Beyond the pitch: Why women in sports are rewriting the rules

When Brigid Siantei Kashoi talks about sports, she leans forward, her eyes alight. For her, sports are not just about running faster or scoring goals. They are about rewriting society’s playbook.

“When women take part in sports, they challenge stereotypes, shift cultures and rewrite what leadership looks like,” she says with conviction.

Her own story begins in Kisamis village, Kajiado West, where her late father would gather the community for holiday football tournaments. It was on those dusty fields that Brigid first saw the power of sports to unite and uplift.

“My father’s tournaments showed me that a ball could create joy, unity and purpose. That’s where my love for sports was born,” she recalls.

From childhood games to her university years, she grabbed every opportunity to play. At university, she was elected student leader in charge of sports — her first taste of leadership.

“That position taught me that sports are more than a pastime; they are a platform for voice, influence and representation,” she says.

Brigid has carried that conviction into every professional space she has entered. At the Jonathan Jackson Foundation, she helped raise funds to build basketball courts in Nairobi’s informal settlements.

“Those courts were not just concrete and hoops — they were safe spaces for young people to dream, to find belonging, and to stay away from risky paths,” she explains.

She also supported the now-defunct Nairobi City Stars, proving that women can make an impact even in the male-dominated world of football management.

Later, at Tunza Sports Academy, her focus shifted to girl athletes. “Too many girls were dropping out of sports because of something as basic as lacking sanitary pads,” she says. “I wanted them to know they belong on the pitch just as they are — no apologies, no shame.”

Through menstrual hygiene training and sexual and reproductive health education, she worked to restore dignity and keep girls in the game.

Her work took her even further — to Kakuma Refugee Camp. There, she witnessed how sports could become therapy.

“In Kakuma, girls who had lost almost everything found pieces of themselves again through football and basketball. Sports became a place to heal, to hope, to belong,” she says softly.

Now, Brigid sits on the resource mobilisation team at the African Women in Sports Initiative (AWISI), shaping programs that cut across the continent.

She proudly mentions one of her biggest milestones: securing funding for a training program for African women martial arts leaders. “It’s about saying women can lead even in spaces people consider too tough or too masculine. We’re breaking those ceilings one punch at a time,” she adds with a smile.

Yet, even as she celebrates progress, Brigid does not shy away from naming the barriers. “Women in sports still earn a fraction of what men do — in fact, globally it’s just one per cent. We remain underfunded, underrepresented and, too often, unsafe,” she says.

She points out that harassment and abuse remain widespread, with many survivors silenced by poor reporting structures. “It breaks my heart to see talented girls leave sports not because they lack ability, but because the environment is hostile.”

So what needs to change? For Brigid, the answers are clear. Kenya needs a sports-specific safeguarding policy to address gender-based violence. And policies cannot just sit on paper. They must come alive in reporting systems, in survivor-centred support, and in gender-sensitive training for coaches and officials. 

Investment is another non-negotiable. “If federations and sponsors can build stadiums for men, they can build facilities for women. They can pay women. They can equip women. It’s a choice — and it's time they made it.”

And then there’s the matter of visibility. “The media has a huge role. Women’s sports can’t only make the news during the World Cup or Olympics. Consistent coverage normalises female athleticism and attracts sponsors. It tells young girls: your game matters.”

Above all, she insists on representation. “We need women coaching, refereeing, running clubs, and sitting on boards. If we’re not at the decision-making table, our issues will always be sidelined. Representation is power.”

For Brigid, every girl who dares to lace up her shoes is doing more than preparing for a game. She is preparing for life. “Sports build resilience, confidence and a sense of purpose. When a girl wins on the pitch, she starts to believe she can win anywhere else — in school, in her career, in leadership,” she says.

Her journey, from Kisamis village to international platforms, proves it. And through her work, she hopes to light that same fire in others. “At the end of the day, this is about rewriting the story. Sports are not just for men, and leadership is not just for men. Women belong here — on the pitch, in the boardroom, everywhere.”