The IWG Global Summit 2026, taking place in Birmingham from 9–11 July 2026, is set to be one of the world’s leading gatherings dedicated to advancing gender equity in sport and physical activity. Bringing together leaders, practitioners, policymakers and advocates from across the globe, the Summit will provide a platform to share best practice, challenge existing systems and accelerate meaningful progress for women and girls in sport.
The Female Coaching Network (FCN) is proud to be supporting the development of the Summit, contributing specifically to the leadership theme and delivering a coaching-focused presentation within the programme.
As part of this collaboration, FCN has been working behind the scenes to help shape an innovative and distinctive session that reflects the depth of experience and expertise across its global network. Drawing on insights from female coaches, high performance leaders and system-change specialists, the session has been designed to offer practical, forward-thinking content that challenges traditional approaches to coach development and leadership in sport.
The aim has been to bring together collective ideas from across the FCN community to create a session that is both strategically aligned with the Summit’s ambition and grounded in the realities of coaching environments. The presentation will explore coaching as a form of leadership, highlight the complexities of navigating high performance systems, and share approaches that support female coaches to progress, lead and influence at all levels of sport.
Importantly, the session will be co-delivered on the day, reinforcing the collaborative ethos at the heart of both the Summit and the FCN’s work. By contributing to the leadership strand, FCN’s involvement helps to connect coaching more directly to broader conversations around governance, culture, visibility and systemic reform.
The IWG Global Summit represents a significant moment for the global sport community to come together with a shared purpose: creating more equitable structures, stronger pathways and sustainable opportunities for women and girls. FCN’s contribution reflects its ongoing commitment to empowering coaches while also working to reshape the systems in which they operate.
Further details about the Summit programme will be released in due course, with FCN looking forward to playing an active role in what promises to be a landmark event for gender equity in sport.