KARLIK
SARAH
I work with football clubs to transform the on and off field support systems that surround their players. I deliver practical, commercially led solutions for clubs, player associations, player agents, and organisations across the wider sporting sector, with specialist expertise in women’s football and women’s sport.
Women’s Football Consultant and Player Welfare Specialist
What I do and how I do it
Welfare & Environment Reviews
Is your club’s culture serving your players?
Policy & Program Design
Are your policies keeping pace with the development of the women’s game?
The standards expected of the women’s game have lifted. Safeguarding, maternity, return-to-play, and career transitions are frameworks that clubs and player associations are now expected to have, but are often not fully equipped to build.
I design and build frameworks to fit the needs of your organization and players, so that your policies become the reason players want to join your club, and the reason they want to stay.
If my research has taught me anything, it’s that your players’ performances are decided long before they put their boots on.
I provide a research-driven diagnosis of how your players are supported, and whether the quality of your backroom approach matches up with your on-field ambitions.
Staff Training & Capability
Who is developing the people that are developing your players?
Coaches, welfare officers and high-performance staff carry the day-to-day weight of player welfare, and many weren’t trained for that.
As women's soccer professionalizes, the gap between what your staff are asked to handle and what they've been equipped to handle widens.
I run workshops and interactive sessions that close those gaps.
Speaking Engagements
I’ve spent years listening to women describe their football experiences all over the world. What I found is that, though each of their careers is unique, each tells a collective story of what it means to be a professional in the women’s game. When I step up to the podium, I translate those stories into practical, evidence-based steps that show clubs, confederations and player associations what best practice looks like in their own context.
I speak at conferences, club events and industry gatherings on all things player welfare, wellbeing, and what the professionalization of women's football is now asking of the people running it.
Where clubs get stuck
Women’s football is growing quickly, and so are the expectations placed on the clubs within it. There’s a real opportunity here for the clubs that meet these expectations, giving them a real advantage in who they sign and who they keep. This is where I come in, helping clubs to set their players up for success, throughout their careers and beyond them.
Players talk, and more often than not, what they say about your club comes down to how well you handle the areas below. In my research, players consistently spoke about different types of emotional, tangible and informational support. The clubs that get these right will be the ones players want to sign for.
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As women's football continues to grow, so does the need to modernize how women's teams are run. I help clubs, player associations, and organizations build the structures a professional game requires, and to make the most of the resources they have available.
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Performance is influenced by everything around a player, most of which happens away from the training ground. My work creates and reinforces an optimal environment for your players to thrive in.
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Every club believes it looks after its players, but there are many distinctions between the clubs that are trying their best to look after players and the ones that are succeeding at it. I work with clubs to improve their welfare efforts by educating them on what duty of care looks like day to day. I help clubs plan for who holds responsibility for duty of care, what training and resources are available to them, and how a player raises a concern before it becomes a crisis.
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Whether a player is moving interstate or overseas, much of what decides her first season at a club happens before a ball is kicked. International signings bring visas and language barriers, but housing and isolation affect almost every player who relocates for football. I help clubs understand that experience and support players through it, because the right support so often determines whether she settles or stalls.
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All too often, clubs and leagues are losing players without a deeper understanding of what makes them leave. My work centres around helping clubs to understand the exit path and to recognise when and why their players are already walking down it.
Hi, I’m Sarah
I work at the intersection of sport and academia. I help clubs, leagues, player associations, and player agents better understand women who live and play soccer in another country — motivations, decision-making processes, and experiences.
In the last few years, women’s sport has seen significant growth in fans, investment, and participation. This is just the tip of the iceberg for the development of women’s sport.
With my expertise in women’s soccer, I offer engaging insights on a variety of topics. As a trusted and experienced speaker, I bring passion, expertise, and professionalism to every stage, ensuring each event leaves a lasting impression on the audience.
Three Minute ThesisHow do you turn four years of research and 80,000 words into a three-minute story?
Here’s mine!
Let’s build a system your players will thrive in.