Last year, I watched from the audience at the Women in Sport Summit in QLD and thought to myself: “One day, I’d love to be on that stage.”
This year was different. I wasn’t just watching; I was speaking.
Did I feel nervous? Sure. But for me, it’s not the act of standing on stage that’s daunting. I’ve learned to draw on the same tools we teach in our Empowered to Lead program. It’s just like sport: your preparation, your skills, your mindset, and your team all make the difference when it’s time to perform.
When those nerves hit, I reminded myself why I was there, to champion the liberation of women and girls. That reminder grounded me and gave me the energy to keep showing up fully.
And if I had one reflection, an “advice to self” moment for next time, it would be this: bring more Holly to the stage. Less perfection, more uniqueness.
What sets this Summit apart is the energy in the room. It is not fluffy, it is not small talk. It is a gathering of women who are serious about sports, serious about equity, and serious about change. Every conversation, whether about investment, athlete wellbeing, or commercial growth, felt grounded in action. Being part of that felt both humbling and motivating.
Jennie Sager, CEO of the WNBL, captured my attention with her vision. The league is undergoing a transformative shift: a consortium spearheaded by the Wollemi Capital Group and NBL is taking majority ownership from April 2, 2025, with Basketball Australia holding a minority stake. Alongside this, they have secured a historic collective bargaining agreement that will significantly raise player salaries, something that is seen as a pivotal moment in pushing toward pay equity in women’s basketball. Listening to Jennie speak made me feel the ground shifting under my feet, that this is the start of a new era for women’s sport in Australia.
We also heard about pland for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 and the Netball World Cup 2027, right here on our shores, which are setting the stage for a powerful few years ahead. Sydney will host the Netball World Cup from 25 August to 5 September 2027. Netball Australia is riding a wave of unprecedented engagement. The year 2024 saw record attendances across Super Netball and Diamonds matches, delivering a financial surplus and placing them on track to be debt-free by 2027, just in time for the World Cup. With a six million dollar federal boost earmarked to support the World Cup and netball’s push for inclusion in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, that is momentum you can feel in your bones.
Watching Carinda Palmer, Tara McGrath West, and Tracie McGovern speak with such presence, clarity, and conviction was inspiring. They did not just deliver talks, they brought spirit and soul to the stage.
Being part of these bigger conversations, WNBL restructuring, Netball World Cup planning, the building legacy of FIFA’s Women’s World Cup, it is energising. It is more than attending events or checking a box. It is being part of a movement. A movement where women’s sport is no longer hidden, and where investment, visibility, and opportunity converge in powerful and undeniable ways.
Walking off that stage I felt proud. Proud of our journey, proud of our team, and proud of our community. The Summit is not a singular moment. It is a catalyst. With partners like Classic Sportswear alongside us and a growing ecosystem of changemakers, we are not just talking about equity, we are building it.
Together, we are creating spaces where girls and women can lead with confidence, on and off the field. Standing there this year was not just a dream realized, it was a stepping stone to so much more.
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