Reimagining Sport For a changing world
Sport is facing challenges that can't be solved with more programs, bigger campaigns or doing more of the same.
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Anna Walker challenges audiences to rethink the systems shaping participation, inclusion, retention and impact.
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Drawing on global research, practical examples and 25 years working across sport, her keynotes help leaders see familiar problems through a different lens and identify opportunities hidden in plain sight.
"Anna delivered an outstanding presentation at UniSport Australia’s National Conference. While our initial brief was to combine two of her speaking topics, she exceeded all expectations by taking the time to thoroughly research our sector and engage directly with our members to integrate examples of their work. The result was a highly relevant, thought-provoking presentation that resonated deeply with delegates. Anna challenged established ways of thinking and for many, her insights will influence and reshape their approach to university sport and physical activity well into the future."
Shane Cantelmi, UniSport Australia
The Untapped Value of Sport
Repositioning sport as critical social infrastructure
Most people working in sport already know the difference sport makes. They've seen or felt confidence grow. Friendships form. Communities strengthen.
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But rather than leading with this narrative, we talk about participation numbers, membership growth and competition results. Important measures, but not the outcomes governments, funders and communities care about most.
In this thought-provoking keynote, Anna Walker challenges audiences to rethink how sport positions itself in an increasingly competitive and resource-constrained world.
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Drawing on global trends, emerging evidence and practical examples from across the sector, Anna explores why sport's greatest growth opportunity may lie beyond sport itself.
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As governments and communities increasingly focus on health, wellbeing, belonging, social connection and resilience, sport organisations that can demonstrate and amplify their contribution to these outcomes are positioning themselves for greater relevance, investment and long-term sustainability.
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The keynote challenges leaders to rethink how they define, measure and communicate success — and why doing so may be the key to expanding both sport's reach and its impact.
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​Ideal for conferences, leadership forums, boards and organisations looking to think differently about growth, impact and long-term sustainability.
Active Listening
The first step to inclusion and innovation
If you're not listening, you're guessing what people are feeling, wanting, fearing.
Learn how active listening can shift your culture, fuel innovation, and uncover barriers you didn’t know existed. This session explores how to integrate surveys, interviews, co-design, and lived experience into everyday practice—because the answers are already in the room.
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Understand what radical listening really means in practice.
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Discover tools to capture honest feedback from diverse voices.
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Explore how listening leads to smarter, more inclusive decisions.
Lead From Within
Ditch the Top-Down Model
Culture change doesn’t trickle down—it bubbles up from within. Explore how to empower people at all levels of your organisation to lead inclusion, growth, and innovation. This session covers strategies to unlock intrinsic leadership and foster a shared sense of responsibility and pride across the workforce.
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Learn how to foster internal leadership and ownership at all levels.
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Identify and empower change agents within your workforce.
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Shift culture through collaborative leadership, not just directives.
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Co-Design With Communities
- Not for them
Want to reach new audiences? Start by designing with them. This session offers a practical roadmap to meaningful community engagement and participatory design, showing how different sport can be reimagined to fit different lives, places and purposes - without losing its magic.
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Learn how to foster internal leadrship and ownership at all levels.
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Identify and empower change agents within your workforce.
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Shift culture through collaborative leadership, not just directives.
The Social Impact Advantage
Why sport should capture - and lead with - its value
Sport is already changing lives—but are we capturing, communicating, and leveraging that story? This session shows how to lead with social impact, shifting the conversation from ‘fun and fitness’ to social cohesion, mental health, education, and community resilience. Because if we don’t show our value, we risk being overlooked.
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Learn how to capture and communicate your impact effectively.
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Reposition your organisation to attract social impact funding.
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Shift from anecdotal to strategic storytelling with purpose.
Go Deep On Data
Become Radically Evidence-Based
Gut feelings aren’t good strategy. This session shows how to use data in ways that are timely, human-centred, and impact-focused - measuring what matters and using evidence to steer decisions, justify and attract funding, and drive transformation. Take the guess work out of strategy, and reclaim precious time, energy and resources. Learn how to make data your team’s secret weapon.
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Discover which data to collect and how to interpret it meaningfully.
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Learn to use data to improve outcomes and support funding bids.
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Explore easy ways to bring data into everyday decisions.
Measure What Matters
Redefining success in sport
Participation rates and medals are yesterday’s metrics. This session introduces new frameworks to measure user experience, inclusion, retention, and social impact. It’s about measuring how we succeed, not just if we did—and using that insight to shape a better future for sport.
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Explore new metrics for measuring what really matters.
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Understand how different outcomes drive long-term success.
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Learn how to track participant experience and wellbeing.
From Inclusion Bolt-Ons to 'Baked In' Culture
Inclusion as a practice - not a project
This powerful session helps teams embed inclusive principles in everyday operations, moving beyond tokenism toward authentic integration. From comms to coaching to governance, learn what it takes to make inclusion a value that lives across your organisation.
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Identify ways to weave inclusion into daily workflows.
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Avoid common pitfalls of performative or token inclusion.
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Create an organisation-wide strategy that sticks.
