Language for Inclusive and Transformative Change in Sport Communications

🔍 Event Overview:

Join us for an engaging afternoon focused on how language and communication can drive inclusive and transformative change in sport. The event brings together academics, sports practitioners, marketing professionals, and policymakers to unpack real-world experiences, challenges, and opportunities related to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in sport.

Together, we will explore:

• The role of language in shaping inclusive practices in sport
• Real-life examples of (un)successful inclusive initiatives
• Barriers to embedding inclusive language – and how to overcome them
• Future directions: what inclusive sport communication might look like in 5–10 years

🗣 Confirmed Speakers:

• Professor Kitrina Douglas – University of West London | Academic & Professional Golfer
• Joyann Boyce – Inclued.ai | Inclusive marketing consultant
• Rachel Mansfield – Bristol City Robins Foundation | Media and Communications Assistant

🛠 Also Featuring:

• Heidi Blunden – Access Sport/ Ignite Bristol (Stall)
• Roza Bailey – Robins Foundation (Stall)

🕒 Schedule:

• 3.30–3.45pm | Arrival and Introduction
• 3.45–4.30pm | Panel Discussion and Q&A
• 4.30–5.15pm | Group Discussion
• 5.15–5:45pm | Networking & Catering, Organisation Stalls, Filming Corner
• Refreshments (tea & coffee) provided throughout

💬 Discussion Topics Include:

• How language facilitates or hinders inclusivity in sport
• Examples of inclusive practice – and what we can learn from them
• Challenges to implementing inclusive language in organisations
• The future of inclusive sport communication

🧭 Who Should Attend?

This session is ideal for:

• Sports marketers & communications professionals
• Inclusion and diversity officers
• Academics and students in sport, media, and cultural studies
• Community sport leaders
• Anyone interested in inclusive communication practices

💡 Come ready to share your insights, learn from others, and contribute to shaping a more inclusive future in sport through thoughtful communication.

📩 Event Contact

Dr Samantha Ford

University of Bristol
Dr Samantha Ford is a Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Bristol Business School. Her research focuses on inclusive marketing, brand activism, and the social impact of communication strategies — particularly in sport and advertising. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and cognitive linguistic theory, Samantha’s work explores how brands and organisations communicate issues around identity, equity, and representation. She fosters collaboration between academics, industry, and communities working toward equity and inclusion in marketing practice.

🔗 Dr Samantha Ford – University of Bristol

🎤 Speakers

Professor Kitrina Douglas

University of West London
Professor Kitrina Douglas is an academic, filmmaker, and professional golfer with expertise in sport psychology, narrative inquiry, and inclusion in sport. With over two decades of experience researching lived experiences in sporting contexts, Kitrina's work brings together storytelling, critical theory, and personal narrative to explore issues such as identity, mental health, and social justice in sport. As an elite athlete playing the tour between 1986-1996, she offers both personal insight and scholarly depth into the transformative potential of communication and representation in sport.

🔗 Kitrina Douglas – University of West London

Joyann Boyce

Founder & CEO, InClued.ai
Joyann Boyce is a TEDx speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and the founder of InClued.ai — a pioneering platform designed to reduce bias in communication and improve brand inclusivity. Known as the creator of the "Grammarly of bias detection," Joyann combines her background in data science with seven years of inclusive marketing consultancy to help brands protect their reputation and connect with wider, more diverse audiences. She has worked with global companies like Coca-Cola, Adobe, and Nationwide, championing inclusive communication as an industry standard.

🔗 InClued.ai

Rachel Mansfield

Bristol City Robins Foundation
Rachel Mansfield is a Media and Communications Assistant for the Robins Foundation, the official charity of Bristol City FC. Rachel’s role includes social media, website, and press output. Ensuring language is inclusive and engaging is at the core of what they do daily. With over 15 unique programmes to promote, including pan-disability football, social inclusion sessions, and women's and girls' fitness, Rachel engages regularly with a range of demographics with differing views, needs, and backgrounds.

🔗 About Robins Foundation

Organisation Stalls

🏓 Access Sport – Bristol

Access Sport is a national charity with a mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport. Through its work in Bristol, Access Sport helps disabled and disadvantaged young people access high-quality, inclusive sporting opportunities. By empowering local clubs, training volunteers, and removing barriers to participation, Access Sport ensures that all young people — regardless of background or ability — can enjoy the transformative power of sport.

🔗 www.accesssport.org.uk/bristol

🏀 Ignite Bristol

Ignite Bristol is a citywide movement working to make Bristol’s physical activity and sport landscape more inclusive, diverse, and representative of its communities. A collaboration between local organisations, activists, and sports leaders, Ignite champions systemic change through partnerships, lived-experience-led insight, and visibility for underrepresented groups in sport. From grassroots initiatives to leadership development, Ignite helps reimagine who sport is for — and how it can better serve everyone.

🔗 www.ignitebristol.co.uk