Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network conference 2025
At the inception of the Carnegie College of Physical Education in 1933 women were not allowed to study at the college. Over the years much has changed and now the Carnegie School of Sport (CSS) has a long history of delivering high quality and impactful research and knowledge exchange focusing on women in sport and exercise science.
The CSS continues to evolve, delivering courses across a variety of disciplines including physical education, sport coaching, sport performance, sport business, sport marketing, and sport and exercise science. We look forward to continuing the school's rich history of shining a light on women in sport and exercise science in partnership with the Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network (WiSEAN).
The 2025 conference theme WiSER Together: Valuing diversity and collaborating for change acknowledges that by collectively coming together to share knowledge across disciplines, a range of contemporary challenges and societal concerns regarding women in sport and exercise can be grappled with and possible solutions identified.
The goals of WiSER Together 2025 are:
- To provide a multi-disciplinary space for colleagues to network and collaborate for change
- To welcome a diversity of colleagues to share and celebrate research in relation to women and girls in sport and exercise
- To provide a variety of knowledge exchange formats to promote learning and provoke critical debate
- To improve conditions for different women and girls in sport and exercise, from grassroots sports to elite level performance
We look forward to welcoming a range of people to the conference including undergraduate students, post-graduate students, early career researchers, established academics, and practitioners from across different disciplines including sociology, psychology, cultural studies, physiology, strength and conditioning, biomechanics, coaching, sport performance, sport leadership, business, management, marketing, and sport development to collaborate for change.
Dr Stacey Emmonds is an Associate Professor in Sports Performance in the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University. Dr Emmonds has extensive experience of working with professional sports teams, governing bodies and policy makers on consultancy and research projects. She has published over 50 research articles, book chapters and conference presentations in relation to sports performance and particularly women’s football. Alongside her research role, she works as a physical performance coach with the England women youth football teams as well as being an invited member of the UFEA Fitness for Football advisory board.
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Dr Alex Culvin works as the Director of Global Policy and Strategic Relations in Women’s Football for FIFRPO the global union of professional footballers. Alex’s PhD was the first to examine football as work for women in England, focusing on employment policy.
Nonhlanhla (Noe) Mkumbuzi is sports clinician, researcher, and consultant for FIFA’s Women’s Football Department and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Her academic work is in marginalised athletes such as women and girls of colour, and those from low- and middle-income settings such as in Africa.
Her research focuses on the intersection of biology, race, gender, society and culture, and economics in athletic participation, performance, injury rehabilitation, and sports medicine policy.
Her research focuses on the intersection of biology, race, gender, society and culture, and economics in athletic participation, performance, injury rehabilitation, and sports medicine policy.
Harry Meadley is an artist, researcher and skateboarder based in Leeds, UK, who initiates projects that through inclusion, participation and co-production seeks to reclaim and reappropriate civic space. From municipal art galleries, universities, city centres to remote locations, Meadley’s socially engaged artistic practice aims to question not just the structures of power within society but of artistic production itself.
Recent projects include the Civic Skateboarding festival for marginalised gender skateboarders as part of Leeds 2023 Year of Culture and Free-for-All at Touchstones, Rochdale.
Recent projects include the Civic Skateboarding festival for marginalised gender skateboarders as part of Leeds 2023 Year of Culture and Free-for-All at Touchstones, Rochdale.
Lesley McKenna is a 3 times Olympian Snowboarder, Snowboard coach and backcountry guide, Coach Developer and Phd researcher. Her different strands of work and experience cover sport in many different guises from Olympic Sport to community sport and using sport to help connect people to themselves, each other and to nature. Her research sits broadly under Ethics in High Performance
Sport and investigates the comparison between action sports like snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing and those more traditional Olympic sports like rowing, cycling and gymnastics. Lesley is the co-owner of Wandering Workshops CIC set up to make the outdoor sports space more accessable for as many people as possible. Outside of work Lesley enjoys spending time outdoors exploring and having fun with family and friends.
Shruti is super passionate in ensuring sports is for all and has worked towards creating a more equal playing ground in sports through the range of work she has undertaken. Her energy and drive has led her to  become a trustee with ‘Miss Kicks Foundation’ and ‘Cricket Builds Hope’ as well as having appeared speaking on the BBC and Sky.
Recognised as a ‘Sports Industry Next Gen Leader’ in 2021, Shruti has grown and developed her leadership skills in diverse commercial roles and continues to bring culture change across the sports industry. Having created positives changes whilst at the ECB her current role at the Football Association allows her to focus on all aspects of EDI.
Recognised as a ‘Sports Industry Next Gen Leader’ in 2021, Shruti has grown and developed her leadership skills in diverse commercial roles and continues to bring culture change across the sports industry. Having created positives changes whilst at the ECB her current role at the Football Association allows her to focus on all aspects of EDI.
Tess Howard is a current Team GB Olympian and Great Britain hockey player with over 100 caps for her country, and a Commonwealth Gold Medal. Over the past three years, she successfully campaigned to change national and international hockey uniform policies to allow players choice to wear shorts and skorts in the same team, a ground-breaking move evolving hockey tradition on the biggest Olympic stage.
Her published University research on the impact of gendered sport uniforms on girls’ participation in sport gained national and international media coverage in 2023, leading her to win The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Changemaker Award. To tackle the systemic issue of discriminatory and underserving sports kit practices, she launched Inclusive Sportswear CIC, an education, advocacy and standard-certifying organisation leading the movement for policy based on choice and inclusion. 
Her published University research on the impact of gendered sport uniforms on girls’ participation in sport gained national and international media coverage in 2023, leading her to win The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Changemaker Award. To tackle the systemic issue of discriminatory and underserving sports kit practices, she launched Inclusive Sportswear CIC, an education, advocacy and standard-certifying organisation leading the movement for policy based on choice and inclusion. 
Additional accommodation options
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Village Hotel Leeds North
- Address: 186 Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS16 5PR
- Phone: 0113 323 6150
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Premier Inn Leeds Headingley hotel
- Address: Arndale Centre, Headingley, Leeds LS6 2UE
- Phone: 0333 234 6488
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Ascot Grange Hotel
- Address: 126-130 Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS16 5JX
- Phone: 0113 293 4444
