It has been a busy and deeply purposeful year for the Minerva Athlete Leadership Group (ALG), which formally came together in April 2025.
The ALG is made up of 12 athletes representing a wide range of sports, states, and lived experiences, including both para and able-bodied disciplines. Throughout 2025, the group met monthly (transitioning to bi-monthly meetings in 2026), providing real-time athlete insight to inform Minerva’s strategy, programs and community engagement. At its core, the ALG exists to ensure the athlete voice is not only heard, but meaningfully embedded in decision-making across the organisation.
A platform for athlete voice
From the outset, the ALG was united around a shared purpose:
Over the past year, this group has worked closely with the Minerva team to ensure athlete perspectives are considered across programs, events, governance discussions and strategic planning.
Reframing the Athlete Journey
One of the most significant pieces of work undertaken by the ALG this year was a comprehensive review of the Athlete Journey. Together with Minerva, the group identified five interconnected stages: Emerging, Established, Transitioning, Retired, and Injured/Medical Time-Out - the latter recognised as a stage that can occur at any point in an athlete’s career.
This framework is not about labelling athletes, but about better understanding how needs, pressures and opportunities shift over time. From the confidence-building and system-navigation challenges faced by emerging athletes, to the identity shifts and isolation that can accompany transition and retirement, the model provides Minerva with a practical tool to tailor support more effectively across all stages.
Importantly, the ALG emphasised that athletes move fluidly between stages. Injury, illness, pregnancy or deselection can disrupt even the most stable careers - reinforcing the need for flexible, athlete-centred support.
In the years ahead, this framework will be put to practical use. It will guide the development of Minerva's programming to ensure there is something relevant and meaningful for every athlete, regardless of where they are in their career. It will also serve as a key resource for mentors, helping them better understand and respond to an athlete's perspective and the particular challenges of each stage.
Strengthening engagement and community
Across multiple meetings, the ALG explored one consistent challenge: how to better engage athletes in a way that feels relevant, accessible and athlete-led. Feedback highlighted that engagement is strongest when communication comes from peers rather than organisations, and when opportunities feel experiential rather than transactional.
As a result, the ALG contributed ideas ranging from athlete-led social media storytelling and buddy systems, to behind-the-scenes event access, watch parties and stronger use of the Minerva Athlete Portal as a central resource hub. The group also played an active role in reviewing workshops, forums and online resources to ensure content reflects real athlete needs - particularly around career transition, financial literacy, media skills and identity beyond sport.
Informing Minerva’s future direction
The work of the ALG has helped shape Minerva’s evolving strategy, including its shift from solely “changing the players” to changing both the players and the game. This includes a greater focus on systemic change across the sporting ecosystem - advocating for increased female representation in leadership, governance and media, and ensuring athletes remain connected, supported and visible beyond their competitive years.
As Minerva looks ahead to its next phase, the ALG will continue to play a critical advisory role. Helping shape programs, strengthening athlete engagement, and ensuring Minerva remains deeply connected to the realities of athlete life.
One year in and we would like to thank Minerva for their continued support of female athletes. We have achieved so much in 2025 and look forward to see what we can do together in 2026.
ALG Members:
Cate Campbell (Chair, Swimming)
Rae Anderson (Para Athletics)
Alison Bai (Tennis)
Rhiannon Clarke (Para Athletics)
Kiana Elliott (Weightlifting)
Tallisha Harden (NRLW)
Nita Maynard (NRLW)
Shivani Mehta (Cricket)
Rebecca Miller (AFLW)
Jemima Montag (Athletics)
Philipa Seth (AFLW)
Kayla Waller (Softball)
Stay connected The Minerva Athlete Portal is your space to reach out, share and connect with fellow ALG members and the wider Minerva community. Log in and start a conversation!
