Milby is just one of the success stories of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) push for gender equality in Olympic bodies. In the Olympic Agenda in 2020, the IOC remains committed to reaching the minimum target of 40 per cent women representation in the executive positions in sports governing bodies.

Though the world is now supporting the elimination of gender bias in a space that was once dominated by men, women in sports leadership find themselves with new challenges and exciting opportunities to further even the playing field.

More passionate women in the game

Milby began her leadership journey as a former rugby player herself. Growing up playing sports in the United States, particularly American football and figure skating, she was a strong addition to the national rugby team when she moved to the Philippines.

Apart from her athletic excellence in propelling the Philippine team to three Southeast Asian Games podium finishes, her first taste of sports governance was being appointed into the board of her rugby club, Philippine Eagles. From there, she moved up the ranks until she was given an opportunity to serve at the world stage.

According to Milby, many took notice of her passion to develop Philippine rugby and encouraged her to run for a post in the Asia Rugby executive board. This was key to her realisation that she could have a seat in a male-dominated space.

“The blinders kind of went out a little bit more and I realised that I think they can do more for the region,” Milby said.

“So then I started driving initiatives and programmes to help gender equity across Asia, and changing our constitution to allow space for more women to get onto the executive board.”

There are more women such as Milby across other sports in the region.

In basketball, New Zealand board member Megan Compain and FIBA Oceania executive director Amanda Jenkins are driving change to pave the path for women.

Compain is the first and only New Zealander to play in the WNBA. In 1997, she was drafted by the Utah Starzz after she finished playing for St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Despite her stellar career, during which she represented New Zealand at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, she needed to move on to pursue a career in sports marketing.

“We’re not earning millions of dollars playing our sport, but we just don’t know where opportunities will lead,” Compain said.

Now, Compain’s project as part of the national basketball federation is to pave the path for her successor as the next WNBA player from New Zealand.

Jenkins, on the other hand, slowly built her career in sports event management until she joined FIBA in 2014. The Australian’s success in establishing a new competition structure for Oceania and managing the basketball competition at the 2018 Commonwealth Games paved the way for her rise.

Not all roses and rainbows

But being the first to break the glass ceiling has its own challenges.

Compain said she struggled with impostor syndrome when she transitioned to the professional world. Instead of celebrating her stellar basketball career, she would downplay her achievements in the WNBA and the Olympics, saying it was about “timing” and “luck”.

“I’ve only really believed and truly felt like I have something to say and I deserve to be here in basketball in the last probably two to three years,” she said.

While critics continue to label women as “emotional”, Jenkins learned early in her career that emotion can have a positive impact.

“Sometimes, you need to go away to cry, talk it out and get that emotion out because if you keep it inside, that’s where it festers and it doesn’t help you,” Jenkins said.

In the Philippines, sports leadership has long been considered an “old boys club”, with outnumbering women in both governance and media.

The culture of toxic masculinity has made women feel they have to work twice as hard and that there’s no room for mistakes.

“Any mistake can be highlighted and I feel like I have to do everything I can to make sure that everything is perfect,” said Isabella Fernando-De La Cruz, who heads up women’s football at the Philippine Football Federation.

In the Philippines, traditional views of a woman’s place being in the home persist, and Milby felt that was used to bully and condemn her for being in leadership.

“People said, ‘you know, you have two kids at home, don’t you think that your kids miss you and that you would want to prioritise your kids?’” she said.

“They pull out some of these gender stereotypes and use them as ways to manipulate me.”

Strength in numbers

Moving forward, the call for women to step into leadership has been greater than ever. The diversity quotas for women in leadership were founded on the evidence that it promotes representation in decision-making and women finding support in one another.

“Probably one of the biggest turning points for me personally is being able to have a network of leaders that I can talk to about things that are challenging because the reality is that there are different challenges for women than there are for men,” Milby said.

But for Jenkins, it was men who opened up opportunities for her to lead and take bigger responsibilities. The casual conversations over coffee commending and encouraging the good work of female colleagues were simple ways of opening up more doors for success.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without very crucial man allies who helped me develop and get to where I am,” Jenkins said. “It’s crucial for us to hear a male perspective.”

Through all their trials, Milby, Jenkins and Compain hope the next generation will not have to battle through the idea of a “male-dominated” space in sports. With role models and opportunities in place, girls in sports can dream bigger.

“The world is changing and it’s changing for the better for women,” Compain said. “There’s a shift in the world being open to wanting women to be here.”