Courtesy of BorgMattisson on Pixabay.

The spirit of being a changemaker is rippling through the world of sports, including a resurgence of athlete activism. Athletes are making strides to shift their mindset towards their long-term legacy outside of athletics and acknowledge their ability to inspire others to be involved in social and environmental movements that benefit their communities.

The Ashoka Athlete Changemaker series features athletes who have developed their changemaking skills through sport, highlighting the undeniable benefits of sport through the experience of finding their purpose as changemakers.

We sat down with Ashoka’s UK Director and athlete changemaker, Kelly Davies, to chat about her work with Vi-Ability and bridging the gap in youth athlete preparation to enter the workforce. Our conversation navigated how Vi-Ability’s work is empowering young professionals to revamp run-down football clubs into thriving and sustainable community hubs. Throughout the interview, Kelly expands on her experiences as an athlete and the path that led her to being selected as an Ashoka Fellow and joining Ashoka’s UK Team.

What is your experience as an athlete?

I began my football journey at the age of 12, quickly rising through the ranks to become captain of the Wales U14, U16, and U18 teams. My leadership and talent caught the attention of the Arsenal Ladies, the UK’s most successful women’s team at the time.

After two years of competing and studying there full-time, I faced a crossroads and ended up leaving London to move to Loughborough University to further my education in entrepreneurship. I then signed up with Liverpool Ladies FC to compete regularly in the top-level domestic league, and internationally whilst pursuing an MBA in Football Industries.

Balancing a semi-professional football career with international commitments, I eventually decided to step away from the sport to focus on Vi-Ability. I remember the time I spent working on strategy and cash flow projections while my teammates relaxed after games. Juggling both worlds became nearly impossible, leading me to make a shift towards what I have been most passionate about, social entrepreneurship.

How did you navigate your transition from football?

When I began my transition out of sport, I found myself having a relatively seamless transition because I brought myself right back into a team and a routine. I was building a brand I was passionate about and a team that had the same goals as I did. There was no uncertainty about what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it — and this was Vi-Ability, founded to address the challenges faced by young footballers transitioning to life after their athletic careers.

“There was a huge amount of young people at the time, particularly the boys, where either the educational system had failed them, or the sporting system had failed them and often it was both.” -Kelly

My initiative provided young people with the skills to run football clubs sustainably and develop their changemaking abilities. The program has empowered tens of thousands of young adults across 16 European countries, influencing policy and fostering personal confidence.

After achieving significant milestones with Vi-Ability, I experienced burnout and recognized it was time to move on. I co-founded ‘The Good Wash Company’, a new social enterprise, and later joined Ashoka as the UK Director of Everyone a Changemaker. At Ashoka, I questioned the organization’s lack of involvement in sports. We are trying to build one of the biggest social movements in the world, why are we not looking at sport? Sport has the biggest potential to change lives by shifting mindsets and behaviors. My questions spurred the creation of the Sport for Changemaking Initiative at Ashoka.

How has sport equipped you to be a changemaker?

My experience in sport has instilled a changemaker mindset. I learned the importance of teamwork, motivation, leadership and empathy. These skills drive me to pursue ambitious goals, and my sports background has taught me to embrace possibilities and remain focused on my own path without comparing myself to others. Sport equipped me with resilience. I was never afraid of shifting pathways because I knew to trust the process.

“I was never afraid to fail because I actually didn’t see it as failure. I redefined it as a learning process and part of the path towards even greater success.” — Kelly

Sport has given me core experiences of being on a team that I did not find leading my businesses until working for Ashoka’s UK Team. The teams I was a part of had a blend of honesty, transparency, and the ability to challenge one another. This made it possible to be friends with my teammates and provide constructive feedback.

How do you see sport transforming in the future? What are your hopes for youth sports?

In my role at Ashoka, I am advocating for a shift in the sports mindset towards the “Long Game.” While sports often emphasize winning and medals, I encourage a broader perspective on how sports can contribute to the greater good. The challenge is impacting the system itself. Real change occurs at the top, we need to influence policy and increase diversity on decision-making boards to improve inclusivity in sports — and we can do this by learning from and scaling existing solutions.

One of the critical areas of investment is in future generations. The current system doesn’t develop the changemaker mindset naturally, but it can; we can equip people with it. It’s going to take a certain type of bravery for the people who make decisions to invest in this when there are competing short-term priorities. Everyone can step into responsibility, and everyone is capable, but how are we preparing them?

Our big belief is that we can and want to equip youth with this responsibility, agency, and power through sport. My hope is that people will invest in youth and that we can equip them with the tools (mindset and capabilities of a changemaker) to contribute to the greater good. I want to shift the focus from winning being the sole performance metric solely winning towards creating an atmosphere where youth can view sport as enjoyable for their mental and physical health. The journey they will therefore embark on will give them life skills and a chance to build community beyond the field of play.

As we look to the future, the true power of sport lies not just in the victories won on the field, but in the changemakers it molds — youth equipped with the courage, resilience, and vision to act and transform their communities and the world for generations to come.

This article is part of our “Sport for Changemaking” series — a collection of articles that examine how Ashoka Fellows and social entrepreneurs around the world are utilizing sports to create impact and mobilize change. The series showcases the potential of sports as a tool for social transformation and provide insights into strategies, impact, challenges, and lessons learned. Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date with Ashoka’s Sport for Changemaking initiative.