Queensland Academy of Sport and Minerva Network Announce Partnership to Empower Females in Elite Sport

The partnership will provide female athletes with access to mentoring and networking opportunities, enabling them to achieve their full potential both on and off the field.

The QAS is the Queensland Government’s high-performance sport agency, dedicated to supporting athletes achieve their dreams through excellence in coaching, training, facilities, and cutting edge support services in science, medicine, technology, data and wellbeing. The Minerva Network is a national community of accomplished female leaders who are committed to empowering the next generation of female athletes and leaders.

Together, the QAS and Minerva Network will provide QAS female athletes with the opportunity to participate in one-on-one mentorship and networking sessions with Minerva's network of accomplished female leaders.

Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe welcomed the Minerva initiative. “Being guided and inspired by Queensland’s top female business leaders is an invaluable experience for women training to achieve their athletic goals now and planning for a prosperous future after competitive sport,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

"The Queensland Academy of Sport is thrilled to partner with the Minerva Network to provide our female athletes with access to mentoring from women who have navigated to the top in their professions," said QAS CEO, Chelsea Warr. “Pursuing excellence in the boardroom, or the sporting field have a lot of parallels and we know our QAS female athletes, that make up more than 50% of our total 600 QAS supported athletes can learn from these amazing female C-suite executives. This partnership also aligns perfectly with our mission to support athletes in achieving their full potential, as people and performers, both on and off the field of play.”

Minerva Network’s Queensland Co-Lead Professor Sarah Kelly OAM said, "We are delighted to partner with the Queensland Academy of Sport to support female elite athletes in Queensland. Our network of mentors is committed to empowering female athletes to realise their full leadership potential both on and off the field, and we are excited to work with the QAS to provide these opportunities to their QAS female athletes across all sports."

The partnership between the QAS and Minerva Network will commence immediately, with the 2023 cohort of female QAS supported athletes invited to join the Minerva Mentoring Program and connect with more than 370 elite female athletes who are already part of the Australia-wide network, including Olympian Cate Campbell, Hockeyroo Morgan Gallagher, Matilda Elise Kellond-Knight, Paralympian Janine Watson and bobsledder Breeanna Walker.

Female QAS athletes can register by contacting their dedicated Athlete Wellbeing & Engagement Advisor or visit the Minerva Network website for more information.

We are on the runway to Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028 and then on to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have a bold and ambitious vision to “Inspire Extraordinary Sporting Success” and we can’t do it alone. The QAS are currently inviting expressions of interest from companies who are interested in joining us on this journey. For more information and to register your interest, please visit Partners and sponsors.