ATHENA PATHWAY PROGRAMME

WHAT IS ATHENA PATHWAY?

Athena Pathway, led by double Olympic Gold Medallist Hannah Mills (OBE), is a pathway for female and youth athletes, which aims to fast-track development in professional sailing, level the playing field in high-performance foiling and bring diversity into the sport at its highest level, both on and off the water. The Pathway is founded with sustainability at its core, with an ethos of ‘People, Planet and Purpose’, to encourage athletes to use their voices in the fight against climate change. 

Athena Pathway hopes to create more opportunities for women within the sailing industry, while also widening the pool of talent for the Emirates GBR SailGP Team (working closely with SailGP’s Women’s Pathway Programme) and building the British Team for the 2024 Puig Women’s America’s Cup.  

ATHENA PATHWAY TALENT

Sophie Heritage  

Sophie started her journey with Athena Pathway by joining the Emirates GBR shore team for 18 months, travelling to a total of 12 SailGP events. Sophie was a valued member of the team, and was able to develop her knowledge of large foiling yachts.

After a successful stint with Emirates GBR, Sophie was selected to join the INEOS Britannia shore team in preparation for the 37^th America’s Cup. Sophie is now based in Barcelona, working as the AC40 Boat Captain with INEOS Britannia.

There she is learning from industry experts about what it takes to maintain an AC40. During the Youth and Puig Women’s Americas Cup, Sophie will be in charge of Athena Pathway’s very own AC40 and ensuring it is race ready. 

Learn more about Sophie’s pathway here 

Jasmine Gosling  

Jasmine joined Emirates GBR as a shore team intern at the Taranto SailGP in Season 4 and was invited to return to the Team for the SailGP Event in Cadiz.

After impressing the team with her work ethic and knowledge, Jasmine was given the opportunity to work with INEOS Britannia, Britain’s Challenger of Record for the 37th America’s Cup. She will work with the shore team in Barcelona to gain more experience working on different vessels before joining the shore team alongside Sophie Heritage for the Youth and Puig Women’s America’s Cup in 2024.  

Learn more about Jasmine’s pathway here  

THE ATHENA FOILING PATHWAY

The Athena Foiling Pathway is delivered by the Andrew Simpson Performance Academy, from the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) on the South Coast of England. The academy has world-class coaches and experience in providing support and training to both entry-level sailors and elite athletes. The aim of the Athena Foiling Pathway is to create opportunities for youth sailors to experience foiling and progress in the sport. 

Support from WASZP allows sailors to get to grips with the art of foiling in the accessible, one-design dinghy and enables them to race in the highly competitive global WASZP circuit. WPNSA is Britain’s hub of high-performance sailing, and provides top level facilities for the programme, with UK WASZP distributor Sailingfast on hand to share their technical knowledge and keep the boats maintained to racing standard. 

Learn more about the Athena Foiling Pathway with the Andrew Simpson Performance Academy here.

GENDER EQUITY IN SAILGP

The SailGP Women's Pathway is an initiative key to SailGP's aim to create an inclusive sporting championship with gender equity - where the best athletes have equal opportunity to compete together on the F50. 

Since launching in Cadiz Season 2, the Pathway has evolved and now demands that teams offer increased training and race exposure for female athletes. 

Key aims in Season 4 include teams training with the long-term goal of developing a number of female athletes - a minimum of three female athletes per team, each season, with training and racing experience on the F50. 

 Additionally, teams must always select at least one female onboard in all racing configurations. 

SailGP is also delivering a program of development opportunities to complement individual and team development, while seeking a commercial partner to support the program. 

Since the Pathway launched in Season 2, female athletes have been onboard all teams in 100% of races around the globe, honing their skills and providing a visible example for aspiring professional athletes.

GENDER EQUITY IN OUR TEAM

We our upskilling our female athletes at each SailGP event. Hannah Mills has scheduled training time in the Driver’s role at each event and Hannah Diamond has set time in the Flight Controller Positions.