The Gaining Ground WA Story
We’re a women-founded and led mental wellbeing not-for-profit that supports women and girls to thrive, lead and succeed in sport and in life.
We build community role models 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
Create a future in Western Australia where every woman and girl is supported with mentorship and opportunities to thrive in and out of sport.
Our Mission
We partner with value-aligned organisations to deliver mentorship programs and training in wellbeing and leadership development that empowers women and girls with the tools to thrive, lead, and succeed in sport and in life.
Our Purpose
To create opportunities for women and girls to realise their full potential in and out of sport.
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.
Our Growth
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
We focused on opening up our mentorship program to sporting clubs throughout Perth to sustain participation and retain players.
2025
We’re building organisational capacity, embedding an evaluation framework, and forming ethical, value-aligned partnerships to grow our impact.
Annual Reports
Our Impact 2023-2024: A letter from the Chair
Kris Marano
Founder | Executive Director
“I believe sport and storytelling are powerful drivers 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 and leadership. 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.
Aija
Mariela Espino Zuppa
Community Engagement Coordinator
"I want young people to trust there are community spaces where they truly belong. My role with Gaining Ground is one way of contributing towards the community I want to be a part of: equitable, caring, and joyful. I believe so much good can come from supporting young women and young people from all backgrounds to live and lead to their true potential.”
Mariela’s passion for community, inclusivity, and wellbeing come from her own lived experience as a first generation migrant. Combined with her strategic and creative spirit, she is driving Gaining Ground WA towards growing our impact and creating enriching community partnerships.
Our Facilitators
Dana
Our HQ Team
Lucy
Mari
Board of Directors
CHAIR
SECRETARY
BOARD DIRECTOR
BOARD DIRECTOR
DEPUTY CHAIR
TREASURER
BOARD DIRECTOR
BOARD DIRECTOR
SS