Safe Spaces for Women in Sport

This course is designed to help sports facilities and fitness centres create safe, inclusive, and gender-sensitive environments that actively promote women’s participation in physical activity. Despite the well-known health benefits of regular exercise, many women still face structural, cultural, and emotional barriers that limit their involvement in gyms and sports spaces.

Key challenges such as personal safety concerns, discomfort, fear of judgment, and harassment in fitness environments continue to reduce women’s participation rates. Based on recent research, national survey data on women’s experiences in sport environments, and real-world examples from fitness centres in Montenegro, this course provides a practical and evidence-based approach to addressing these issues.

Participants will learn how organisational culture, facility design, staff behaviour, and internal policies directly impact women’s sense of safety, inclusion, and belonging. The course equips fitness professionals with the tools to:

• Identify and overcome gender-specific barriers in sport and fitness
• Foster respectful, inclusive, and supportive environments
• Implement effective anti-harassment policies and procedures
• Improve client experience and retention among women

The programme also highlights proven strategies such as women-only training sessions, family-friendly fitness approaches, and inclusive communication practices, all of which contribute to creating safer and more welcoming spaces.

Delivered in a flexible online asynchronous format, the course combines theoretical knowledge with practical case studies and actionable resources. By the end of the course, participants will be able to implement meaningful changes within their facilities, help create harassment-free fitness environments, and support women’s confidence, autonomy, and long-term engagement in physical activity.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.