Want a Career Advantage? Learn How Women Leaders Use Sports Participation As A Stepping Stone

More women are making headlines in boardrooms and on the playing field and new research suggests these victories are more connected than anyone might imagine. While it’s easy to think of professional sports as reserved for professionals or Olympic champions, a fresh report argues that sport’s real power lies in its quiet influence on everyday career journeys, especially for women in leadership roles.

Recent findings highlight a growing recognition: continued engagement in sports can be a catalyst for career momentum among women, equipping them with confidence and resilience that reach well beyond the finish line. In 2025, as women’s sports gain unparalleled visibility, evidence points to a subtler but equally significant transformation unfolding within workplaces across Canada and beyond.

Sport as a Stepping Stone to Leadership

The Prosperity Project’s latest report, Game Changer: The Career-Boosting Impact of Sports for Women in Leadership, draws a direct connection between ongoing athletic participation and career progression. Women currently holding senior executive positions are considerably more likely to remain involved in sports compared to their peers in middle management, a group who typically identify themselves as former, rather than current, athletes. The findings suggest that reducing physical activity over time may be related to stalling career growth, adding nuance to longstanding assumptions that simply ‘having played sport’ is enough.

Building Resilience and Self-Belief

This conversation isn’t just about climbing corporate ladders but cultivating personal attributes that open doors. The report shows that traits honed on the field like resilience, discipline, self-confidence, are crucial for women overcoming workplace and societal barriers. It’s a lesson Tessa Virtue, Olympic and World Champion, knows firsthand.

The Confidence Gap: Why Sports Participation Matters

While past studies established that many women in top roles have athletic backgrounds, The Prosperity Project goes further, urging us to consider why ongoing sports engagement might matter more than a trophy collection. Their report reveals that women, from an early age, are more likely than men to struggle with self-confidence and heightened self-consciousness, with sport offering a tangible antidote. Unlike sporadic participation, sustained involvement in physical activity seems linked to a continued sense of agency, risk-taking and self-worth, all of which are crucial for professional advancement.

Organisations eyeing higher female representation in leadership would do well to heed these findings. Encouraging sports engagement as part of talent development – or even designing mentorship and leadership programmes inspired by the skills gained through athletics – stands to benefit not only individual women, but also business performance overall.

‘Studies like this show us that encouraging employee participation in physical activity, addressing childcare needs, and designing leadership training and mentorship around sports skills, is not only good for women but also good for business. We have the opportunity to do more to encourage women to get active and break down any barriers, especially in marginalised communities,’ says Julie Savard-Shaw, Executive Director of The Prosperity Project.

Moving the Needle: Opportunities for Women’s Rise in Leadership

The potential extends well beyond corporate offices. The report calls on communities, educational institutions, sports organisations, and government to play their part. By making sporting opportunities accessible and tailored to women’s unique requirements, Canada boosts its chances for a more diverse future among industry leaders. This echoes similar movements overseas, where companies and governments are increasingly funding initiatives to support women’s sport as both a public health and economic growth strategy.

This growing body of evidence serves as a gentle nudge to women at all stages of their careers – participation, not perfection, might be the missing ingredient. The relationship between sports and professional advancement is no longer just anecdotal. With ongoing research and advocacy, including efforts from organisations like The Prosperity Project and industry partners such as KPMG in Canada, the message is getting louder: investing in women’s physical activity isn’t just sound social policy – it’s a smart business move. For those pondering a return to sport, perhaps the whistle for greater workplace equality isn’t blowing from the boardroom – but from the touchline.

For a deeper understanding of women’s leadership trends, consult industry benchmarks on women in leadership roles. Explore analysis on the link between sports and professional success and comprehensive reports on gender equity in business for further context. The playbook for progress, it seems, has more in common with sport than we ever realised.

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