IWG Women and Sport and TAFISA (The Association for International Sport for All) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their commitment to closer collaboration.
The MoU follows a productive meeting held at TAFISA’s headquarters in Frankfurt last year, where a robust discussion around re-starting the collaboration between the two organisations was held. The agreement will see a stronger alliance between IWG and TAFISA, helping to create a stronger voice for women and girls in sport.
IWG Secretary General, Lisa O’Keefe said: “I’m pleased we have been able to progress our relationship with TAFISA by signing this MoU with them, and we look forward to more regular contact, promoting each other’s activities and supporting each other on projects which are mutually beneficial to our organisation’s objectives.
“TAFISA is a leading international body in the Sport For All movement and to have their support is invaluable. I can’t wait to continue building our relationship and collaborating in areas that will really make a difference.”
TAFISA Secretary General Jean-François Laurent said:
“Gender equity is not a stand-alone issue — it is integral to the mission of Sport for All. This MoU reflects our commitment to working together with IWG to create a safer, more inclusive, and equitable sporting world. By combining our strengths, we aim to uplift the presence, leadership, and participation of women and girls in sport — helping them break down barriers and engage fully, safely, and confidently in Sport for All and physical activity.”
The signing itself took place during TAFISA’s ‘European Sport For All Forum’ which happened from 26-27 March at the Landessportbund Hessen in Frankfurt, Germany.
The Forum brought together over 125 key stakeholders from 30 international, regional and national organizations to promote collaboration and innovation in the world of Sport for All.
Representing IWG, Abby Burton, Head of Strategic Communications, delivered the impulse presentation to open the first plenary session on the subject of ‘Beyond the Game: Coaching Girls to Break Barriers and Stereotypes in Sport for All.’
Abby described the global landscape of gender equality in sport for all, highlighting the key challenges as that are consistently reported by the IWG network of networks. From there, she addressed why safe and inclusive coaching is essential for breaking gender stereotypes and fostering the long-term participation of girls in sports, highlighting TAFISA’s ‘Girls Positive and Safe Coaching Pathway’ is an example of a brilliant initiative in this area. Abby finished her impulse presentation with a call to action for the delegates to connect into the IWG network and to share their case studies and best practices, with a request to save the date for the IWG Global Summit.
The Forum also covered the topics of: ‘Health Comes First: The New Role of Sports Clubs’; ‘Empowering Inclusive Communities through Sport for All: Capacity-Building for Impactful Change’ and ‘Youth Engagement & Participation in Sport for All’ as well as engaging workshop and networking sessions.
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