Growing up in New Zealand, Julie Paterson was an avid netball player. Witnessing first-hand the blatant inequities in men’s and women’s sports, she took it upon herself to make sure everyone had equal opportunity to participate in sports. One of Julie’s concerns was the lack of financial investment given to netball in comparison to New Zealand’s other sports. Julie began developing leadership programs to expand netball’s outreach for the social and economic empowerment of women in her country. “In my experiences, sport has been a way to empower women, especially those from poor communities,” Julie says, “but it’s challenging. We’re always thinking creatively about how to make our sport more accessible to women who can’t afford to play it, giving them a pathway to succeed in life.” 

In 2017, Julie established Women in Sport Aotearoa, an advocacy entity that fosters greater support for and media coverage of women’s sports in New Zealand, especially in economically underprivileged areas and minority communities. Her goal is to build non-partisan support for leadership development, teamwork, and discipline in women and girls, based on the success of women’s sports in America.