The University of Bristol Festival of Social Sciences is delighted to partner with the Women’s Sport Collective to bring to Bristol a free, open panel discussion on motherhood and sport.
Engine Shed, Station Approach Redcliffe BS1 6QH
Register here
Motherhood creates a unique context for sport and physical activity, and the physical, mental and emotional challenges to participation for mothers are well known. Women working in sport as athletes and leaders face further complex challenges in balancing motherhood with elite careers.
This informal, open panel discussion will bring together diverse perspectives on motherhood and sport to activate a lively discussion and debate. What is the future for mothers working and participating in sport and physical activity? What changes and transformations are needed to foster greater inclusivity, opportunity and possibility? Come and be part of the discussion and share your views!
Panelists:
Tracy Moseley is one of the greatest Downhill and Enduro Mountain Bikers of all time. Worcester-born Tracy Moseley's career is impressive; she has won 23 national downhill titles, 16 World Cup rounds, two overall World Cup titles - being the first ever British woman to do so, the 2010 World Championship and three Enduro World Series World Titles. After retiring in 2016, she went on to have a baby in 2018, before returning back to the sport of Mountain Biking in an athlete management role in 2019 and then a return to elite racing in 2020 in the new discipline of Ebike MTB racing. This year she achieved 4 World Cup podiums and represented GB at the World Cycling Championship in Glasgow.
Rebecca Derrick is Global Business Director at 50 Sport and founder of SportAZ. Rebecca is a Sport Brands Specialist with 10+ years experience in developing purpose-led brands, strategic platforms, creative identities, marketing strategies and brand-led partnerships. She has extensive knowledge of the sports industry in both brand and business. When she took 12 months to away from paid work to have her daughter, friends and colleagues wondered how she was doing “in mummy-land”. She reflects that it was the most successful year in her career to date and gave her chance to refocus. She writes: “Having my daughter gave me a whole new view of life. Everyday I wake up to be a role model to her. It’s a drive I’ve never experienced before. I want her to see that women can be successful whilst also being very present and active mums”.
Mel Bound is the Founder and CEO of This Mum Runs, the world’s largest digital, mobile and in-person running community for women. Mel is a running coach and the creator of the Run30™ App - "the best running App in the UK" – and a Fellow of the Facebook Community Leadership Programme. She has been recognised as one of the Top 16 Most Impactful Community Leaders in the world, listed in the Maserati 100 Top 100 British Disrupter Entrepreneurs and is a previous winner of the Women’s Sport Trust “Grassroots Gamechanger” Award. Mel is on the Sport England board of trustees and on the IWG (International Working Group on Women and Sport) board supporting on strategy and community. A busy Mum of two, Mel spends the little free time she has running the trails of Somerset with her energetic dog Tilly.
Fiona Spotswood is Associate Professor of Marketing and Consumption at the University of Bristol Business School. Fiona’s research has focused on inequalities in participation of physical activity and sport since the beginning of her career. She will discuss her research focused on understanding the conflicts between mothering and physical activity participation. She describes mothering as “predatory” when it comes to pushing out physical activity and sport, and focuses on the way society sees, organises and limits mothering. She is a mother of three daughters and runs a mountain biking club in Bristol for primary aged children and their parents.
The panel discussion will be chaired by Laura Bailey, Senior Partnerships Manager for Ordnance Survey and active member of the Women's Sport Collective. With a personal and professional background in sport, Laura is delighted to be hosting this panel as she approaches the birth of her first child. Speakers will share their perspectives and expertise, and encourage discussion and debate from delegates.
This event has been supported by the ESRC Festival of Social Science
You can register here.