IMPACT PLAYERS, a major women’s leadership and high-performance conference is returning to Belfast this spring, bringing together some of the most influential voices in sport, business, psychology and culture. Returning for a second year, Impact Players 2026 will unite more than 500 leaders, founders, executives and emerging talent for a one-day experience designed to accelerate confidence, influence and career impact, aligning with Belfast’s designation as a European City of Sport for 2026.
Impact Players will take place in Belfast on Tuesday 12th May 2026 with the speaker lineup bringing together a remarkable blend of household names, elite athletes, leading thinkers and performance experts who span sport, media, business and leadership. Headlining is award-winning broadcaster and author Clare Balding CBE, renowned for her decades of Olympic and global sports coverage and her work championing women in sport.
Co-founders Sinead Sharkey-Steenson and Lisa Strutt return to anchor the conference with their visionary leadership expertise, having coached and inspired thousands of women across both business and sport. Leadership coach and author Michelle Moore, named among the UK’s 50 Most Influential Women in Sport, will share insights on resilience and personal power. The line-up also features Nicole Osbourne, a top LinkedIn voice and chartered marketer; Shirley McCay MBE, Ireland’s most capped team athlete and hockey innovator; Rachel Furness, Northern Ireland’s all-time leading scorer and coach; Orla Keeling, performance podcast host; Louisa Clarke, communications strategist for high-stakes performance; Jen Copeland, Everest summiteer and resilience expert; and Gail Redmond MBE, trailblazing coach of Northern Ireland’s youth women’s football teams. Together, this dynamic group represents experience, excellence and practical leadership insight at the intersection of sport and business.
At a time when the UK is experiencing a record leadership talent gap, shifting workplace expectations and the rapid rise of women’s sport, Impact Players is directly shaping the next generation of homegrown leaders.
The event is the vision of Sinead Sharkey Steenson and Lisa Strutt, two women determined to change the landscape of leadership development across the UK and Ireland. Sinead, co-founder of Impact Players, said, “We built Impact Players because women are leading in every corner of society, but they’re not always supported in ways that match their ambition. Belfast has the talent, the hunger and the community for world-class leadership development and we want to make it accessible to women from the region and across the UK.
“This conference is not about motivation for a day,” added co-founder Lisa. “It’s about long-term confidence, connection and career impact. Women deserve tools, networks and spaces that set them up to thrive. Impact Players is that space.”
Belfast is rapidly establishing itself as one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech and innovation hubs and women’s sport in the UK is enjoying unprecedented investment, visibility and cultural momentum, creating a powerful backdrop for conversations about performance, representation and influence. Organisations are increasingly focused on strengthening workplace culture, retaining talent and building more inclusive leadership pipelines, making this the ideal home for a conference designed to elevate women’s leadership and shape the future of work and performance.
Belfast’s designation as a European City of Sport for 2026 underscores the city’s growing reputation as a vibrant hub for physical activity, healthy living and community engagement. From world-class leisure facilities and increased participation rates to a packed calendar of events and try-it activities, 2026 will see the city celebrate sport at every level, from grassroots clubs to elite athletes, and showcase how physical activity is helping drive better health and wellbeing outcomes across the whole community.
Tickets are already selling fast for Impact Players 2026 with Early Bird tickets still available at https://impact.rebootandreturn.com/
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