‘A no brainer’: WNBA figure to speak at 6th annual Women in Sport summit held on Gold Coast

The Ministry of Sport’s sixth annual Women in Sport summit is set to be bolstered by the presence of a WNBA figurehead and array of Australian sporting talents this Wednesday July 24. Full details inside:

The Ministry of Sport’s sixth annual Women in Sport summit is set to be bolstered by the presence of Women’s NBA figurehead Ilene Hauser this Wednesday July 24.

Hauser, currently serving as Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Relations for the Los Angeles Sparks, will make her first Australian appearance at Tuesday’s Student Day event in Brisbane before travelling down south.

“I have been wanting to travel to Australia for some time, this was the perfect opportunity,” Hauser said.

The opportunity arose months prior through a connection at Nike.

“A couple months ago I got a text message from a former co-worker … (they) asked me if I would be interested in going to Australia for a Women in Sport Summit.

“My biggest obstacle at the time were the dates and when they worked out.

“This was a no brainer.”

She will be accompanied by an array of guest speakers including Brisbane Lions AFLW midfielder Orla O’Dwyer, Australian combat sports star Desi Johnson and Parramatta Eels’ Charlotte Hynes.

A full events schedule and how to get ticket can be found here.

Ilene Hauser poses with the US Olympic team 2016 (Image: Caroline Williams)

Hauser joined the Sparks in March 2023.

“It’s full circle going back to work for a team that happens to be in the city I grew up in.

“Being able to give back has been a lot of fun.”

In company with an 15 years experience managing women’s basketball for Nike, Hauser was pivotal in launching and overseeing Athlete’s Unlimited – a network of professional women’s sports leagues in the United States made up of basketball, softball, volleyball, and lacrosse.

“I’ve been working in women’s sport for over 30 years now and been fortunate enough to work in a bunch of different levels,” she said.

“I coached at college and then had the opportunity to launch two professional women’s basketball leagues with the WNBA and Athletes Unlimited.”

Ilene Hauser announced by LA Sparks via X

Hauser said she was thrilled for the opportunity to speak at the Student Day and the WiS summit, admitting women’s sport – just like men’s – is a business that needs seats filled and dollars spent for the sake of teams and athletes.

“It is very exciting to address the students as part of this summit, they are our future,” she said.

“My hope is sharing my passion for this space will inspire them to want to work in Women’s Sports.

“Inspiring the younger generation and educating them on landscape of women’s sports will only help the continued efforts to grow the business of women’s sports.

“We need the future generation to understand the history, the fight to get where we are today so that it can continue to grow in the future.”

Originally published as ‘A no brainer’: WNBA figure to speak at 6th annual Women in Sport summit held on Gold Coast