Photo credits: Giulia Zazzi

The EGLSF-led project on Just Gender: Community Wellbeing is reaching its end, and held a final interactive network conference of the project at the Federal Foundation for Gender Equality in Berlin on 10th October 2025. The project is a small collaborative partnership in the field of sport, funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme. 

The conference is the culmination of a two-year exploration of the pressing questions of justice, inequality, discrimination, and isolation in sport, and the experiences of access and participation of women and FLINTA+ persons in all their diversity in sport and physical activity. The project examined ways to strengthen this, and to address intersectional and structural barriers of exclusion, with the role of these themes on community building and wellbeing within the partners examined. 

The conference brought together 50 social activists, scientists, sport experts, physicians, coaches, and gender equality and inclusion, in a programme which included contributions by feminist, health and intersectional experts. We welcomed impulse presentations from Dr Sheree Bekker of the University of Bath and the Feminist Sports Lab, Jessica Williams from Sport Wales, and Ann Abadi from International Women* Space, which cumulatively provoked interactive discussions and explorations for participants.   

The event reminded us that equality is not one dimensional and that inclusion is not linear, and called on us to understand how systems of exclusion overlap with systems of power, and how we can collaborate in ways to dismantle them in our clubs, our communities, and our policies. The conference also reminded us how physical activity can build bridges, across cultures, across differences, across generations, and that when sport is inclusive, it promotes not only gender equality, but also social inclusion, cultural exchange, economic participation, and collective wellbeing.  We also recognised that an intersectional approach includes our environment, recognising that healthy people and healthy communities depend on a healthy environment and a healthy planet.

EGLSF were represented by Hugh Torrance and Victoria Ash, as well as many members from the federation. The local organisers of the event were movingsport, a project partner and Berlin-based NGO with transdisciplinary experts from the fields of gender equality and sport for development, who were represented by Stefanie Auf dem Berge and Knut Auf dem Berge.  The other project partners and conference organisers were the French grassroots physical activity organisation for women and LGBTIQ+ people, Activ’Elles04 who was represented by Sarah Townsend, and the Bulgarian feminist and LGBTIQ+ organisation Bilits, represented by Kalin Kisyov.

In opening remarks, Hugh Torrance from EGLSF  called upon us to remember that the work has always been about more than sport, it’s about creating the conditions for people to thrive, to feel seen, and to be part of something larger than themselves, and who underlined that EGLSF believes deeply in the transformative power of sport: its ability to challenge prejudice, to celebrate diversity, and to bring us together in solidarity and joy. Stefanie Auf dem Berge from movingsport reminded us of the need to address the structural barriers that limit participation and look at how sport can instead become a space of belonging, empowerment, and social connection.

With thanks to all who came along to contribute their time, expertise and ideas to help us keep moving sport and create gender just spaces in sport.