A major step towards greater gender equality in sports leadership has been taken with the launch of the ‘Re-Presenting Female Leaders in Sport’ workshop. This pilot project, conceived and executed by Marsha Boyce, one of only 16 participants in the 2024-2025 Commonwealth Women Leaders Programme (CWLP), aims to empower women in sporting administration and leadership.

Thirteen participants drawn from several national sporting organisations—including the BOA, the Anti-Doping Commission, Athletics, Basketball, Cricket, Gymnastics, Hockey, Rugby, Sailing, Swimming and Triathlon—engaged in sessions focused on:

?      Effective Communication and Personal Branding: Helping them to create and own their narrative and leverage their influence.

?      Uncovering Passion and Purpose: A discovery session to guide their individual leadership journeys.

?      Meaningful Networking: Fostering a critical network of peers and facilitators for ongoing support and collaboration.

The initiative is a direct response to the glaring underrepresentation of women in sports governance. As Boyce highlighted in her opening remarks, statistics as of October 2025 show that only 13.3 percent of presidents across National Sporting Federations in Barbados are women. Furthermore, she noted, Commonwealth Sport reports that approximately three out of four executive positions in international sport are currently held by men.

“Projects like this are necessary to encourage female administrators to step forward into the leadership roles they are more than capable of fulfilling as we seek to address the gap in women’s representation at the decision-making level,” Boyce stated.

The workshop received high praise and support from key figures in the local and regional sports community. In her remarks, Sandra Osborne, President of the BOA and Commonwealth Sport Barbados, underscored the importance of becoming leaders for the right reasons, emphasising that “leadership is more than a title.” She noted that true leadership is a commitment to take responsibility, to uplift others, and to foster a culture where shared purpose and ability — not gender — determine success. 

Osborne added, “The beauty about leadership is that everyone doesn’t have to be the president. There are multiple positions of influence, so don’t be timid about seizing different opportunities and building a rewarding future for yourself, in which you make a difference for the right reasons.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Brathwaite, Commonwealth Sport Regional Development Manager for the Caribbean and the Americas, offered his congratulations to Boyce for hosting the workshop.

“It is especially rewarding to see this workshop, delivered under the theme ‘Re-Presenting Female Leaders in Sport,’ really speaking to how female leaders ‘show up’ and chart a path towards becoming effective leaders… I am confident that today’s workshop will contribute to cultivating more women leaders in sport.”

The ‘Re-Presenting Female Leaders in Sport’ workshop was facilitated through the support of the Commonwealth Women Leaders Programme and Commonwealth Sport Barbados.