AS we head into a new year and a new decade, I along with so many other people will take time to reflect on the past year, take stock and look forward with hope to what the forthcoming year will bring.

Reflections for 2019 for me, in a sporting sense, were undeniably the amazing upturn in the coverage of women’s sport, not just in quantity but also quality, the standard of sport played and, of course, the work carried out by so many to ensure that we continue to fight for gender equality across all areas in sport.

It is so good to know that we are not working in isolation here as this is a global movement, led by some very feisty women from all corners of the earth and supported by some excellent male allies. These go-getting women are our role models, our markers in society who are leading the way and making change happen.

When we talk about role models and their importance in society in general, there is no doubt that female sporting role models feel obliged to go above and beyond what is normally expected, and I believe that they rise to the occasion every time. This year also brought a greater understanding of how essential sport is as a hook for getting people of all generations fit, giving them confidence and ensuring that they have strong mental health and, of course, make friends and have fun. Finding the balance is important here and for those who fund sport it is imperative that they ensure that the devolvement of funds is carefully weighted in order that we can support those organisations who are delivering this extremely important work to continue and to succeed.

My hope for 2020 is that we can continue to change more lives using sport as a tool. I hope we can bring those who are experiencing difficulties in life a little bit of hope for the future as our understanding of the power of sport becomes more evident. At the same time, we can and need to support our elite athletes. We, as individuals, can do this when they are in competition at home by going along in person with the family in tow and giving them the best vocal support we can muster. Blending both our amazing elite athletes with a well-funded Sport for Change programme will ensure the best for all in 2020 and beyond.