True change in gender equality doesn’t happen overnight. It takes education, awareness, and practical guidance to shift mindsets and behaviours across the sports ecosystem. This is why resources like eLearning courses, handbooks, and visibility campaigns are so important—they equip coaches, media professionals, and sports organisations with the knowledge and skills to foster inclusive environments.
Evidence shows that when women are better represented and supported in sport, everyone benefits: teams perform better, communities become more cohesive, and societal attitudes evolve. Initiatives like SheAds contribute to this transformation by combining research with actionable tools, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Because advancing gender equality in sport communication is not just about fairness, it’s about creating stronger, more vibrant sports cultures for all.
SheAds is a Capacity Building project led by the Sports University of Tirana, focused on promoting gender equality in sport by raising awareness of female athletes and coaches in the media.
Our General Objective: To raise awareness of the importance of gender equality in the realm of sports communication and improve gender equality among sports institutions, media, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
Project Focus:
While initially focusing on the Albanian context, SheAds aims to develop resources and insights that can be used and adapted in other countries across Europe. The project concentrates on three main pillars:
- Evaluating current trends in sports communication depicting and/or targeting women, identifying common mistakes and good practices.
- Creating innovative digital training opportunities for European institutions and stakeholders on how to create gender-sensitive communication and non-stereotyped representations of women.
- Promoting gender equality within the sports industry by boosting the visibility of women.
Our Specific Objectives:
- S.O.1: To contribute to the literature related to gender equality in sports communication by carrying out research, identifying existing needs, and highlighting good practices.
- S.O.2: To provide opportunities for communication managers in sport institutions and associations to increase their knowledge and training on gender-equal communication and non-stereotypical depiction of women through a high-quality online course.
- S.O.3: To promote the visibility of women in various sport positions (athletes, coaches, leaders) through an active visibility campaign.
- S.O.4: To promote a holistic approach to gender-equal communication in sports institutions through the creation of a Handbook on Gender Equal Advertising for Sports.
- S.O.5: To raise awareness of gender equality and foster gender-sensitive media literacy for all sport stakeholders through multiplier sport events (MSEs).