Our Story

We are a women-founded and led mental wellbeing not-for-profit that sustains women and girls in football and elevates players to become coaches and leaders at their clubs.

We build role models within clubs using Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead principles to build joy, connection, and belonging and create culture change at clubs throughout Western Australia.

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a world where every woman and girl is supported and empowered to lead to her capabilities in the game and in her community. 

Our Mission

We support clubs with tools and resources to build confident, emotionally-intelligent women and girls who become role models, coaches, and leaders in the game and in their communities. From generation to generation, we are creating a cycle of long-term, sustainable change.

Our Purpose

To empower women and girls to lead through football, building sustained joy, connection, and belonging on and off the pitch.

Our People

We’re women who are passionate about leadership, sport and mental wellbeing. From our homes to the classroom, yoga studio, and newsroom, we’ve experienced the need to empower young women to overcome self-doubt and build self-belief to thrive on and off the field. We’ve also experienced the transformative power of having a consistent role model in our lives.

2020
We first met around a club room table to share honest experiences about mental health as players and coaches and realised major mental health issues at our clubs. We weren’t mental health professionals, but we knew we needed to do more for our women and girls.

2021

We designed and facilitated a digital toolkit, Game Changers, of communication exercises for players and coaches to build mental wellbeing. We believed that if we built joy, connection, and belonging among players and teams, we could retain players, build mentors, and create female coaches. We piloted a successful program at Fremantle City Football Club with 16 teams and 180 players and empowered young women to become mentors and coaches and join leadership boards.

2022 - 2023

We evolved to Gaining Ground and incorporated as a not-for-profit to expand to clubs in Perth and Western Australia.

2024

Today we’re focused on expanding our mentorship program to sporting clubs throughout Perth to sustain participation, retain players, and contribute to a gender equitable future.

2025-2026

Our three-year strategy is focused on capacity building, improved mental wellbeing, and sense of aspiration for women and girls.

Kris Marano

Founder | Chair | Director of Operations

I believe sport is a driver for social change, and there is no greater time to elevate women and girls everywhere in the world to lead in the game and in their lives.

Kris is a communicator and storyteller with 15 years of international experience. She interviews elite athletes and Olympians about mental health. A career highlight was directing and reporting storytelling from the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 for the Official Book. She executive produced the State Library of WA story series, Game Changers: Trailblazing Stories from West Australian Women in Soccer and gave a TEDxUWA talk in December 2023 about the power of role models for women and girls in sport (due to publish March 2024).

Jarrah Smith-Taylor

Mentorship Faciliator | Board Director

I truly believe Gaining Ground can make a difference. The mentorship program in particular is very special to me. I love being able to encourage and inspire a new generation of young players.

Jarrah recently completed her communications degree. She plays with the U23 Women’s Team at Fremantle City Football Club.

Operational team

2023/2024 Board of Directors

Kris Marano, Founder and Chair (Women in Sports media journalist and advocate)

Adelene Davies, Co-Chair, Board Director (Edith Cowan University)

Jarrah Smith-Taylor, Mentorship Facilitator, Board Director (Rottnest Island Authority)

Mikayla Lyons, Mentorship Facilitator, Board Director (Football Australia)

Sue Smith, Secretary, Head of Mentorship Programming (Sports lecturer)

Logan Griffiths, Board Director (Centre for Stories)

Advisors

Lisa Longman, Founder, The Boxing Project; Director of Innovation, Bloom Lab, University of Western Australia

Claire Heffernan, Head, AFLW Fremantle Dockers Football Club

Mikayla Lyons

Mentorship Faciliator | Board Director

We need to run towards long-needed talked about change. I’m committed in supporting Gaining Ground to keep creating and leading real life outcomes for women and girls.

Mikayla is a Sports Scientist with the U17 Australian Women’s National Team and Strengthening and Conditioning Coach with the Fremantle Dockers AFLW team. She plays with the Fremantle City Football Club NPLW team.

The benefits of role models.

  • Faye Chambers, NPLW Coach, Fremantle City Football Club

    "Gaining Ground heavily influenced my decision to accept this coaching role, as their values and beliefs align with my own to create a successful team on and off the pitch. I am enthused by their key focus on female athlete wellbeing." - Faye Chambers is the first woman to coach the NPLW team at Fremantle City FC

  • Tash Rigby, Captain, Perth Glory

    “I worked with the U14s to run a session on communication and its importance in supporting teammates and directing game play. They were so willing to learn. I’m super thankful to Gaining Ground for such an enriching experience.”

  • David Cain, Vice President, Fremantle City Football Club

    “The mentorship program in particular has strengthened the connections between our senior and junior players and provided a range of benefits. Gaining Ground adds another dimension to our club and continues to be an important part of our culture and future.”

  • Pete Spencer, Coach, U14 girls team, Fremantle City Football Club

    “Jarrah came to training last night and ran most of the session. Some well targeted drills on the skills we needed to work on. The team really took to her coaching, guidance, and encouragement. We’d love to have her back.”

  • Rudi Cyrbja, Coach, U12 Girls Academy Team, Fremantle City Football Club

    “The girls talked about the session with mentors Tash Rigby and Abbey Green for weeks, and last Sunday they were excited to attend the NPLW game against Balcatta. The parents are all proud of Gaining Ground’s contributions to building a supportive club culture.”

  • Jarrah Smith-Taylor, Mentorship Faciliator, Gaining Ground WA

    I truly believe Gaining Ground can make a long-term difference. I love being able to encourage and inspire a new generation of young players, and I’m the youngest woman to coach the U14 Academy Girls Team at Fremantle City FC.