of change-makers capable of creating more equitable sport industry environments.

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“Empowering” martial arts and combat sports for women are not a universal experience: writing new stories

Fabiana Turelli (University of Manitoba)

Objective: To present the pedagogical model for karate and framework for general martial arts and combat sports (MACS) for the teaching of self-identifying women and girls in MACS. It was developed with a bi-directional goal, to sustainably empower women facing overlapping oppression, and to transform MACS environments, which are often male preserves, into spaces centring women and girls’ needs and experiences.
Methods: The project was conducted with critical feminist theory as framework, and participatory action research as methodology. From September 2024 to April 2025 the pedagogical model was developed and implemented with a group of ten participants newcomer students to the University of Manitoba stating they lacked confidence and a sense of safety. Results: Karate practices were used to build an innovative approach and atmosphere, using metaphors of fighting in life against patriarchal oppression while fighting on the mats, which led to small steps on healing from multiple traumas, in a space that is harassment-free. Discussion and Conclusions: Despite the promises of women’s ability for self-defence, they have remained over the years at the margins of MACS. The structure, tradition, hierarchy, and pedagogy are kept usually by men in MACS positioning them at the centre of a circle of power from where they can tell women what to do for women’s safety. This project challenges and changes this story by centring women and their voices and needs.

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Strategies for recruitment of adolescent girls into physical activity programmes: a systematic review and regression analysis.

Tanya O’Brien (Trinity College Dublin)

Co-authors: Professor Catherine Darker, David Mockler, Dr Emer Barrett (Trinity College Dublin)

Aim: This systematic review aimed to quantify recruitment rates into physical activity (PA) randomised controlled trials involving adolescent girls and to identify strategies and programme characteristics associated with improved recruitment.

Importance: This review provides the first quantitative synthesis of recruitment rates and identifies strategy-outcome relationships to support more effective programme design.

Key message: Across 27 trials, mean recruitment was 62.6% (±27.8). Teacher involvement was key: recruitment improved when teachers were financially supported to organise activities (R²=0.44, p=0.005) or followed up for consent with absent girls (R²=0.25, p=0.048). Recruitment goals were achieved in 68% of studies, particularly those using researcher presentations or taster sessions (r=0.52, p=0.041). School-based programmes during class time recruited more effectively (62.3% ±28.1) than those offered at optional times (54.9% ±30.9). In contrast, incentives targeted at girls alone were linked to lower recruitment (51.2% ±32.1). Poor reporting of recruitment strategies was common.

Call to action: Future studies might examine the utility of these recruitment strategies in real-world PA programmes, while PA providers and policymakers might consider the importance of embedding teacher engagement and scheduling PA opportunities within the school day to support more equitable and effective recruitment of girls.

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Strategies for Physical Activity Recruitment of adolescent girls via consensus Knowledge (SPARK-Girls): A two-Panel Delphi study with physical activity providers and adolescent girls.

Tanya O’Brien (Trinity College Dublin)

Co-authors: Professor Catherine Darker, Dr Emer Barrett (Trinity College Dublin)

Aim: This Delphi study, underpinned by a previous systematic review, sought to establish consensus between physical activity (PA) providers and adolescent girls themselves on a set of recommended recruitment strategies to engage adolescent girls in real-world PA programmes. Importance: Limited attention to how girls are recruited has constrained the reach and impact of school and community PA interventions, underscoring the need for evidence-informed recommendations to guide practice. Key Message: Consensus indicated that teacher encouragement, timely reminders, and assistance with practical logistics were central to recruitment. Agreement emerged on the value of supportive friends and instructors, transparent communication that reduces uncertainty about programme atmosphere and content, opportunities to try activities through low-pressure taster sessions, and environments that prioritise fun and minimise competitiveness. The study produced a consolidated list of recommended strategies agreed by both panels that may guide future recruitment efforts. Call to Action: Further empirical research is needed to test the effectiveness of these consensus-based strategies in real-world settings. Providers might use these recommendations as a working framework for enhancing recruitment practices, while policymakers may find them useful when considering how workforce training and resource allocation can better support girls’ PA participation.

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The Straps Gap: Results from the Inaugural Women’s & Non-Binary Aerial straps Symposium for Progressing Gender Equality in Circus Arts.

Amelia Thornton (University of Oxford)

The Straps Gap reports the findings from the Women’s & Non-Binary Straps Symposium held at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London. The symposium was held to kickstart progression towards gender equality within the field of circus with a particular focus on aerials. The symposium brought together circus aerialists, academics, teachers, riggers, and students to examine persistent gender-based inequities within circus training and performing. Group discussions were held to map the current gender-related issues in circus and propose potential solutions. Through facilitated group discussions, participants identified ongoing structural barriers affecting all levels of circus, from recreational to professional. The report identifies six thematic areas which emerged from the discussions: Education & Awareness, Institutional Policies, Community & Support Networks, Ethics & Reporting, Connections to Wider Industries, and Funding. Central concerns include the lack of gender-specific research, limited menstrual health education, biased technical standards, inconsistent safeguarding, and under-representation in leadership. The report proposes practical responses such as research collaborations, inclusive teaching resources, clearer institutional guidelines, better reporting systems, and targeted funding strategies. Whilst the report focuses on circus, many of the issues and actions discussed could be potentially translated to other sectors within performing arts or sport.

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Evaluation of iron status in athletes

Aoife Coffey (Loughborough University )

Iron is crucial for athlete health and performance, yet iron deficiency is a common diagnosis in active populations. Iron plays a key role in oxygen transport. As a result, iron deficiency can hinder haematological adaptations and can result in a decline in an athlete’s exercise capacity and VO2 max. Additionally, iron plays a vital role in energy metabolism, neurological function and immune health, all of which are essential for training and performance. The high prevalence of iron deficiency in athletes is likely due to a combination of inadequate iron intake (low energy intakes and vegetarian/vegan diets) and increased iron losses associated with physical activity. These losses can occur through sweating, red blood cell haemolysis from repetitive foot strike and/or blood vessel compression during exercise, inflammatory/iron regulation hormone elevation post-exercise, and, in female athletes, menstrual blood loss. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of iron deficiencies in athletic populations from a wide range of sports. This will be achieved through measurements of ferritin, transferrin, and haemoglobin levels. Additionally, through questionnaires, the reasons for low iron levels in athletes will be determined, alongside the effects of low iron levels on immunity. The key message of the study is to raise awareness about the importance of adequate iron levels for athletic health and performance.

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Navigating Sub-Cultural Gendered Norms within Strength & Conditioning Coaching

Val Craft (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Leanne Norman, Ed Cope (Loughborough University), Ali Bowes (Nottingham Trent University)

It is no secret that women remain significantly underrepresented in sports coaching. Although the 2024 Olympic Games achieved gender parity among athletes, women constitute approximately 20% of elite-level coaches in the UK. This imbalance is more pronounced within the discipline of Strength and Conditioning (S&C). In 2025, women comprised just 9.2% of the UK Strength and Conditioning Association’s accredited membership. As a woman training to become an S&C coach I experienced the discipline as overtly masculine which acted as a deterrent. Entering the field later in life I was unwilling to alter my identity to conform to what I perceived as a dominant masculine culture. I established a private practice that allowed me to pursue my professional interests without negotiating the gendered challenges associated with mainstream S&C environments. Social science theories of work-based identification suggest that professional disciplines possess identities with which individuals may or may not align. Work is often a central component of identity, as reflected in the common social inquiry, “What do you do [for work]?” These experiences prompted an investigation into whether S&C operates as a masculine-centred discipline and how female coaches navigate alignment within that. This study draws on interviews with 18 female S&C coaches, generating insights that are critical for informing future strategies aimed at addressing gender imbalance within S&C and sports coaching more broadly.

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“It was all his fault!” An analysis of published and public opinion reactions to the Luis Rubiales kissing scandal in Spain

Susana Monserrat-Revillo (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Garcia Garcia, Borja, Meier, Henk Erik, Tickell, Samuel, López Llorente, Roberto (Loughborough University and University Münster)

Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish FA, drew global attention after kissing Jennifer Hermoso during the 2023 Women’s World Cup ceremony. This study examines how Spanish media framed the scandal and how key stakeholders reacted, assessing whether it prompted governance changes.
Using qualitative content analysis, 1,731 articles mentioning “Rubiales” and “Hermoso” (1 August–31 December 2023) were reviewed. Four outlets (Agencia EFE, El Mundo, El Mundo Deportivo and Relevo) were chosen for political and editorial diversity. A sample of 170 articles, was analysed using a codebook identifying claims, actors, framing and proposed consequences, informed by organisational crisis literature.
Findings show the scandal was mainly framed as Rubiales’s personal misconduct, with widespread calls for his resignation or suspension. Governance failures within the FA appeared but were less prominent. A minority, largely left leaning politicians, journalists and women footballers, linked the incident to wider gender inequality in Spain. Despite strong media attention and public pressure, institutional consequences were limited. The FA’s internal network concentrated responsibility on Rubiales as a scapegoat, avoiding deeper reforms. The only notable change was the dismissal of five senior officials after demands from the women’s national team. Nonetheless, gender equity debates clearly shaped media coverage, marking a positive shift in the Spanish and European sociopolitical context.

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Generating a female-specific skeletal muscle cellular model: expanding investigations into female populations and their responses to injury, hormone therapy, and extreme conditions

Emily Alderson (Loughborough University)

It is widely understood how skeletal muscle (SkM) structure and function aids performance, however what remains unclear is why such large differences exist between male and female SkM, manifested at physiological, metabolic, and even molecular levels. While assessing differences between male and female participants at a whole-body level can provide insights into sex-specific muscle function, such as strength, injury responses, and fatigue resistance, it is far more difficult to ascertain why these differences are present. Cell models allow the complex mechanisms which underpin sex-specific muscle responses to be established and investigated. However, current cellular models of human SkM rely predominately on male-derived or animal cells for cellular modelling, while a representative model of female SkM remains unavailable. Therefore, this project aims to generate a female-specific cellular SkM model, recapitulating the female SkM microenvironment via manipulation of hormone concentrations during muscle cell growth and maturation phases in the laboratory. This will provide a high-throughput female-specific platform which can be further manipulated to reflect conditions which otherwise may not be ethically appropriate in whole body experimentation, such as injury assays, transgender affirming therapy responses, and extreme conditions (e.g. nutrient deficiencies), or even to allow more inclusive testing of specific female populations, such as during pregnancy or severe menstruation symptoms.

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Associations Between Testosterone Levels, Hormonal Contraceptive Use and Strength Parameters in Female Athletes

Nicola Rawlinson (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Dr Stephen Bailey (Loughborough University), Dr Elizabeth Akam (Loughborough University), Dr Richard Burden (UK Sports Institute), Dr Emma O’Donnell (Loughborough University)

Sex-based differences in athletic performance are largely attributed to testosterone, yet its role within the normal female range remains unclear. This study examined associations between salivary testosterone (Sal-T), hormonal contraceptive (HC) use, and strength performance in well-trained female athletes (n = 38) across multiple sports. Participants completed handgrip strength, countermovement jump, one-repetition maximum bench press, and isometric knee extension tests. Sal-T was measured via ELISA and athletes were grouped by tertiles of testosterone and HC use. A moderate positive correlation was observed between Sal-T and isometric knee extension force (r = 0.428, p < 0.01), with relative bench press and knee extension values significantly lower in the lowest tertile compared to the highest (p < 0.01). HC users exhibited lower Sal-T concentrations (p < 0.01) and reduced bench press and knee extension performance versus non-users (p < 0.05), while handgrip and jump measures showed no differences. These findings suggest that endogenous testosterone within the female physiological range may influence strength performance, and HC use could attenuate this relationship. Further research with larger, more diverse cohorts is warranted to clarify the mechanistic links between testosterone, contraceptive use, and female athletic performance.

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Turning Up the Heat: Can Weekly Hot Yoga Transform Health and Performance?

Erin Gibson (London South Bank University)

Co-authors: Freya Bayne (London South Bank University)

Yoga is widely recognized for its benefits on flexibility, strength, and mental wellbeing. Hot yoga, practiced in a heated environment, adds an additional physiological challenge that may amplify these benefits. Our study investigates whether one hot yoga session per week for five weeks can produce measurable improvements in key health markers, including weight management, flexibility, cardiovascular function, and perceived wellbeing in recreationally active females.

Unlike traditional yoga, hot yoga combines physical postures with heat exposure, which may enhance circulation, promote muscle elasticity, and increase energy expenditure. This research explores whether low-frequency participation can deliver meaningful outcomes without requiring daily practice, making it accessible for individuals with busy schedules.

The importance of this work lies in its practical application: hot yoga is already popular and integrates physical activity with mindfulness, offering a holistic approach to health. If effective, this strategy could support weight management, improve mobility, and enhance recovery, making it a valuable addition to exercise programs for females.

We encourage practitioners, fitness professionals, and researchers to consider hot yoga as a complementary approach to traditional exercise programs. Further studies should explore its long-term effects and potential for supporting diverse populations in achieving health and wellness goals.

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‘Actif Period Project’: A Co-Designed Active Education Programme to Enhance Physical Activity Participation Across the Menstrual Cycle.

Kelly McNulty (Bangor University)

Co-authors: Natalie Brown, Sophie Harrison (Swansea University; Bangor University)

Menstruation is an overlooked barrier to girls’ participation in physical activity. This study aimed to co-design an active menstrual education programme to reduce menstruation-related barriers to physical activity. A two-phase mixed-methods design was used. In phase one, 19 girls (11–16 years) and 5 session leaders joined co-design workshops, followed by focus groups with 14 stakeholders. In phase two, the co-designed programme was piloted in community organisations using pre- and post-surveys and focus groups to assess outcomes and inform refinement. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using structured thematic coding. Girls expressed a preference for non-traditional forms of physical activity, favouring active, movement-based educational approaches delivered in flexible, bite-sized formats and demonstrated interested in learning about menstruation basics, product use, and symptom management. Stakeholders viewed the programme as appropriate and recommended broader content with resource signposting, inclusive and age-appropriate delivery, adaptable activities, supportive environments with adequate facilities, and sufficient training. Phase two data collection and analysis are ongoing. A menstruation- and physical activity-specific active-education programme was co-created with girls and stakeholders. Future work should evaluate the programme’s impact on menstruation-related physical activity barriers.

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Menstrual Cycle, Oral Contraceptives, and Postural Control: Behavioral and Neural Insights

Carina Pohle (Paderborn University)

Co-authors: Daniel Büchel¹, Silvana Bucher Sandbakk², Øyvind Sandbakk³, Belinda Pletzer⁴ & Jochen Baumeister¹

¹ Exercise Science & Neuroscience Unit, Department of Exercise & Health, Faculty of Science, Paderborn University, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany

² Department of Sport Science and Physical Education, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway

³ School of Sport Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

⁴ Department of Psychology & Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

The influence of the menstrual cycle (MC) and oral contraceptive (OC) use on postural control remains controversial in the current literature. Given the fundamental role of postural control in sports performance and injury prevention, this study aimed to investigate whether postural control differs between women with a natural MC and OC users across phases of low and high hormonal exposure. Postural control was assessed at both the behavioral level, using center of pressure measures, and the central level, examining brain functional connectivity during the early follicular/inactive pill phase and the preovulatory/active pill phase. The findings indicate that women with a natural MC demonstrate superior postural control and more efficient neural information processing during both the early follicular and preovulatory phases compared to OC users during the pill and pause phases. These results challenge the common assumption that OC use confers a preventive benefit for postural stability and injury risk. We encourage researchers and practitioners to critically re-evaluate this assumption and to consider hormonal status more explicitly in future study designs, training recommendations, and injury prevention strategies.

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Gender-Informed Concussion Recovery: Co-Designing Safer Sporting Environments Through the Concussion Toolkit

Pippi Heath (Concussion Toolkit)

Co-authors: Millie Puddephatt (Concussion Toolkit)

Despite women’s increased susceptibility to sport-related concussion and longer recovery, concussion protocols remain androcentric. 80% of concussion research is based on males, leaving women underserved and authorities under scrutiny. Young adults are particularly vulnerable due to their maturing brains, heightening the risk of second impact syndrome. This study challenged medical reductionism and gender bias in concussion research. We prioritised qualitative data to centre lived experiences and critique androcentric norms using a qualitative review, survey(76% women), expert interviews, focus groups, and co-design. Four insights emerged: student-athletes lack knowledge; guidance ignores students’ needs; holistic care is essential; Androcentric research prevents gender-informed advice. This participant-led research highlighted an urgent need to reform concussion care, catalysing rollout of Concussion Toolkit (CT); the social enterprise providing gender-informed concussion education & guidance that enables safe participation for all. CT has trained over 200 student leaders, with attendees displaying immediate behaviour change. Over 15,000 students have access to the Toolkit, with users describing it as the first-time concussion care feels “relevant”. If you’re developing women-tailored interventions(e.g. in neck strength, nutrition, mental health, or prevention) let’s integrate them into the Toolkit and deliver them to athletes nationwide to minimise concussions.

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The Impact of the Menstrual Cycle and Hormonal Contraceptives on Sporting Performance: An Online Survey of Athletes at the FISU World University Games 2025

Saba Shakalio (Bergische Universität Wuppertal)

Co-authors: Dr. Kirsten Legerlotz (Bergische Universität Wuppertal)

Fluctuations in sex hormones across the menstrual cycle and the use of hormonal contraceptives may influence sporting performance, yet evidence from real competition settings remains limited. This study examined the perceived impact of menstrual cycle phases and hormonal contraceptive use on competition performance in athletes.
An online survey was conducted among athletes competing at the FISU World University Games 2025, assessing menstrual cycle characteristics, contraceptive use, symptoms, and perceived wellbeing and performance. Descriptive analyses and group comparisons were performed.
In total, 169 athletes from 50 nations participated. Athletics and swimming were the most frequently represented sports. Overall, 36.4% reported using hormonal contraception, and 73% indicated that their menstrual cycle or hormonal contraception influenced performance to varying degrees. Athletes using hormonal contraceptives reported a significantly lower negative impact of mental and physical symptoms on performance compared to athletes not using hormonal contraceptives (p = .031). Additionally, 26% reported experiencing an absence of menstruation lasting longer than three months. These findings underscore the relevance of hormonal status for competition performance and support the need for hormone-aware, individualised approaches in competitive sport.

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The Female-Specific Physiological and Gastrointestinal Responses To Exercise In The Heat

Hannah Smallwood (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Aoife Coffey, Kelsie Johnson, Lewis James, Liam Heaney, Samantha Rowland (Loughborough University; Liverpool John Moores University)

Gastrointestinal distress during exercise is commonly experienced by athletes. Symptoms such as nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting are frequently reported, with potential implications for comfort and performance. Perturbations to gastrointestinal permeability underpin these symptoms, arising from the physiological strain of exercise – an effect exacerbated by heat exposure.

Emerging evidence suggests that gastrointestinal symptoms may be more prevalent in female athletes compared to males. Given the influence of endogenous and exogenous female sex hormones on thermoregulation and gastrointestinal function, this study aims to investigate the influence of menstrual cycle phases (early follicular and mid-luteal) and oral contraceptive pill phases (active and inactive) on intestinal permeability, function and comfort during heat-based exercise. Healthy, active women will undertake two experimental trials involving 90-minutes of moderate-intensity running at two phases of their cycle (natural or contraceptive) at~34°C conditions in an environmental chamber.

The importance of this work lies in improving the understanding of female-specific physiological responses to heat-based exercise. This is increasingly relevant given rising global temperatures and growing frequency of sporting events held in hot climates, such as the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. A deeper understanding may inform effective heat and gastrointestinal management strategies, to optimise performance and health.

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Forward Momentum: Advancing Physical Activity and Wellbeing during Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum on the island of Ireland

Elizabeth Deery (Ulster University)

Co-authors: Dr Maria Faulkner (Ms Cat Caro)

This contribution presents an all-island programme of research (ROI & NI) focused on physical activity (PA) and wellbeing during pregnancy and postpartum. It presents contextually relevant evidence, informs policy and practice and demonstrates coordinated research capacity within a unique health and policy landscape. PA during pregnancy and after birth is associated with substantial health benefits, yet participation remains low. Our work demonstrates that many women do not meet PA guidelines, experience biopsychosocial barriers, and report lack of support during these periods. Our ongoing research with healthcare, allied health and exercise professionals highlights gaps in training, confidence, and system-level pathways for PA support and provision. Collectively, these findings emphasise the need for whole-system, implementation-focused solutions that reflect our novel all-island context. Current work focuses on understanding support and provision across the island, including technological innovations and effective messaging strategies to translate evidence-based guidelines into sustained behaviour change. Meaningful engagement with key stakeholders and patient and public involvement has been central to identifying priorities and maximising translational impact. Call to action: We call for sustained all-island collaboration and investment in implementation science to embed co-designed support and provision, driving equitable improvements in this population’s health.

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Women’s Perceptions of Safety when Running in Public Spaces (SHE RUNS)

Laura Gubby (Canterbury Christ Church University)

Co-authors: Joanne Hill (University of Bedfordshire)

In the UK, 86% of young women report experiencing sexual harassment in public spaces (All-Party Parliamentary Group on UN Women, 2021). High-profile cases related to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), such as the murder of Ashling Murphy in Ireland in 2022 while she was out running, have reignited campaigns advocating for safer public spaces for women, both when engaging in outdoor physical activity and their everyday lives more broadly. The researchers are part of the SHE RUNS international research team, which is collecting data across 22 research sites in 14 countries. The project seeks to understand how cultural, political, and geographical contexts shape women’s running experiences worldwide. Data presented in this paper has been generated by researchers in the English contingent of SHE RUNS. We recruited women in cities and towns across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex, engaging them in a range of participatory, creative and ethnographically-informed methods to hear and understand their stories, including go-along interviews, focus groups, and diaries. In this paper, we discuss preliminary findings that explore the extent to which harassment and the perceived risk of violence influence women’s physical activity experiences and choices. Specifically, we focus on themes relating to spaces where women feel safe or unsafe, the choices they make in relation to running, concerns about other people, and changes that could improve their feelings of safety.

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Developing an Athlete-Centred Fitting Methodology for Smart Leggings in Women’s Sport

Lucinda Abell (Loughborough University)

Non-contact ACL and hamstring injuries remain a persistent challenge in women’s sports, often resulting from movement patterns involving the hip, knee, and ankle in multidirectional sports like football. The higher ACL injury rates in women are poorly understood, partly due to a gender gap in sports medicine research and limitations of laboratory-based methods in capturing real-world movement. Smart garments enable practical biomechanical assessment in real sporting environments. For these to be effective, they must discreetly integrate sensors and remain comfortable, desirable, and manufacturable at scale. This study developed an athlete-centred fitting methodology for smart leggings that fit and feel like regular sportswear, placing IMU sensors at key lower limb locations to measure joint angles, speed, and direction. Ethical approval covered fitting sessions (tape measurements, non-electronic ‘legging shells’) and a survey on athlete preferences for fit, sensor placement, and design. After a pilot, focused user testing involved elite female football athletes aged 18–30. Iterative testing guided fit refinements, improving comfort and sensor stability. The smart leggings underwent lab and field testing, including match play. Smart-garment technology is most effective in sport and health research when fit, comfort, desirability, and manufacturing repeatability are core requirements. Investing in female-centric technology helps close the gender gap in health research.

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The effect of the menstrual cycle on perception of breast characteristics and movement during physical activity

Bahira El Mantawi (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Emma O’Donnell, Andy Harland, Agathe van Lamsweerde, Eleonora Benhar Noccioli, Danielle Perro, Rebecca Grant (Loughborough University; NaturalCycles; Nordic AB)

Poor breast support and exercise-related breast discomfort are barriers to women’s participation in physical activity. While many studies have quantified breast motion during exercise and demonstrated the efficacy of sports bras in reducing movement and pain, a critical physiological factor remains largely overlooked: the menstrual cycle (MC). The MC induces various hormonal fluctuations that are thought to influence breast volume, tissue composition, and sensitivity, yet the magnitude and implications of these changes on breast movement during exercise and women’s perceptual experiences remain unclear.

This study aimed to investigate how perceived breast characteristics, biomechanics, and exercise-related discomfort vary across the MC in naturally menstruating women. Five participants (18–45 years) completed eight laboratory sessions aligned with specific MC phases. Participants performed four standardised tasks, including running, jumping, agility, and upper-body rotation. Following each task, participants reported perceived breast movement and discomfort and completed questionnaires capturing perceived cyclical breast changes and relevant lifestyle factors.

Preliminary findings indicate potential phase-related changes in perception of breast characteristics and movement patterns with significant differences in the luteal phase. The key message of this work is that MC phase should be considered when evaluating perceived breast motion, discomfort, and support needs.

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Sex and Gender Experiences of Elite Female Gaelic Games Athletes

Sarah Doran (Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands)

Co-authors: Dr Niamh Ní Chéilleachair, Dr Fiona McHale, Dr Aoife Lane. (NNC & AL – TUS Department of Sport and Health Sciences/SHE Research; FMH – University of Limerick; Physical Activity for Health Research Centre)

The lack of female-focused sports science research has led to the use of male-derived training approaches, potentially overlooking female-specific needs. Limited access to sports science practitioners exacerbates this. This study explored the experiences of elite female Gaelic games athletes regarding sex and gender-specific issues, such as breast, menstrual, and pelvic floor health, and access to practitioners and facilities.

Data were collected through a questionnaire (76 open and closed questions across 7 sections), which was developed and validated through a modified Delphi approach.

Responses from 480 participants (age 24.6 ± 4.6 years) indicated that amenorrhea (27%) and pelvic floor dysfunctions (65%) were prevalent, while health literacy was low (70% rated pelvic floor literacy as poor). Practitioner access was irregular, with 85% having no access to a medical doctor. Training facilities lacked female-specific resources such as sanitary products (3%) and bins (8%), while the average age of first exposure to S&C was 19.2 ± 4.1 years old. Over three-quarters of respondents felt gender impacts their experiences in sport, and one third wanted sex specific education.

Despite the prevalence of sex-specific issues, athletes had challenges around literacy and access to specialist support, which impacted understanding and reporting, potentially hindering treatment and prevention. Future research should focus on improving athlete health literacy through co-designed educational approaches.

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Sex and Gender Specific Considerations in Youth Female Athletes in Ireland

Angela Kenneally (Technological University of Shannon Athlone)

Co-authors: Aoife Lane , Eamon Henry, Niamh Ní Chéilleachair (TUS Athlone; Offaly Sport Partnership)

Despite increasing female sport participation, adolescent girls disengage from sport at higher rates than boys. Among these factors, female specific health considerations are often overlooked in research. This study aimed to investigate sex and gender specific experiences of youth female athletes in Ireland. An online questionnaire was developed and validated using a modified Delphi approach. Respondents were 277 youth female athletes (age 17 ± 1.88 years) across 20 sports. Health literacy was limited, with only 39% of athletes able to name the two main hormones of menstruation, while breast and pelvic health literacy were self-reported as average (47%) and poor (43%). Sex-specific health issues were common, with over 50% of participants reporting pelvic floor symptoms and 100% of naturally menstruating participants experiencing negative menstrual cycle symptoms. Despite this, few athletes felt comfortable discussing menstrual (30%), breast (15%) or pelvic (13%) health with coaches. Environmental support was inconsistent, with 51% reporting rarely or never having access to sanitary products within their sport. While social connections were a positive experience of being a girl in sport negative experiences were associated with inequality, societal perception of female sport, and female anatomy. The findings suggest that youth sport environments may not adequately support female-specific health needs. Improving health literacy and support structures may help meet these needs.

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Development, Implementation and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Teen Dance Intervention for Adolescent Girls in Rural and Urban Settings

Sarah Dillon (Technological University of the Shannon – Midlands)

Co-authors: Dr Clare McDermott, Dr Fiona Skelly, Dr Aoife Lane, Dr Emma Cowley (Technological University of the Shannon – Midlands)

Physical activity (PA) participation among adolescent girls in Ireland is low. The aim of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a pilot dance based PA intervention for adolescent girls in rural and urban schools in Ireland. Phase 1 involved co-designing an intervention that was tailored to the preference of adolescent girls by addressing the specific barriers girls face through a literature review, focus groups, and a stakeholder workshop. The co-design development phase identified 4 core components which aimed to enhance program success: Champions providing peer support; Modern Irish Dance focusing on movement and skill development; Reflection targeting behaviour change; and Voice and Choice enabling participant input. Phase 2 comprised a 4-week lunchtime pilot intervention in 2 schools, using a dance-based approach. Current PA levels, PA competence, motivation towards PA and PA self-esteem were measured at baseline and post intervention, and follow up focus groups were conducted. Improvements were found in PA levels from baseline to post intervention. The dance based intervention was perceived as engaging and inclusive. Participants reported greater confidence, stronger social connectedness, and increased motivation to participate in PA. Findings indicate that a dance-based PA intervention is a feasible and acceptable strategy to promote PA among adolescent girls. However, further research is needed to establish long-term sustainability and effectiveness.

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Breaking the Cycle: Co-Creating Menstrual Health Policies for Inclusive Workplace

Sophie Lester (University College Birmingham)

Co-authors: Fiona Higgs (University College Birmingham)

Menstrual health is often overlooked in workplace wellbeing strategies, despite evidence that over half of working women report menstrual or menopausal symptoms negatively affecting job performance and nearly a quarter have considered leaving their roles as a result. In response, we initiated a collaborative project between HR and academic staff at University College Birmingham to co‑create a Menstrual Health Policy informed directly by employee experiences.

Our mixed‑methods study combines an electronic survey and focus groups to explore how menstrual health impacts staff wellbeing, productivity, and workplace experience. Findings will guide policy development and support longitudinal evaluation following implementation. This initiative builds on our advocacy through the Women’s Staff Network, including securing membership in the Endometriosis UK Friendly Employer Scheme, and complements ongoing work on menopause and maternal health policies.

In this interactive session, we will share our motivations, research design, and early insights, and facilitate discussion on practical strategies for embedding inclusive health policies across diverse workplace settings, including sport, exercise, health, and educational environments. Delegates will leave with actionable ideas to champion similar initiatives within their own organisations.

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Studying Harassment Experiences in women’s Running: Understanding Narratives of Safety (SHE RUNS) – international research team and participatory methodology

Joanne Hill (University of Bedfordshire)

Co-authors: Laura Gubby, Fabiana Turelli (Canterbury Christ Church University; University of Manitoba)

In this paper we introduce SHE RUNS (Studying Harassment Experiences in women’s Running: Understanding Narratives of Safety): a project researching women’s experiences of perceived safety, risk, and harassment when they run outdoors. With research taking place in 22 research sites across 14 countries, we establish a rationale for feminist research when working internationally, at scale, and using in-depth qualitative methods to address questions of women’s safety. We then outline the multi-method qualitative project that SHE RUNS researchers are using. Recruiting women who identify as runners, we invite each to a one-to-one go-along interview walking a route that the participant typically runs; participant diaries to record events and reflections as they occur; and focus groups using mapping elicitation techniques to discuss shared experiences. Using these participatory and ethnographic-informed methods, each SHE RUNS research team researches discourses of gender and spaces of safety/risk in our local contexts for subsequent collaborative international analysis across geographical, cultural, and political boundaries. To date we have over 150 participants sharing their perspectives on safe running routes, the interactions that have shaped their positions on risk of harassment, and the actions they would like to see taken to support safety for women. We reflect on SHE RUNS’ progress and vision for a long-term research network supporting safe outdoor physical activity.

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Tackling the menstrual cycle: The impact of menstrual symptoms among under-18 international female rugby union athletes

Sophie E. Harrison (Institute for Applied Human Physiology, School of Sport Science, Bangor University)

Co-authors: Anaïs Moczulski, Abigail Grant & Julian A. Owen1 (Institute for Applied Human Physiology; School of Sport Science; Bangor University; School of Psychology; Bangor University)

Introduction: Female athletes perceive their menstrual symptoms to negatively impact their performance, yet little is known about perceptions of elite adolescent athletes and differential impacts during training and competition. Therefore, this study explored the frequency, severity and perceived impact of menstrual symptoms on training and competition in under-18 international female rugby athletes.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to international female rugby union athletes (n = 82, age = 17 ± 1 years) during the Women’s U18 Six Nations tournament. Athletes reported the frequency (0–3 AU), severity (1–3 AU) and impact on training and competition (0–4 AU) of 41 common menstrual symptoms. Paired t-tests compared symptom impact between training and competition.

Results: Ninety-nine percent of athletes experienced at least one symptom. The most commonly experienced symptoms were mood changes (97%), stomach pain/cramps (96%) and irritability (92%). Symptoms were perceived to be more impactful during training than competition (P < 0.01, 40 ± 22 vs 35 ± 21 AU, respectively).

Conclusion: Menstrual symptoms are highly prevalent among under-18 international rugby players, with athletes reporting a greater negative impact on training than competition. Further research is warranted to understand why athletes perceive symptoms differently in training and competition, whether symptoms objectively affect performance, and how to reduce the negative impact of symptoms.

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Providing Accessible Nutrition Support

Alissa Nehrlich (Freelance)

The aim of the poster presentation is to equip nutrition professionals, as well as other sports professionals with the knowledge and skills to make their one-to-one work more accessible, especially for individuals who are Neurodivergent or have sensory conditions and conditions affecting executive functioning. This will be brought to light through presenting a case study of supporting a Neurodivergent Athlete with executive functioning challenges and sensory preferences around food. Practical tips on making content accessible, problem-solving together with the athlete and providing actionable steps for sustainable fuelling will be presented. Many athletes may not be able to follow standard nutrition protocols due to their disability or neurodivergence. This can be particularly challenging for athletes with multiple commitments, whether these are work related or non-work related. Therefore, the poster is important to equip professionals with the skills and knowledge to support this population. While the poster will look at a practical nutrition example attendees can use the information provided as transferable knowledge to their respective areas of work.

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Material-Based Comfort Testing and Wearer Perception of Knee Braces: An Applied Ergonomics Study in Female Users

Tasneem Sabir (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Co-authors: Elisa Roldan Ciudad (Manchester Metropolitan University)

The knee is a complex joint and also a common joint to be injured. There is no one solution to treat knee injuries but there are [preventative measures, including the use of a brace. Most knee braces are designed to be unisex, or specifically for males, despite females sustaining more knee injuries. Knee braces are widely prescribed for injury prevention, rehabilitation, and management of musculoskeletal conditions; however, poor comfort remains a major contributor to non-compliance. This study aimed to integrate objective material comfort testing with subjective wearer perception to characterise knee brace comfort in female users. Lab testing quantified key thermo-physiological and mechanical material properties of commercially relevant knee brace fabrics, including pressure distribution, stiffness, breathability, moisture management, and thermal resistance. These data were compared with survey-based comfort assessments collected from female participants following controlled wear trials. Results demonstrated significant relationships between material parameters (notably bending rigidity, air permeability, and moisture) and perceived comfort dimensions such as fit, thermal comfort, and movement restriction. The findings highlight the importance of combining physical product characterisation with user-centred evaluation to inform ergonomic knee brace design, particularly for female users who are underrepresented in orthotic research.

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Female Athlete’s Experience of Burnout and their Perspective on the Influence of the Coach’s Role

Anaïs Moczulski (Bangor University)

Co-authors: Dr. Michelle Smith, Dr. Alban Dickson, Dr. Michael McDougall (University of Stirling)

Female athletes are reported to be more susceptible to sport burnout, which is suggested to be strongly influenced by the coach and coach-athlete relationship. This study aimed to explore female athletes’ experiences of burnout, their perceptions of the coach’s role, and their recommendations for supporting future athletes. Using a feminist phenomenological approach five female athletes were interviewed about their burnout experiences in sport and their perceptions of the coach’s role. Phenomenological analysis revealed that female athletes experience burnout as a holistic phenomenon, often impacted physically through exhaustion, and psychologically through an overarching sense of loss. Gender was highlighted as a mitigating factor in experiencing burnout as female athletes uniquely face challenging physiological and social factors. It was also perceived as a negative factor impacting the coach-athlete relationship and leading to burnout through detrimental interactions. Female athletes perceived coaches as pivotal in shaping the burnout experience by fostering power imbalances and harmful gendered dynamics or through positive behaviours and facilitation of supportive environments. Athletes provided recommendations for improving burnout support, which included education development and training on burnout targeted to coaches, support staff, and female athletes to assist recognition and management, and prevention.

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Fear of movement as a barrier to physical activity in pregnant and postpartum women: A scoping review

Morgan Rogers (Loughborough University )

Fear of movement (FOM) or kinesiophobia is a contributing factor to low exercise levels in pregnant and postpartum populations. The primary objective was to synthesise evidence on fear of movement as a barrier to PA and exercise during pregnancy and postpartum. Secondary objectives included examining existing definitions of fear of movement and assessing its reported prevalence as a barrier. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were followed. Eligible peer-reviewed studies were published in English from 2015 onward. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus in March 2025 using a Population, Concept and Context (PCC) informed strategy. Data were extracted using a piloted Excel form and synthesised narratively. From the fifty-nine included studies, three key themes emerged: the prevalence of FOM, perceived factors contributing to this fear, and fears related to the consequences of engaging in movement or PA. Findings show that, although fear is experienced during exercise, mainly due to concerns about safety and foetal health, lack of information on suitable activity, and fear of miscarriage, FOM as a barrier to exercise engagement remains poorly conceptualised and defined. Fear of exercise during pregnancy and postpartum is common, there is little research of the underlying psychosocial and physiological dimensions of FOM and how it manifests in different exercise contexts and trimesters.

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Use of arts-based methods to explore the experiences of a female coach within rugby union

Jessica Bunyard (Leeds Beckett)

The presentation will be a call to action to use arts-based/visual culture methods to explore marginalised voices within coaching and coach education. The presentation will feature my own artistic works and experiences of being a female coach within a male dominated sport. The works will be textual and could also be displayed within the poster section. The artworks on show explore the micro and macro aggressions I have experienced. Through the presentation and the artistic works, discussions around using arts-based methods, stories and coach development will be fostered.

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Validating App-Based Menstrual Cycle Phase Identification in Female Athletes Using App Tracking, LH Surge Detection, and Serum Hormone Profiles

Ephrem Mekonnen (Simon Fraser University)

Co-authors: Jonathan Goldman, David C. Clarke, Alexandra Coates, Emily Kraus, Christopher Napier (Simon Fraser University; Stanford University)

Accurate menstrual-cycle phase identification is critical for research in female athletes; this study evaluated app-based phase classification against hormonal markers to identify evidence-informed testing windows. Twenty trained female runners completed running tests across early follicular (EF), late follicular (LF), and mid-luteal (ML) phases scheduled using the FitrWoman app, which classifies cycles into Phase 1 (menstruation), Phase 2 (late follicular), Phase 3 (luteal), and Phase 4 (pre-menstrual). We measured urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) surge timing and serum estradiol and progesterone levels to demarcate follicular and luteal hormonal profiles. 70% of participants exhibited LH surges within the app-defined Phase 2 (mean offset = −0.15 ± 1.3 days). Likewise, 70% of participants completed LF run tests within 2 days before or on the Phase-2-to-Phase-3 boundary (mean offset = −0.70 ± 1.6 days), with the highest estradiol concentrations observed in those tested 2 days prior to the boundary (650 ± 415 pmol·L⁻¹). 60% of participants completed ML run tests 2–3 days prior to the end of Phase 3 (mean offset = −2.1 ± 1.4 days), corresponding to the highest progesterone levels (47.7 ± 27.2 nmol·L⁻¹).
Overall, app-based phase labels alone did not reliably align with hormonal markers used to verify menstrual-cycle phase, but phase boundary–anchored scheduling may guide LF and ML testing and inform over-recruitment strategies when hormonal confirmation is not feasible.

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Negotiating Femininity in Chinese Elite Women’s Basketball: Identity, Power, and Embodiment in Contemporary Sport

Menghan Xiong (Durham University)

This study examines how elite Chinese women’s basketball players negotiate femininity and gendered expectations within a high-performance sport environment. Drawing on approximately 30 semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research explores how athletes navigate tensions between athleticism and femininity, the diverse forms of femininity they embody, and the ways they resist, reinterpret, or conform to gendered norms. Informed by postmodern feminist theory, the sociology of sport, Chinese feminist perspectives, and indigenous philosophical frameworks such as Confucianism, the analysis reveals the power dynamics and cultural tensions shaping women’s embodied experiences under socialism with Chinese characteristics. While women’s voices in sport have gained attention globally, existing scholarship remains largely grounded in Western contexts and centred on white women’s experiences. This study addresses this gap by foregrounding the lived experiences of Chinese women athletes. Findings highlight both constraint and agency: athletes challenge dominant gender stereotypes, construct alternative femininities, and articulate forms of empowerment within and beyond state sporting structures. By illuminating the intersections of gender, embodiment, and power in Chinese elite sport, this research contributes to a more culturally grounded understanding of women’s experiences in sport and offers insights into how sport can support more inclusive environments across diverse contexts

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Temporal Validation of Full-Field Measurement for Dynamic Breast Motion Analysis

Lauren Holmes (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Dr Rebecca Grant, Prof Andy Harland, Dr Henry Hanson (Loughborough University; adidas)

Accurate quantification of breast motion is fundamental to understanding breast kinematics and the development of effective support garments across different breast morphologies. Optical motion capture systems (OMCS) are regarded as the gold standard for measuring breast kinematics; however, their reliance on discrete markers limits their ability to capture the complex behaviour of the breast. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) offers a full-field measurement of the surface but requires validation. Using synchronised marker data from both DIC and Vicon systems at six anatomically relevant locations, including the suprasternal notch and nipple allowed an evaluation of agreement. The influence of breast morphology on measurement agreement was examined by including one smaller breast volume (A; 590 ml) and one larger breast volume (B; 1200 ml). Aligned trajectories and residual analyses assessed agreement in magnitude and directional consistency across axes. Strong agreement was seen in both participants, with correlation coefficients above 0.95. For participant A, spatial bias and RMSE values indicated close correspondence. In contrast, participant B exhibited increased bias and RMSE in the vertical axis and at the nipple, reflecting deformation and challenging measurement conditions. These discrepancies likely arise from how each system represents deformable soft tissue. This work validates DIC temporally and supports its use to inform support garment design.

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Evaluation of breast support and sports bra knowledge of female university students

Katy Griggs (Nottingham Trent University)

Co-authors: Ali Bowes, Jessica Piasecki, Ian Varley, Katie Reeves (Nottingham Trent University)

University sport provision enables students to try new sports, participate in multiple disciplines at varying competition levels, and develop habits that support lifelong participation in sport and exercise. Yet little is known about students’ understanding of appropriate breast support. This study aimed to evaluate the breast support knowledge of female university students. 109 UK based female students participating in University sport completed an online questionnaire on breast support. A separate subset of participants (n =15) were invited to attend an educational workshop on sports bras and a professional fitting, completing an online questionnaire before and after the workshop. For the main questionnaire, 34% of respondents stated that wearing a sports bra during sport was absolutely essential, with 90% wearing one whilst playing sport. Only 13% had been professionally fitted, with 23% never replacing their sports bra and 47% experiencing exercise induced breast pain. 91% had not received any education on sports bras, whilst 42% stated that their knowledge of breast health was average. Most participants before the educational workshop rated their knowledge of breast support below average (47%), which increased to above average (67%) post workshop. In conclusion, female university students have limited knowledge on breast health/support, potentially resulting in preventable breast issues. Though understanding of breast support was shown to improve following education.

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Creating Inclusive Swimming Opportunities for Women and Girls: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Council-Led Free-Swimming Programme in Tower Hamlets

Kristen Clements, Yvanna Todorova, Akusile Makawa, Lauren Sherar (School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University)

Perfect Asamoah, Elizabeth Orton (Lifespan and Population Health, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham)

This paper applies a mixed-methods, RE-AIM–informed evaluation to a council-led free swimming programme in London, examining how local authority–led sport can advance gender equity and community engagement by reducing structural barriers to participation for women and girls.

Co-produced with public contributors and the local authority, the evaluation foregrounds community perspectives and implementation processes often overlooked in leisure service research. To date, approximately 20,000 residents have accessed the programme, with fewer than 20% disengaging early, demonstrating the potential of publicly funded, place-based sport initiatives to achieve equitable reach at scale.

Findings show that, despite high demand, digital registration systems, inflexible booking windows, and identity verification requirements disproportionately exclude women with limited digital access or confidence. Workforce capacity particularly the availability of female lifeguards also shapes perceptions of safety, cultural appropriateness, and session delivery. In contrast, women-only sessions, crèche availability, supportive staff, and encouragement through peer and community networks were key drivers of trust and sustained participation.

Local authorities and sport providers should embed equity-focused evaluation and community co-production into workforce planning, digital systems, and service design to deliver inclusive and sustainable participation.

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Women-Centred Driver Design: Perceptions of Suitability, Confidence, and Performance

Lindsey Legg (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Aimee Mears, Jonathan Roberts, Steph Forrester, Jonathan Shepherd (Loughborough University; PING)

Women golfers often report heightened visibility on the golf course and anxious feelings during club fitting, driven in part by the limited availability of women-specific equipment compared with the extensive range of men’s products. Drawing on insights from prior quantitative data collection, this research aimed to address these challenges through the development of a test driver designed specifically for women, with the goal of providing a more suitable stock club option and improving perceptions of suitability and confidence. Twenty women golfers participated in a lab-based study in which they swung three different drivers. The investigation sought to understand the factors that drive confidence during the swing, how women determine whether a golf club is suitable for them, and which club they would choose to use in future competition. Objective performance and subjective perceptions of confidence, feel, and preference were collected.
Initial findings indicate that consistency was a key factor underpinning both confidence and perceived suitability of a golf club. Despite exposure to alternative driver options, most golfers expressed a preference for using their own driver on the course, largely due to familiarity and trust developed through repeated use. These findings highlight the importance of consistency and familiarity in equipment and suggest that women-centred design and fitting approaches may play a critical role in improving the equipment for women golfers.

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Developing Coaches, Navigating Gender: Female Coach Developers’ Experiences in Football

Erin Pruett (Nottingham Trent University)

This research examines the gendered dynamics shaping coach developer practice within English football and the importance of gender allyship within this workforce. Central to this research is the position that progress for women in coach education will only be achieved by addressing the structural and cultural conditions shaping their experiences.

Despite commitments to diversify coaching and expand opportunities for women and girls, female coach developers continue to experience structural constraints and cultural marginalisation. This research centres coach developers as critical yet underused agents in shaping inclusive learning environments.

Drawing on emerging insights from a participatory action research project and informed by Heffernan and Kihl’s (2024) gender allyship awareness continuum, this presentation introduces a developing typology of coach developers. These typologies differentiate levels of gender allyship awareness, capacity, and behavioural enactment, offering insight into coach developers’ readiness to support the progression of women in coaching.

This research argues that enhancing the visibility and sustainability of women and girls’ place in football requires attention not only to formal policy but to the everyday practices within coach education. The key message advances the need for evidence‑informed workforce development that transforms environments, cultures, and practices so women can thrive within systems designed with inclusion at their core.

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Bra motion asymmetry of pregnant and post-partum women

Katie Reeves (Nottingham Trent University)

Co-authors: Hannah Divall, Jon Wheat, Steve Faulkner and Katy Griggs (Nottingham Trent University)

Breast asymmetry is suggested to have an increased prevalence in pregnant and post-partum women due to their increased breast size and the asymmetrical demands of breastfeeding. However, no research has investigated breast (or bra) motion asymmetry of pregnant and post-partum women during exercise. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify bra motion asymmetry of pregnant and post-partum women during treadmill exercise in a nursing and a maternity/nursing sports bra. Four pregnant and 24 post-partum women (bra sizes 28E-38G) exercised on a treadmill at 5.0, 7.5 and 9.0 km·h-1 whilst bra motion were tracked using motion capture at 200 Hz for 30 seconds at each speed in Bra A (encapsulation style nursing sports bra) and B (compression style maternity/nursing sports bra). Analysis was conducted to calculate asymmetry magnitude, identify significant bra motion asymmetry and left-side dominance. All participants displayed significant bra motion asymmetry in at least one direction in Bra A and 96% in Bra B. Bra A demonstrated a significantly greater asymmetry magnitude at 5.0 km·h-1 in the superior-inferior direction (p=0.021). Bra A also had a greater prevalence of significant bra motion asymmetry and left-side dominance. Maternity/nursing sports bras need to incorporate individually adjustable bra cups to cater for asymmetrical bra motion. Research must assess multi-planar breast (or bra) motion of both breasts to ensure a comprehensive understanding and inform product design.

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Breast changes pre- and post-breastfeeding: an exercise-related case study

Katie Reeves (Nottingham Trent University)

Co-authors: Sian Allen, Adrian Lai and Katy Griggs (Lululemon athletica; Nottingham Trent University)

This pilot study aimed to measure how breast size, volume and acceleration, bra pressure and subjective characteristics change after a single breastfeed during treadmill exercise. Six breastfeeding women (14-41 weeks post-partum, bra sizes 28DD-30E) had their breast measurements, breast volume and bra pressure assessed. Participants then exercised on a treadmill at 5.0 km·h-1, 7.5 km·h-1 and 10.0 km·h-1 whilst breast acceleration were measured. All participants wore a medium-impact sports bra. Subjective characteristics (bra comfort, support, pressure, exercise-induced breast pain and bra discomfort) were assessed via visual analogue scales following exercise. Participants then breastfed their babies, after which data collection was repeated. All participants overbust measurements decreased post-breastfeeding (0.7-3.6 cm) whilst breast volume decreased in the breast the baby fed from (32.0-91.4 ml). These anatomical changes likely contributed to the increased subjective bra comfort and support post-breastfeeding. Objective and subjective bra pressure and breast acceleration were highly variable pre- to post-breastfeeding. Maternity/nursing sports bras should have individually adjustable size and tension control for each breast to ensure correct bra fit, support and comfort. The variable breast acceleration and bra pressure data highlight the importance of increasing adjustability and continued research to assist in understanding these changes and inform product design.

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Contesting Gender and Nationality: Self-Representations of Chinese Women Athletes Across Social Media Platforms During the Olympic Games

Shuo Dong (Durham University)

Women athletes increasingly use social media to assert visibility and autonomy, but these practices are shaped by platform features and socio-cultural expectations around femininity, professionalism and national identity. Existing research has focused largely on Western contexts, leaving a gap in understanding Chinese women athletes’ (CWA) self-representation on transnational platforms during major sporting events, and audience interpretation of these representations. This research aims to examine how CWA construct self-representations on Instagram and Weibo through discourses of gender and nationality, and how audiences respond to these representations. Drawing on transnational feminism, constructivist nationalism and self-representation theory, it adopts a two-phase qualitative design. Phase I employs Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis to investigate CWA’ self-representation strategies, focusing on content posted during the 2022 Beijing and 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Phase II uses semi-structured interviews with Chinese women audiences to explore reception and negotiation. By situating CWA’ self-representation within a transnational digital context, this research reveals how major sporting events serve as critical moments for women athletes’ digital visibility, and how social media creates inclusive and exclusive environments. Findings will provide insights into how social media can better support women athletes’ self-expression and promote inclusive sporting cultures.

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Exploring Fitness Professionals’ Experiences Working with Women Over 40 in Exercise Settings

Morgan Miller (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Dr Gemma Witcomb, Dr Florence Kinnafick (Loughborough University)

Midlife is a critical time in women’s exercise participation. Despite evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity, less than one in four women meet the guidelines (Vitality, 2024). Midlife involves an interplay of factors that can influence engagement in exercise (Elliott et al., 2025). Fitness professionals (FPs) are positioned to support women’s participation; but little is known about how FPs navigate their work with this population. The aim was to explore FPs experiences working with women aged 40+ in exercise settings. Guided by an interpretive, phenomenological framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 UK-based FPs (Male=5, Female=6, mean age=33) and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019). Three themes were generated:(i) Recognising Age-Based Assumptions;(ii) The Normalisation vs. Specialisation Dilemma; and(iii) The Relational Role. Findings suggest that FPs assumptions, knowledge, and approaches may shape the environments they create for women. Some showed ageist and sexist attitudes towards midlife women, and others perpetuated these unknowingly. Menopause-specific knowledge was either lacking, or in some cases catastrophizing the experience. FPs agreed that midlife women may have additional consideration, but that labeling as a special group may be limiting. These show the need for reflection on age and gender bias, menopause-informed education, and the embedding of relational approaches within practice.

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Developmental mapping for sports bra wear-life and breast support definition: outline from the 2025 ‘Business of Women’s Health’ workshop

Rebecca Grant (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Lauren Holmes, Mark Buckley, Tasneem Sabir, Deirdre McGhee, Katherine Rizzone (Loughborough University; University of Rochester; Manchester Metropolitan University; University of Wollongong)

Following the 2025 ‘Business of Women’s Health’ event, this work presents the outcomes from the industrial workshop, highlighting needs, interests and concerns about sports bras. Priorities that emerged were a human-factors approach in the development of standards to establish the “wear-life” of sports bras (i.e., duration they can be worn and maintain their level of support). In addition, other topics highlighted for future development include improved education on sports bra design and bra fit by users, understanding and inclusion of demographic needs, commercial impacts, policy & governance concerns and clinical translation. As the activewear industry grows, companies need to evolve to match the diversity of women who need and want to engage in physical activity. In addition, people want to shop more sustainably, buy garments that are fit for purpose, maintain their physical integrity, have minimal environmental impact and are accessible in size and affordability. Wear-life and ‘support’ of sports bras requires clearer standardisation, to accompany increasing recommendations around sports bra selection. This work outlines a sports bra use life map, to identify priorities for research progression to improve sports bra fit and wear quality for women. This serves as a call to action for more mechanical and material test translation for sports bras, as well as an opportunity to unpick the word ‘support’ to further define for testing and breast mass positioning.

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Women in Leadership: Connecting Sports Governance with Higher Education

Hanya Pielichaty, University of Lincoln

Persistent and sustained barriers to women’s access to, and acceptance within, sports governance and leadership roles has long been examined. Associated patterns of exclusion, marginalisation and (under)representation in sport are also mirrored in the higher education (HE) sector. This presentation provides a conceptual and contemporary look at women in leadership from a sports feminist perspective. The challenges and complexities that women must navigate across the sports sector and the HE environment will be outlined and compared. This presentation will emphasise how these challenges can be overcome rather than simply contextualising why they exist. As a departure from previous work, women in combined, senior sports HE positions will also be discussed to better understand overlapping complexities that intersect these two sectors. The presentation will conclude by focusing on opportunities to create and renew inclusive leadership pathways across organisations.

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Olympic Female-Athlete Health Provision: How does policy play out in practice?

Ali Bowes (Nottingham Trent University)

Co-authors: Emily Dargue-Fox (1), Stephanie Coen (2), Joanne Parsons (3) and Jessica Piasecki (4) (Nottingham Trent University (1; 4); University of Nottingham (2) and University of Manitoba (3)

The focus on female-specific health provision for athletes is burgeoning, with athletes, practitioners, governing bodies and researchers connecting in the combined goal of providing better training, practice and work environments for female athletes across the lifespan. With a recent project funded by the International Olympic Committee, we have set out to explore the elite female athlete experience of current female athlete health provision, in order to deliver evidence-based resources that strive to improve the alignment between existing policies and practice of governing bodies. In bridging the academic-practice gap, we have adopted an athlete-centred approach from inception through to outcome, to provide a more extensive holistic view of female athlete health care, whilst also working with key stakeholders of sporting governing bodies. Detailing this, and drawing on extensive survey and interview data from athletes, and interviews with practitioners, this presentation will highlight initial perceptions of female athlete and demonstrate best collaborative practice when working with key stakeholders to ensure complete holistic care for female athletes.

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Development and validation of a daily menstrual symptom burden questionnaire in a physically active population (MSBQ-PA)

Hannah K. Wilson (Institute for Applied Human Physiology, School of Sport Science, Bangor University)

Co-authors: 1) Prof. James Hardy, 2) Prof. Samuel J. Oliver, 3) Dr. Eleri Jones, 4) Dr. Sophie E. Harrison (1&3: Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance; School of Sport Science; Bangor University; 2&4: Institute for Applied Human Physiology)

Introduction: Around 80% of active females report menstrual symptoms, yet no validated daily questionnaire captures the impacts on physical activity. This study aimed to validate a daily menstrual symptom burden questionnaire for a physically active population.

Methods: Items from existing tools were collated and refined for simplicity, clarity and relevance. Face and content validity were assessed in two parts involving experts with experience (Part 1; n = 47) and those from a research/applied practice background (Part 2; n = 18). Participants rated item relevance, clarity and format (0–6 AU) and provided qualitative feedback, which informed iterative refinement. Content and face validation index (CVI and FVI, respectively) were calculated as the proportion of acceptable ratings (≥4). CVI ≥ 0.78 indicates good content validity.

Results: Items were reduced from 741 to 58 during initial development, and then to 30 following feedback. In Part 1, CVIs for clarity of symptoms, questions and scales were 0.93, 0.99 and 0.97, respectively. FVI was 0.86. In Part 2, CVIs for clarity of symptoms, questions and scales were 0.97, 1.00 and 0.86, respectively. FVI was 0.86. CVI was good for 95.3% of items.

Conclusion: Data demonstrated good content and face validity for the questionnaire. Further work will examine internal consistency, concurrent validity and test-retest reliability. The questionnaire will enhance methodological consistency in menstrual cycle research and applied practice.

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The Effect of Ovarian Hormone Profiles on Wearable-Derived Heart Rate Variability in Female Athletes.

Eline de Jager (University College Dublin)

This study aimed to examine the influence of the menstrual cycle on heart rate variability (HRV) in naturally menstruating female athletes using wearable technology. Daily HRV data were collected across three menstrual cycles using a Polar H10 chest strap. HRV was quantified using the time-domain measure RMSSD (root mean square of successive RR interval differences). Menstrual cycle phases were confirmed through daily questionnaires and ovulation prediction kits, identifying the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, and classified as menstruation, ovulatory, or assumed luteal phase. Mixed effects models assessed differences in RMSSD across phases. Preliminary data from 12 athletes across 21 cycles (age 25.3 ± 6.5 years) showed that RMSSD was highest during menstruation (M = 100.6 ms, 95% CI [75.4, 126]), lower during the assumed luteal phase (M = 81.5 ms, 95% CI [55.2, 108], and lowest during ovulation (M = 78.7 ms, 95% CI [52.2, 105]). RMSSD was significantly higher during menstruation compared to ovulation (Δ = 22.0 ms, p = .005) and the assumed luteal phase (Δ = 19.1 ms, p = .012), representing an approximate 20% decrease across the cycle. These findings demonstrate that HRV fluctuates meaningfully across the menstrual cycle, likely reflecting hormonal influences. This has important implications for HRV monitoring and interpretation in female athletes, highlighting the need to account for menstrual cycle phase when using HRV to guide training and recovery guidance.

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Variance in Key Components of Sports Bras: A Standardized Measurement Approach for Enhanced Fit and Sizing

Katherine Rizzone (University of Rochester Medical Center)

Co-authors: Rebecca Grant, Tasneem Sabir, Courtney Jones, Bryn Copenhaver, Chamalie Samarappuli-Mudiyanselage (Loughborough University; Manchester Metropolitan University; University of Rochester Medical Center)

The aim of our multidisciplinary group (sports engineering, textiles engineering and sports medicine) was to develop a standardized measurement approach to key components of sports bras and examine variance in these components. While many girls and women recognize that sports bras lack consistency in size, this has not been previously described in the literature. Our twenty-five key components were determined by expert consensus. Measurements (cm) of the components were made on sports bras resting on a flat surface. Variance within size was calculated for ten different sports bra sizes (XXS-XS-S-M-L-XL-XXL-XXXL-1X-2X) from four sports bra brands. All bras were racerbacks and categorized as a medium support bra. Using the size medium bras as an example, the greatest variance was observed in bras’ weight (g), the length of the posterior neckline to bustband and the armhole circumference. Components with the least variance in size medium were the shoulder straps width and the sagittal bra length. There was high variance in weights in all ten sizes and arm circumferences in nine sizes. This research is relevant to the topic of ‘fit’, as sports bras come under more size scrutiny, and as brands expand ranges to better represent global demographics, using objective and uniform terms will advance analyses of these essential pieces of sporting equipment.

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Creating Safe Spaces: Black Feminist Pedagogies of Resistance and Affirmation in Gymnastics and Dance

Asma Khalil (Brock University)

Co-authors: Janelle Joseph (Brock University)

Black girls’ underrepresentation in organised sport in Canada, particularly in aesthetic and judged sports such as gymnastics and dance, is often framed through narratives of chosen non-participation which obscures the structural effects of anti-Blackness, misogynoir, and heteronormativity. This study shifts the focus away from “lack of participation” to examine Girl Power’d, a Black-girl-only gymnastics and dance programme in Ontario, Canada, as a site of Black feminist pedagogical resistance and community care. Guided by Black feminist thought and intersectionality, this qualitative case study draws on gymnastics and dance session observations and semi-structured interviews with nine athletes (aged 6–12) and four coaches. We explore how mainstream gymnastics and dance spaces operate as intensely white, regulating Black girls’ bodies through Eurocentric norms of hair, aesthetics, discipline, and “proper” femininity. In contrast, Girl Power’d functions as a Black-girl-only counterspace where coaches reframe technical instruction to reject shaming, concealment, and bodily correction, affirming Black girls’ bodies. Confidence was produced relationally, through being seen, supported, and understood, and extended intergenerationally through mentorship. This presentation contributes to conversations on inclusive environments and calls for a rethinking of “safe sport” by demonstrating how Black-led sport spaces function as sites of repair, resistance, and psychological safety.

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Women in the Lead: Lessons from Omani Muslim Women in Sport Governance

Asma Khalil (Brock University)

Recent policy reforms in the Sultanate of Oman, including a 2020 royal decree requiring the appointment of at least one woman to each national sport federation, have enabled women to enter senior sport leadership. Drawing on broader PhD study, grounded in decolonial theory and Islamic feminism, and based on semi-structured interviews with 11 women from this first cohort, this presentation examines how women enact leadership within these newly accessible spaces. While the decree created formal access, participants described navigating tribalism, racialized hierarchies, and misogyny within sport governance structures. Oman’s distinct, quiet approach to sport, unlike neighbouring Gulf states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, also shapes the opportunities and challenges that these women face in advocating for women’s sport nationally and regionally. Importantly, these women do not frame their leadership through Western feminist or global sport leadership paradigms. Instead, they described women’s empowerment through Islamic ethical frameworks and Omani understandings of women’s social advancement, amanah (responsibility), service, and community, offering a reimagining of women’s sport leadership. This presentation contributes an empirically grounded, Global South perspective to debates on the professionalization of women’s sport and leadership pathways, challenging colonial universalist assumptions about feminism, empowerment, and inclusion in sport.

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Surface electromyographic analysis of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles across different running speeds and calf strengthening exercises: a systematic literature review.

Ania Zufic (UPMC Sport Surgery Clinic)

Surface electromyography (EMG) is widely used to quantify muscle activation patterns, however, its ability to inform calf injury rehabilitation and performance in women and girls remains limited. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the most effective exercises for optimising medial gastrocnemius, lateral gastrocnemius, and soleus activation, and to explore whether activation patterns may help explain the higher incidence of gastrocnemius strains in explosive sports and soleus injuries in endurance-based activities. The review followed PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library identified 9,096 records of which 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. Across these studies, 398 participants aged 18 to 50 years were assessed using surface EMG. No studies examined triceps surae EMG patterns across different running speeds. Several studies combined male and female participants without sex-specific analyses, despite known differences in muscle strength limiting generalisability of findings to women and girls. Substantial variability in EMG signal processing was identified, with 8 different approaches reported. These findings highlight a need for sex-specific research and improved methodological standardisation, to better understand neuromuscular contributors to calf strain injury and to guide exercise selection for rehabilitation and performance.

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Feeling Seen, Heard, Known, and Valued: Belonging in an Elite Woman Athlete’s Career

Jennifer Mead (Bridgewater State University)

Co-authors: Michelle Akers

Through a collaborative autoethnographic design, Stride et al.’s (2025) Anchors of Belonging framework (i.e., feeling seen, heard, known, and valued) is applied to examine belonging across the career of an elite woman athlete, co-author Michelle Akers. As former teammates on the United States Women’s National Soccer Team, both authors contribute their experiences to the inquiry, exploring critical moments where belonging shaped performance, health, identity, and longevity.

Research on belonging in elite sport remains limited, particularly regarding women athletes’ subjective experiences. Assumptions persist that elite success indicates belonging. This study challenges that assumption, revealing how achievement and marginalization can coexist. When athletes are not genuinely seen, heard, known, and valued, consequences extend to performance, health, and longevity. Understanding how belonging operates at the elite level can inform the design of environments that support women athletes across their careers.

Belonging is not automatic at the elite level, and external markers of success do not guarantee athletes feel seen, heard, known, or valued. Rather, belonging is shaped by the context of people, place, and culture in which athletes train and compete. The study extends a framework originally developed for sport workforces to the elite athlete context and illustrates how athlete-researcher partnerships can generate insider accounts difficult to access through other methods.

The presentation concludes with considerations for sport organizations, coaches, and support staff on moving beyond compliance-driven inclusion toward cultures of belonging, grounded in listening to athlete voices and recognizing athletes as whole persons.

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Staying in the Saddle: Pregnancy, Postpartum Recovery, and Return to Equestrian Sport

Victoria Lewis (Hartpury University)

Co-authors: Lorna Cameron, Alishia Piece, Rylie Hansen, (Hartpury University; University of Kentucky)

Although current guidelines encourage physical activity during uncomplicated pregnancies, little is known about how female horse riders manage participation during pregnancy and return to riding postpartum. This study investigated riding patterns during pregnancy, postpartum return to riding, and factors influencing return to pre-pregnancy performance. An online survey was completed by adult female horse riders who had experienced at least one pregnancy. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, odds ratios, non-parametric tests, and qualitative content analysis. Most participants gave birth between 26–35 years of age. Higher-level competitors, particularly in dressage and eventing, reported riding for longer durations into pregnancy, often up to 6–7 months. Higher pre-pregnancy competition level was associated with increased odds of returning to the same level postpartum (OR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.16, p = 0.03), while increasing age reduced return likelihood (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.99, p = 0.01). Postpartum recovery varied widely, with 31% requiring over one year to return to pre-pregnancy weight and 23% never returning. These findings highlight the importance of competitive level and age in postpartum return to equestrian activity and emphasise the need for evidence-based guidance to support pregnant and postpartum riders.

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Measuring Progress and Developments in the British Netball Superleague: Technical Performance Benchmarks in an Era of Increased Professionalisation

Hannah Hersant (University of Kent)

Co-authors: Luke Oates (Middlesex University)

Despite increases in performance analysis research, research within British netball remains scarce. The last study to assess technical performances within British netball was in 2008 (O’Donoghue et al., 2008), and since this time, the NSL has undergone drastic changes. In 2025, the NSL relaunched to compete with other well-established domestic leagues, to make it “the most competitive, commercially vibrant, and captivating professional netball league in the world”. (England Netball, 2024). Significant changes to the league occurred, including reducing the number of teams from ten to eight, playing 50% of games in major arenas, reducing squads from twelve to ten players, and increasing player salaries by ~60%. (England Netball, 2024). Although currently the NSL is considered one of the premier domestic netball competitions, the average winning margin in the 2022-23 NSL season was 12.3 goals, compared to just 7.6 goals in the same season of the SSN (Champion Data, 2024). Therefore, it was important to assess NSL teams’ technical performances prior to any league changes. In the future, then, England Netball can accurately evaluate whether the league changes have led to improved performances and a more competitive league. Consequently, this study aimed to assess technical performance differences between NSL teams during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, to provide benchmark standards of technical performance, and also importantly, provide an update on performances since 2008.

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The Influence of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Knee Joint Laxity and Joint Position Sense in Physically Active Females

Kayleigh Jones (University of Gloucester)

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk in female athletes has been linked to hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, with joint laxity and proprioception proposed as contributing factors. However, evidence remains inconsistent, limiting translation into applied practice. This contribution presents findings from MSc research, which examined changes in knee joint laxity and joint position sense across menstrual cycle phases in physically active females.

Using a repeated-measures design with ovulation confirmed via urinary luteinising hormone testing, no statistically significant group-level differences were observed across menstrual phases. At face value, these findings align with a growing body of literature questioning the utility of phase-based generalisations. However, further analysis revealed substantial inter-individual variability during ovulation.

It was at this stage of analysis that a critical question emerged: What is the point of menstrual cycle research if group averages mask meaningful individual responses? This realisation reframed the interpretation of the findings. Rather than indicating an absence of effect, the results highlighted the limitations of traditional phase-based approaches and the risk of overlooking athlete-specific neuromuscular responses.

The key message of this work is that menstrual cycle research must move beyond seeking universal patterns and instead prioritise individual variability.

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Menopause and elite sport; an exploration of masters’ athletes experiences of training and competing though menopause

Laura Wallace (University of the West of Scotland)

Co-authors: Laura Graham (University of the West of Scotland)

As most elite athletes retire before reaching menopause, those who continue to compete are largely neglected in research. With the growth of masters / seniors competition, many women continue to perform on a national stage, throughout their menopause journey. Menopause symptoms can have a significant impact on many aspects of a woman’s life, though previous research suggests support for many is limited.

Competing in elite sport brings unique challenges to all who make it to this level, while menopause symptoms are likely to further compound these challenges. Therefore, it is important that the impact of menopause symptoms on training and competition is understood, to allow women to be supported throughout this life stage.

This research is at an early stage, but is already starting to show how track and field athletes, and rowers, have continued to train and compete throughout menopause, using their own coping strategies, with little / no support from coaches, clubs, and governing bodies. It is hoped that the final study will include another group of women from a different sport, and will bring together their experiences to draw wider conclusions, that may inform future policy and practice.

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Girls’ Voices- Preferences about Coach Behaviors

Efrat Abadi (Kaye Academic College of Education)

Girls are a vital asset to society and must therefore be provided with opportunities and knowledge equal to those afforded to boys. Yet, girls’ participation in sport has declined over time, with many dropping out during adolescence. Coaches play a central role in shaping adolescents’ sport experiences and can influence girls’ persistence in sport. Despite this, limited evidence exists regarding girls’ preferences for coach behaviors, particularly from non-Western contexts that remain underrepresented in sport psychology research. Understanding these preferences is essential, as different groups of girls possess distinct characteristics and needs shaped by culture. This study explored the preferences of adolescent young female athletes from the Middle East regarding coach behaviors, focusing on support for basic psychological needs, leadership style, and the coach-athlete relationship. Twenty-four participants took part in ten focus group interviews. Findings indicated a strong preference for coaches with high professional competence, relative tolerance for behaviors often perceived as autocratic, and coaches who cultivate personal relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries. The study highlights that girls are not a monolithic group and that culturally diverse populations exhibit distinct needs. Practical implications are offered for coaches and coach education programs seeking to better support girls in sport.

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Exploring Girls’ Perspectives on the use of Small-Sided Games in Netball

Oliver Hooper (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Dr Rachel Sandford, Suzanne Flint, Lillie McGuckian, Dr Andrew Butterworth, Ollie Clemo, Prof Chris Cushion (Loughborough University)

In the context of game-based sports, it is widely accepted that small-sided versions of games – often adapted by age and stage of development – can best facilitate participation, offering opportunities for individuals to develop technical and tactical skills and hone decision-making abilities (Pill & Agnew, 2019). However, whilst much research exists in a range of sports, evidence within the sport of netball – a typically feminine-coded sport – is notably lacking. This paper presents qualitative findings from a mixed-methods study undertaken which examined the impact of small-sided game formats on the game involvement and experiences of youth female netball players aged 7-11 years. Participants in the study (n= 56) took part in several game formats (4v4, 5v5 and 7v7). The games varied in terms of court size and rules (e.g., positions, spacing on court, ability to shoot) and each game comprised two 10 -minute halves. Between games, participants shared their thoughts on the different variations via focus groups involving creative participatory approaches such as mood boards and character creation (Sandford et al., 2021). Findings indicate that participants preferred age/stage appropriate forms of the game. Moreover, participants valued the retention of specific game features within small-sided versions, such as having set positions and encouraging directional play. Collectively, the findings offer important insights for developing modified game formats for junior players.

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Heart Rate Variability Is Elevated Before and After Exercise in Habitually Aerobically Trained Amenorrheic versus Eumenorrheic Athletes

Emma O’Donnell (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Dr Paula J Harvey ((Director) Cardiovascular Research Program; Women’s College Hospital; Toronto; Canada; (Associate Professor) University of Toronto)

Background: Autonomic function contributes importantly to cardiovascular health. Estrogen is associated with favourable, and estrogen deficiency unfavourable, autonomic modulation. In estrogen-deficient amenorrhoeic and estrogen-replete eumenorrheic athletes, we assessed cardiac autonomic function using heart rate variability (HRV). To examine basal and physiological stress responses, HRV was assessed pre- and post-exercise. Methods: Three age-matched groups (24 ± 1 y) were studied: aerobically trained eumenorrheic (ExOv; n=10) and amenorrhoeic (ExFHA; n=9) women, and untrained eumenorrheic women (SedOv; n=12). Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and HRV were measured before and 1 h after 45-min of moderate-intensity exercise (60% VO₂peak). Serum estradiol, progesterone, and triiodothyronine were assessed. Results: Exercise-trained groups did not differ in fitness, body mass, or BMI (p>0.05). Pre-exercise, HRV was higher and HR, BP, and triiodothyronine were lower in ExFHA compared with eumenorrheic groups (p<0.05). HRV and BP did not differ between eumenorrheic groups. Post-exercise, HRV and BP decreased and HR increased in all groups (p<0.05), yet HRV remained higher in ExFHA (p<0.05). Conclusion: Independent of training, HRV is higher in amenorrhoeic than eumenorrheic athletes, despite estrogen deficiency. Future studies are warranted to determine the cause of these paradoxical findings and their implications for long-term cardiovascular health in amenorrhoeic athletes.

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The impact of breast support on breast biomechanics, pain, and rider position in female equestrians.

Lorna Cameron (Hartpury University)

Co-authors: Natalie Stones, Victoria Lewis, Emma Davies, Jenni Louise Douglas, Christy Maddock, Katy Searle, Jenny Burbage (Natalie Stones – University Centre Sparsholt; Victoria Lewis; Emma Davies; Jenni Louise Douglas; Christy Maddock and Katy Searle – Hartpury University; Jenny Burbage – University of Portsmouth)

Equestrian sport is popular among females and is the only sex integrated Olympic discipline. While breast and bra issues are widely studied in other sports, equestrian specific evidence is limited. Horse riding relies on inter species communication via tactile cues, which can be influenced by rider position. Female participants (n=21) rode a Racewood™ Equine Simulator in walk, trot and canter, and ran on a treadmill, in four breast support conditions: everyday bra (EB), encapsulation sports bra (ESB), combination sports bra (CSB) and bare breasted (BB). Motion capture was used to quantify relative breast displacement (RBD) and rider position (Qualysis). Exercise induced breast pain (EIBP) and bra comfort were assessed using 0-100 visual analogue scales, alongside a survey on bra performance and aesthetics. Treadmill running elicited the highest EIBP and RBD in the BB condition (p<.001). Moderate positive associations were observed between EIBP and RBD (rs=0.428, p<.001). Both ESB and CSB significantly reduced EIBP and RBD compared with EB, particularly during trot and treadmill running. In trot, torso position and rider symmetry were improved in ESB and CSB conditions. Bra comfort and preference were highly individual. Breast support type influenced EIBP and rider position, with implications for female rider performance. Further field based research with greater representation of large breasted equestrians is warranted.

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The Female Athlete Triad: Scientific and Clinical Updates from the 2025 Consensus Statement and Introduction of a New Adolescent Model

Nancy Williams (Penn State University)

Co-authors: Mary Jane De Souza (Penn State University); Emma O’Donnell (Loughborough University)

Background: Participation of girls and women in sport continues to rise, yet the prevalence of the Female Athlete Triad remains high, particularly in adolescents. The Triad describes the inter-relationship between energy deficiency, menstrual dysfunction, and low bone mineral density, including bone stress injuries. In 2025, an international writing team of experts representing the Female and Male Athlete Triad Coalition published updated scientific evidence and clinical guidelines, replacing key elements of the 2014 recommendations.

Aim: This symposium will synthesise key updates from the 2025 Consensus Statement, including revised definitions, diagnostic and treatment algorithms, adolescent-specific considerations, and return-to-play (RTP) guidance. A major conceptual shift is the replacement of “low energy availability” with “energy deficiency,” integrating indicators of energetic status, including metabolic compensation (e.g., actual-to-predicted resting metabolic rate). Other updates include reproductive hormone patterns linked to menstrual recovery, inclusion of bone stress injuries, and emerging evidence on cardiovascular adaptations. For the first time, a dedicated adolescent Triad model is introduced, accounting for growth, timing of menarche, bone accrual, and risk of low peak bone mass. Updated adult and adolescent Cumulative Risk Assessment tools (CRA) will be presented, retaining six core domains with clearer guidance on data substitution and RTP clearance.

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Nutritional Intervention for Menstrual and Bone Health Recovery in Exercising Oligo/amenorrheic women: Lessons from a randomized clinical trial to establish key determinants and targets associated with the resumption of menses and improved bone health in female athletes

Mary Jane De Souza (Penn State University)

Co-authors: Nancy I. Williams (Penn State University)

Background: The prevalence of female athletes experiencing irregular menses and hypothalamic oligo/amenorrhea approaches 40%, and these athletes are at high risk for bone stress injuries and low bone density. The etiology of menstrual and bone health problems is secondary to both energy deficiency and estrogen deficiency. As such, nutrition guidelines for recovery must consider evidence-based recommendations that represent the best science to date to increase the likelihood of a recovery that will yield improved energy, estrogen and bone health outcomes. Such a nutritional recovery strategy should achieve both metabolic recovery and the restoration of normal reproductive hormone profiles.

Aim: These issues will be explored based on key findings from the REFUEL randomized controlled trial, a 12 month refeeding intervention in exercising women with oligo/amenorrhea. A highlight of this symposia will be to provide current recommendations for oligo/amenorrheic exercising women with the goal of optimal recovery of menstrual and bone health. Clinical recommendations targeting a higher quality hormonal recovery should be the primary goal of nutritional treatment for oligo/amenorrhea since the quality of menstrual recovery is associated with improvements in lumbar spine bone density. Issues addressing disordered eating behaviours during nutritional interventions designed for recovery will be considered. The components of an optimal dietary intervention will be discussed.

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Unequal play: Examining women’s (in)access in sport media

Swarali Patil (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Co-authors: Lauren Hindman (Hofstra University)

Sport and sport media remain gender unequal domains where women are routinely minoritised and excluded (Bryan et al., 2021; Harrison, 2018; Pape, 2021). This is evident through the sustained underrepresentation of women in sport media, where women hold less than 10% of roles (TIDES, 2021; Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation, n.d.). Framed by Acker’s framework of inequality regimes (2006), we sought to explore how women access opportunities in sport media.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 women working in sport media in the United States of America and United Kingdom. Interview questions explored gendered practices and processes in sport media organisations and how women perceived these to impact their ability to access work. Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022; Braun et al., 2023) was conducted to analyse interview data and generate key themes.

We found that women’s access to work is impacted by factors such as organisational leadership and decision-making that is male centric, (un)availability of resources (i.e., finances and time), caring responsibilities, and lack of access to networks. Further, their gender and race exacerbated issues related to access when pertaining to locker rooms or general care facilities while at work.

These study findings have implications for sport media, broader sport, and other organisations and their practices and processes related to the provision of equitable access and opportunities for work.

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Examining female pain experiences during ultra-endurance events: A mixed-methods biopsychosocial investigation using think-aloud protocols.

Britta Maria Sorensen (St Mary’s University, London)

Co-authors: Carla Meijen, Emily Martin (St Mary’s University, London), Stacy Winter (University of Amsterdam)

Aim: To examine female ultra-endurance athletes’ pain coping experiences and decision-making processes during extreme physical challenges, using innovative real-time methods.

Importance: This study extended current knowledge by capturing real-time pain experiences during ultra-endurance events. Thus, providing unique insights into how biological, psychological, and social factors dynamically interact within naturalistic competitive environments to shape female athletes’ pain management.

Methods: Five female ultra-endurance athletes across different disciplines participated using a mixed-methods multiple case study design. Data collection included pre-event interviews and Sport Inventory for Pain assessments, think-aloud verbalisations during events, McGill Pain Questionnaire data at checkpoints, and post-event interviews.

Key Messages: Real-time verbalisations revealed how cognitive reframing, environmental distraction, and physical adjustments were used according to sporting and environmental demands. Pain experiences were profoundly shaped by different factors: environmental (heat, terrain, wind, cold), biological (gastrointestinal issues, illness, injury), psychological (mood, anxiety, mom guilt), and social factors (competitor support, crews).
Call to Action: Interdisciplinary support systems are warranted to address pre-event psychological preparation and provide real-time adaptive strategies for the dynamic, context-dependent nature of coping with pain.

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The Experience and Effect of 3 Female Health Domains (Menstrual, Breast and Pelvic Floor Health) on Age-Grade Female Rugby Union Players

Eloise Kirby (Bangor University)

Co-authors: Julian Owen (Bangor University)

Research involving female athletes must account for female health domains, such as breast health, menstrual health and pelvic floor health. Despite their potential impact on participation or performance in sport, injury surveillance systems have traditionally been developed within men’s sport and thus, often fail to capture female-specific considerations. During rugby, female breasts may be vulnerable to injury or pain through direct contact or breast motion. Emerging research in adult female rugby also indicates a high prevalence of menstrual related symptoms, which are commonly perceived to negatively impact performance. Additionally, the intra-abdominal hyper-pressure and physical demands of rugby may increase the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction, including stress urinary incontinence. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experiences of female health domains on adolescent female rugby players. Questionnaires will be distributed to female community rugby players in Wales (age 16+), with additional focus groups providing a deeper exploration of players’ experiences. This research will provide novel insights into female-specific health domains in age-grade community players, informing future education and prevention programmes. By addressing adolescent experiences linked to high dropout rates among teenage girls, such as breast development and menstruation, this work may help support players at risk of disengagement and promote sustained participation in rugby.

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Examining pain experiences across a professional ultra-triathlon season: A longitudinal mixed-methods approach using a biopsychosocial lens.

Britta Maria Sorensen (St Mary’s University, London)

Co-authors: Carla Meijen, Emily Martin (St Mary’s University, London), Stacy Winter (University of Amsterdam)

Aim: To examine how professional female ultra-triathletes’ pain experiences and self-regulation strategies fluctuated throughout a competitive season, and which factors influence pain tolerance and wellbeing. Importance: Understanding temporal pain patterns across training and competition is crucial for both immediate performance and long-term athlete wellbeing. Methods: Three professional female ultra-triathletes were monitored using a longitudinal mixed-methods multiple case study design. Weekly data collection included pain inventories (MPQ-SF), mood profiles (BRUMS), rest-recovery monitoring (RESTQ-Sport-36), and reflective journals. Pain coping capacity (SIP) was assessed quarterly, with semi-structured interviews at six-monthly intervals. Key Messages: Critical distinctions between race and injury-related pain contexts, demonstrating markedly different evaluation processes and coping strategies. Pain tolerance fluctuated based on psychological willingness to hurt, recovery status, competitive goals, and career stage. Over-conformity to the sport ethic led to overuse injuries across all participants. Call to Action: Practitioners are encouraged to use a biopsychosocial approach for holistic monitoring when supporting female ultra-endurance athletes. Education on pain evaluation frameworks would allow distinction between productive training pain and harmful injury pain, with interventions tailored to athletes’ career stages and socio-cultural pressures.

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Who Gets Counted? Rethinking Injury Surveillance in Women’s and Community Sport

Peter Higgins (Olympic Handball Ireland)

Co-authors:

[2] Domenico Crognale (PhD), Human Performance Laboratory Manager, Institute for Sport & Health, UCD, Ireland

[3] Bennedetta Coco, Physiotherapist, Olympic Handball Ireland, Italy

[4] Andrea Ongaro (PhD), Technical Director, Olympic Handball Ireland, Ireland

[5] João Ferreira, Operations Director, Olympic Handball Ireland, Ireland

Injury surveillance underpins athlete welfare policies, injury prevention strategies, and insurance systems across sport. However, most surveillance models assume injury diagnosis by highly-qualified medical professionals. This assumption is rarely met outside elite sport and disproportionately excludes women’s sport, where medical staffing is often limited. Consequently, the current understanding of injury burden may be systematically underestimated and structurally biased.

This presentation describes the development of an accessible injury reporting framework created by Olympic Handball Ireland and Sport Ireland. The framework aligns with International Olympic Committee injury surveillance consensus recommendations (Bahr et al., 2020), while remaining accessible to non-medical reporters. Standardised fields capture injury characteristics, exposure context, outcomes, and supported by structured follow-up as injuries evolve.

Handball represents a critical test case for this approach. At the London 2012 Olympics, handball demonstrated the 2nd highest injury incidence rate across all sports. This makes it a high-risk environment to evaluate accessible injury surveillance, with clear potential for translation to other sports.

More broadly, this framework reflects a democratic and gender-equitable approach to assessing injury burden at the sub-elite level, enabling more accurate and inclusive evidence to inform research, policy, and athlete welfare.

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’It’s difficult to say I feel welcome’: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Women of Colour Football Officials in England

Allison Thompson (University of Leicester)

This project examines the experiences of Black, Asian and Mixed-Heritage women who are football referees in England. Attention is paid to the ways in which their racialized and gendered identities shape their lived experiences in the game. Despite the increased participation of women in football over the past decades, there remains a dearth of empirical research that widens knowledge on the specific challenges facing women of color who are referees in the UK. This talk reports on my PhD study and is the first to directly attempt to respond to this lacuna. Drawing on qualitative interview data with women who serve as match officials and referee facilitators at all levels of men’s and women’s football in England, preliminary findings show: 1) Targeted interventions for development have a limited effect, as women referees from these backgrounds experience hyper-invisibility due to gender equity largely focusing on White women. Likewise, racial diversity initiatives for referee development were seen to focus almost exclusively on men of color. 2) Lack of representation within football governance translates into perceptions of a generally low priority given to their career development and support, and 3) They face higher levels of gender and race-based scrutiny from coaches and club officials. The talk concludes by sharing some preliminary recommendations for improving access to pathways and career development for current and future generations of referees who are women of color.

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“When you got praise from her, you cherished it because you knew it was real”: Praise, authenticity and trust in women’s rugby coaching

Kieran File (University of Warwick)

Co-authors: Molly Gardiner (University of Warwick/Rugby Football Union)

Research on sports coaching frequently promotes praise and positive communication as key resources for supporting women and girls in sport, often drawing on assumptions that women athletes benefit from heightened encouragement and affirmation. However, such work tends to treat praise as an inherently beneficial practice, paying limited attention to how it is interpreted by athletes or how it functions within gendered coaching relationships. Drawing on sociolinguistic perspectives, this paper examines praise as a situated communicative practice. From interviews with players of women’s rugby, the study explores how athletes retrospectively interpret coaches’ praise and evaluate its authenticity and relational consequences. Praise emerged as a recurrent and contested feature of players’ narratives. More specifically, a triadic relationship between praise, authenticity and trust shaped how athletes evaluated coaching communication. Praise was experienced as meaningful when perceived as warranted, specific and embedded within an improvement-oriented coaching approach, while generic or exaggerated praise was frequently interpreted as inauthentic and risked undermining trust. By foregrounding athlete perspectives, the paper challenges simplified assumptions about the role of positivity in women’s coaching, highlighting the importance of communication that is credible and attuned to performance realities and not shaped by gendered stereotypes about women’s communicative needs.

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Mediated (re)Constructions of Black and White Women Footballers: An Examination of Matchday Commentary at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup

Allison Thompson (University of Leicester)

Co-authors: Paul Ian Campbell (University of Leicester)

This talk is the first to examine the ways in which praise comments and narratives within women’s football matchday commentary differ for Black and White women footballers. Drawing on approximately 4800-minutes of matchday commentary gleaned from all 52 matches at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (as televised on the British Broadcasting Corporation channels), the authors conducted a systematic exploration of the variations in verbiage used by commentary teams to praise and describe the on-field actions, performances, behaviours, talents, and physical appearances of women footballers from different racialised backgrounds. As part of a larger study, here we specifically look at the ways these mediated framings reproduce the race and gendered logics that shape Black and White women’s experiences both on and off of the pitch. Our findings show: (1) There were clear differences in the ways in which visibly Black and White women footballers were praised and discussed by commentary teams, (2) Physical praise comments were more pronounced when Black and White women played alongside each other, and (3) There was a distinct othering of Black sports-womanhood and Black women footballers as ‘exotic’ which was visible via the constant over-celebration of their physical prowess and discussion of their temperament.

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Sex differences in motivational and affective responses during endurance exercise

Izzy Wellings (University of Kent)

Co-authors: Ian Taylor

Psychological responses to endurance exercise are central not only to performance, but also to athlete wellbeing and sustained participation in sport. While endurance research has traditionally focused on physiological determinants of performance, less attention has been paid to how motivational and affective responses evolve during exercise, particularly in women. This research explores sex differences in changes in desire to reduce effort, affect, and performance goal value during endurance trials, drawing on the desire–goal conflict framework.

This work integrates psychological measures with physiological markers of intensity such as lactate thresholds (LTs). Periods above LT2 are conceptualised as moments of “crisis management”, where athletes must regulate discomfort, negative affect, and motivational conflict in order to sustain performance or engagement. By examining psychological responses at comparable relative high intensities, this research seeks to move beyond absolute workload comparisons and provide a more precise understanding of sex-related differences in endurance experiences.

This work highlights that psychological strain during endurance exercise is dynamic and may be experienced differently by women and men. This research calls for greater integration of motivational and affective processes into female-focused endurance research to better support health, performance, and participation across the life course.

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Exploring the impact of the menopause on female sports coaches

Rosanna Walters-Symons (Plymouth Marjon University )

Co-authors: Nichola Kentzer (presenting at WiSEAN), Katheryn Edwards and Hazel Bending (Plymouth Marjon University and The Open University)

Coaching systems continue to be structurally misaligned with women’s needs, leaving female coaches exposed to marginalisation, discrimination, and environments that overlook women‑specific realities (Women in Sport, 2026). Understanding menopause is particularly important, as symptoms can affect work performance, though experiences vary across workplace contexts (Rees et al., 2021). As workplace impacts differ by role (Walker‑Bone & Davis, 2025), more research is needed into how menopause affects women in sport coaching, where evidence remains limited. This study aims to explore the lived menopausal experiences of female sports coaches and understand the perceived impact on their coaching performance, practice and wellbeing. A mixed-methods design is proposed, combining a cross-sectional survey with semi-structured interviews. The survey will collect demographic data and responses to the validated Menopause Rating Scale, assessing symptom severity and its perceived impact on coaching practice. The interviews will explore psychological, physical, and relational aspects of menopause within sport coaching contexts. By identifying the specific symptoms that could disrupt coaches, the research has potential to influence educational provision by providing evidence-based recommendations for supporting and empowering the female coaching workforce through menopause.

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What does ‘being diplomatic’ mean to women in leadership positions across the UK sporting system?

Brooke Wilkinson (University of Hertfordshire)

Co-authors: Christopher Brown, Claire Jenkin, Elizabeth Pike (University of Hertfordshire); Verity Postlethwaite (Loughborough University)

Being diplomatic is a leadership skill that remains underexplored within sport management, particularly within the UK research context. There are two main reasons for this; leadership and diplomacy are often wrongly assumed to be the same thing (Billow, 2009), and diplomacy is sometimes presumed to be something exclusive to political affairs (Leira, 2016). Additionally, the idea of being diplomatic has been alluded to as something that lends itself to men (Bertrand, 2020). The aim of this research was to explore how women in positions of leadership in UK sport organisations understand being diplomatic. The primary objective of the presentation is to disseminate findings from part of a PhD project to inform future practice. Many women were confident that (a) learning about being more explicit as to when they were being diplomatic, and (b) having opportunities to reflect on the matter, would be beneficial.

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Reimagining Sport Coaching: Designing a System that Works for Women

Leanne Norman (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Tanya Martin (Women in Sport)

Despite sustained policy attention and investment, women remain persistently underrepresented within sports coaching, particularly in senior, high-performance, and professional roles. Much existing research and policy continues to prioritise individualised solutions and pipeline-based interventions, often overlooking the structural, organisational, and cultural conditions that shape coaching.

This symposium, convened by Women in Sport and the Women in Coaching Taskforce Insight team, invites contributions that engage with a systems-based approach to addressing gendered inequities in sport coaching. The session is anchored in the national report Reimagining Sport Coaching: Designing a System that Works for Women, which advances a framework comprising four interconnected domains: employment conditions, culture and inclusion, career progression, and environments free from harm.

We welcome papers that examine one or more of these domains. Papers may focus on any sporting context or domain, with comparative, intersectional, and international perspectives particularly encouraged.

The symposium aims to foster dialogue between researchers, policymakers, and practitioners concerned with redesigning more equitable coaching systems. By shifting attention from representation alone to the conditions under which coaching is organised and experienced, the session seeks to advance critical debate and identify future directions for research, policy, and system-level change.

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Exploring the Widespread Barriers and Facilitators to Physical Activity in Teenage Girls Living in Low Socioeconomic Status Communities: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence

Fallon Parker (University of Bradford)

Co-authors: Victoria Archbold (University of Bradford)

Adolescent girls experience one of the steepest declines in physical activity participation globally, with inequalities most pronounced among those living in low socioeconomic communities. Despite growing awareness, many strategies remain individualised, overlooking the broader social, environmental, and gendered conditions shaping girls’ opportunities to be active.

This session presents findings from a qualitative meta-synthesis of international research exploring the barriers and facilitators influencing girls’ physical activity. Drawing on girls’ lived experiences, the synthesis highlights key determinants including gendered scrutiny, perceived competence, safety and accessibility of environments, and the presence or absence of supportive social networks. These influences interact across individual, interpersonal, and environmental levels, often reinforcing existing inequities and shaping girls’ confidence to participate.

The findings demonstrate that improving girls’ physical activity is not simply a matter of motivation or education, but requires systemic change that addresses context, culture, and opportunity. Whole-systems, equity-oriented approaches are needed to create environments where girls feel safe, capable, and supported to move.

By sharing and contextualising these insights, the 15-minute session will translate evidence into practical implications for schools, community programmes, and policy to support more inclusive, sustainable, and impactful strategies.

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How do we, as Sports Medicine Practitioners, “Care” for our elite female rugby players

Caroline White (University of Birmingham)

Co-authors: Paul Garner, Andy Soundy, Ian Horsley (University of Birmingham and UKSI)

This contribution explores how we might care better for female rugby players by reframing injury management and performance support through an ethic of care. The aim of this work is to critically examine how care is conceptualised and enacted within women’s rugby, and to offer practical guidance for practitioners seeking to deliver more responsive, athlete-centred support.

Drawing on Noddings’ Care Theory, this research integrates a critical literature review with empirical insights from female players and practitioners to examine relational, contextual, and moral dimensions of care in high-performance sport. Key themes include listening and attentiveness, trust, power dynamics, and the tension between performance imperatives and athlete wellbeing. The findings suggest that effective care is not an “add-on” to practice, but a fundamental component of ethical and effective sports medicine and performance environments.

The central message is that caring practices can coexist with high performance, and intentionally embedding care may enhance engagement, rehabilitation experiences, and long-term athlete outcomes. To support translation into practice, this work contributes to the development of a practitioner-focused toolkit designed to operationalise care in everyday clinical and performance settings.

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Leading Change: Understanding International Federations’ Strategies for Women’s Coaching

Dr Tarryn Godfrey (Brunel University of London)

Co-authors: Vassil Girginov; Laura Hills; Charlie Fennelly (Brunel University of London); Morten Schmidt (Laureus Sport for Good)

Persistent gender inequalities continue to constrain women’s pathways into, and sustainment of, coaching and leadership roles in sport. While research on women in coaching has grown in recent years, existing scholarship has focused predominantly on individual experiences, barriers and pathways. Limited research has examined how International Federations (IFs) strategically approach the development of women’s coaching and leadership, and the mechanisms shaping female coach recruitment and retention. This study aims to address that gap.

We present provisional findings from the first phase of a mixed methods project conducted in partnership with Laureus Sport for Good and focusing on three IFs. Phase One comprised extensive document analysis of IF strategy documents, policies and programme documentation, supported by semi-structured interviews with IF staff (n=15) across senior management, programme design and coach development. A PESTLO framing guided analysis of the political, economic, social, technological, legal and organisational factors influencing IF approaches.

We outline emerging insights into how IFs conceptualise women’s coaching, how strategic intentions translate into organisational structures and practices, and where tensions, gaps and implementation challenges exist. These findings form the foundation for the next phase of the project which explores how National Federations operationalise Action Plans developed by the IFs, and how coaches experience these in practice.

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Incorporating Feminist Ethics of Care into the American Women’s Soccer Market

Verity Postlethwaite (Loughborough University)

Co-authors: Julie Brice (California State University Fullerton)

In this piece, we offer a critical commentary reflecting on the history of the professionalization of women’s soccer in the United States to explore the intersection of feminism and capitalism. We specifically focus our discussion around two teams in the WUSA and the NWSL—San Diego Spirit and Angel City Football Club—that offer useful comparisons around the trials and tribulations of balancing gender equality principles with a capitalist infrastructure. Here our intent is not to offer definitive conclusions or an extensive analysis of empirical data but rather tease out and discuss the nuances, complexities, and questions that women’s soccer faces as it enters this “new era” of investment.

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Disability inclusion in physical activity interventions for menopause: A scoping review

Garcia Ashdown-Franks (York St John University)

Background: The menopause transition (MT) is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, and age-related muscle atrophy (sarcopenia), negatively impacting health-related quality of life and emotional wellbeing. Menopausal people with disabilities may face additional challenges or worsening of existing conditions during this transition. Physical activity (PA) improves health during the MT. However, PA interventions for menopause in people living with disabilities (PLWD) are rarely studied. Ensuring equitable access in PA interventions is essential to prevent inadvertent exclusion of PLWD in menopausal programming and research. Objective: This scoping review aims to investigate the accessibility of PA interventions for menopause. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched from inception to March 2025 for studies including females aged 45–65 years, and interventions lasting at least two weeks, aiming to increase PA, improve physical fitness, or enhance physical capacity. Both screening stages were conducted by two reviewers. Data were analysed iteratively, mapped according to review objectives, and presented descriptively to answer objectives. Results: After screening, 164 studies including 12,759 participants were included. Eighty-two studies (50%) featured eligibility criteria that explicitly or implicitly excluded PLWD. Sixty-seven studies (40%) excluded people with physical disabilities, and 8.5% excluded people with psychiatric or cognitive disabilities. Few studies reported accessibility accommodations in recruitment or intervention procedures. Conclusions: This is the first scoping review to examine disability inclusion in PA interventions for menopausal populations. Findings from this review can advocate for greater inclusion of diverse populations in menopause PA studies, ultimately reducing barriers to healthcare for all experiencing the menopause transition.

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104

Equal Strike? A Global Examination of Gender Representation in Fencing

Helen Curtis (University of Hertfordshire)

Co-authors: Lindsay Bottoms, Elizabeth Pike (University of Hertfordshire); Georgina Usher MBE (British Fencing); Lucy Piggott (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

This study forms part of a wider programme examining gender equity within the sport-specific context of fencing, an area identified as under-researched (Liu, 2022). This poster focuses on gender representation in non-competing roles, specifically coaches and referees, at national and international levels.

In 2025, the International Fencing Federation (FIE), through its Strategic Plan 2025–2028, introduced the International Coaching and Referee Academy, targeting a 25% increase in certified coaches and referees by 2027. Whilst increases in participation, including non-competing roles such as coaches and referees, do not necessarily translate to gender equity (Donnelly, 2023), it is important to consider gender representation to inform recommendations for change. This study is informed by an intersectional perspective to examine patterns of representation within and between global fencing contexts. Publicly available FIE-licensed data from the 2024–2025 season were analysed, including all registered coaches and referees globally. Variables included gender, nationality, and FIE zonal classification (Africa, America, Asia and Oceania, Europe). A one-way chi-square test assessed overall differences in men and women representation. Cross-tabulations with two-way chi-square tests examined gender differences across zones for both coaches and referees. Descriptive analyses also identified countries with no women representation. There was a significant difference in overall gender representation among coaches (χ²(df=1) = 540.7, p = <.001), with 87.1% men (n=856) and 12.9% women (n=127). Similarly, referees were predominantly men (76.6%, n=443) compared to women (23.4%, n=135), with this difference also statistically significant (χ²(df=1) = 164.13, p = <.001). Cross-tabulation analyses showed no significant differences in the proportion of women representation across zones for coaches (χ²(df=3) = 2.001, p = .736) or referees (χ²(df=3) = 7.02, p = .071), indicating consistent underrepresentation globally. Out of the 93 countries represented in the sample, 43 had no women coaches and 32 countries had no women referees. These findings highlight persistent gender inequities in fencing beyond athlete participation, particularly within coaching and officiating pathways. While global initiatives aim to increase representation, structural inequalities remain evident. National Federation, zonal and role comparisons provide context to evaluate multi-level power relations of competing gender equity. This study provides a global snapshot, emphasising the need for targeted strategies to improve gender equity and representation across fencing communities. Ongoing work in collaboration with the FIE and national federations will extend this analysis to include non-licensed coaches and referees and examine current practices and strategies aimed at increasing participation and advancing gender equity.

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105

Wheelchair rugby female participation study

Ellie-May Storr (Loughborough University)

Wheelchair rugby (WR) is a mixed-sex sport, with a point-based classification system. Until 2024, teams were allowed 4 athletes on court with a combined 8.0 classification points, 0.5-point were added for every female on court. Recent research showed that female and male players differ in arm strength across classifications, affecting WR activities as blocking and picking, with larger disparities in high-point players. In response, WWR updated the female court rule in January 2025: the 0.5-point addition for low-point players (0.5–1.5) remains, while 1.0-point is added for high-point female players (2.0 and above). These rule changes aimed to increase female participation and visibility, though their effectiveness and wider implications remain unclear. The current study aimed to explore how athletes and athlete support personnel (ASP) perceive the rule change and its impact on participation, fairness, and inclusivity. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with WR athletes (n= 8; eight females, two male), and ASP (n = 2; one male, one female) from elite (n = 8) and recreational (n = 2) levels. Interviews lasted 45–60 minutes and were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were generated. First, gender inclusion and increasing female participation: participants supported the goal of enhancing female participation but viewed it alone as insufficient, advocating broader structural solutions such as improved facilities, female-only competitions, and increased representation of women in staffing roles. Second, perceived fairness and impact: some female athletes reported feeling tokenistic, selected primarily for the extra team point rather than skill, with concerns about unequal consequences across classification groups. Third, communication and understanding: participants highlighted limited transparency from governing bodies and suggested workshops to improve awareness and acceptance. Fourth, spectatorship and visibility: while the rule could increase game speed and spectator appeal, participants suggested community outreach and promotion would more effectively enhance visibility. In conclusion, participants supported efforts to increase female participation but expressed mixed views regarding fairness, clarity, and impact. Athletes and ASP recommended combining the rule change with improved communication, targeted development initiatives, and structural investment to foster a more inclusive and sustainable pathway for women in WR.

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107

RED-S and Bone Microarchitecture in Female Athletes: Insights from HR-pQCT and Updated Conceptual Models

Benan Usul (Gazi University , Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Türkiye)

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) disrupts multiple physiological systems, yet bone health assessment often relies on DXA, which fails to capture microarchitectural deterioration. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) allows detailed evaluation of trabecular number (Tb.N) and cortical thickness (Ct.Th), providing insights beyond areal BMD.

This scoping review (2018–2025) proposes an updated conceptual framework integrating HR-pQCT findings. Key findings indicate that RED-S-driven hypoestrogenism accelerates trabecular perforation and resorption. Metabolic compensation (reduced RMR and altered hormonal milieu) appears to accelerate these changes beyond what DXA can detect, with more pronounced deficits at load-bearing sites such as the tibia.

In conclusion, HR-pQCT reveals microarchitectural impairments not captured by DXA, offering superior insight into fracture risk. The proposed model integrates metabolic compensation and site-specific parameters, offering a precise framework for screening in women’s sport. This review provides a bridge between high-end imaging technology and daily athletic monitoring, directly advancing WiSEAN’s mission of empowering female athlete health through scientific innovation.

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108

The Dual Playbook: Motherhood Experiences of Women Coaches and Officials

Tara-Leigh F. McHugh (University of Calgary)

Co-authors: Jessie Dinh, Jasleen Gill, Ariel Dimler (Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Women continue to be underrepresented in coaching and officiating roles across all levels of sport, highlighting ongoing inequities in sport leadership positions. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis was to describe and interpret how motherhood experiences shape the careers of women coaches and officials in sub-elite sport. Eleven mother coaches and officials from North America participated in semi-structured one-on-one interviews. Data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis and participants’ experiences are represented by four themes: (a) “It changes everything” – negotiating motherhood and career, (b) “You’re always partially somewhere else”– navigating role conflict, (c) “You have to prove yourself” – navigating men-dominated spaces and representation, and (d) “There’s nothing in place for this” – exposing policy gaps and structural (in)supports. Findings suggest that many sports organizations systematically discriminate against mothers, which hinders women’s advancement within sport leadership. Support mechanisms for mothers, such as workplace flexibility and onsite childcare, are important stepping stones towards broader systemic changes that are required to ensure gender equity in sport.

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