Julie Smulders shoots hoops with members of the UBC Women's Basketball team at UBC's War Memorial Gym in Vancouver.Anya Chibis/The Globe and Mail
After soaking up the excitement at the Women’s NCAA Final Four tournament in Cleveland earlier this year, Julie Smulders decided it was time to do more for women athletes at home in Canada.
Ms. Smulders, a former varsity basketball player turned finance executive, thought about the stark contrast between resources that have gone into women’s sports in the United States versus Canada. She wondered about how the lack of support for Canadian women athletes could be shortchanging their careers later in life when they move on from competing.
Without the better funding and greater exposure enjoyed by male athletes in Canada, women athletes may lack the connections and networking opportunities to provide advancement both in sport and in careers outside athletics.
“We left the Final Four thinking, ‘Now’s the time to help elevate athletes at home in Canada,” says Ms. Smulders, who started the non-profit professional women’s network She’s Got Next last April with her partner Jill Tracy, a marketing professional.
She’s Got Next – named after the saying “got next” in pickup basketball (meaning you’ve got the next game) – is a “rallying cry” for women in sports, Ms. Smulders says. The member-driven organization aims to elevate women’s sports in Canada and pave the way for more women to land leadership roles in their subsequent careers. To do this, the organization funds elite amateur athletics, facilitates networking amongst athletes and hosts events to help them get visibility in the sports world and beyond.
“We want people to connect the dots, to hire athletes for the value they bring,” Ms. Smulders says. “We want to help women get the next opportunity.”
Tapping into the moment
Research shows that playing sports can propel women into successful careers later in life. A 2023 study from Deloitte shows women who played competitive sports in their youth are more likely to be in leadership or management roles, and 85 per cent of U.S. women surveyed said the skills they developed playing sports were important to success in their professional careers.
The findings were even higher among women in leadership roles, at 91 per cent. Some top skills respondents said they gained from competitive sports include teamwork (69 per cent) and leadership (41 per cent). Other skills include managing stress and pressure, problem-solving and effective communication.
Ms. Smulders says She’s Got Next will support women athletes in their sports and careers while encouraging organizations to hire them.
“Women need more champions. Men have been doing this sort of thing for years,” says Ms. Smulders, whose day job is chief operating officer of Willoughby Asset Management Inc. in Vancouver.
She says the idea had percolated in her mind for years. A recent combination of events – including the hype around American professional basketball player Caitlin Clark and the launch of the Northern Super League professional women’s soccer league in Canada next year – made the timing seem right.
“It’s tapping into the amazing moment we’re having in women’s sports,” she says.
She's Got Next co-founder Julie Smulders at UBC's War Memorial Gym in Vancouver.Anya Chibis/The Globe and Mail
‘A meaningful, effective community’
Carlie Paxton, a former varsity basketball player who now coaches the sport and teaches at a secondary school in Vancouver, was the first athlete to join She’s Got Next earlier this year. Ms. Paxton credits her career success to date to her upbringing playing basketball and other sports.
Her involvement in the organization includes recruiting members and eventually volunteering in ways that can help women gain confidence in their careers.
“I want to advocate for female opportunity,” says Ms. Paxton, who has two daughters, ages 6 and 2. “I’m also doing it for [my kids].”
Ashley Hargreaves, a Vancouver-based marketing executive and childhood friend of Ms. Smulders, was also quick to join She’s Got Next. She has seen from experience that athletes make good employees and leaders, she says, and believes supporting female athletes can help address the problem of women still being underrepresented in workplaces across Canada.
“I think everyone instinctively understands that sports hone discipline, personal accountability and leadership skills,” says Ms. Hargreaves, who was a competitive figure skater and softball player in her youth. “Athletes also have a general understanding that everyone on the team is integral, and you need to bring out the best in everyone on the team to be successful. I think athletes are natural leaders, whether they all know it or not.”
As part of her “ellevator” membership, which costs $149.99 annually (the same price as athletes; student-athletes pay $49.99 annually), Ms. Hargreaves says she has committed to using her professional networks to give women athletes more opportunities, whether it’s internships for students or jobs at all career levels.