TANA MALINGA

For women in sport, the final whistle should not signal the end of the story.

It should mark the beginning of another chapter, one in which an athlete knows her value, understands her finances, owns her brand and is prepared for life beyond competition.

That was the powerful message behind the opening day of Momentum’s Women Who Make Moves in Sport Summit on Friday, 7 August 2026, where the conversation moved beyond medals and performances to one of the most important questions facing women athletes: what is your number?

Held in Johannesburg as part of Momentum’s wider #SheOwnsHerSuccess campaign, the summit placed financial confidence, personal branding and long-term success at the centre of the discussion.
The summit brought together influential voices from sport, media, business and athlete development, including Doctor Khumalo, Andile Ncube, Surya Dawad, Nqobile Ndlovu and Phathokuhle Zondi, adding experience and perspective to conversations about building sustainable careers in sport.

This year’s theme, “Her Success Has a Number,” challenged women to attach greater meaning to their financial futures, not simply measuring success by what happens on the field, but by what they are able to build away from it.

Momentum’s message was clear: ambition needs direction, and financial goals need a number that can be understood, measured and pursued.

FROM THE FIELD TO THE FINANCIAL FUTURE

The significance of the conversation was brought into sharp focus by the reality facing many women athletes.

Momentum says women continue to face major gaps in sponsorship and remuneration, with Chief Marketing Officer Qhawekazi Mdikane highlighting that 74% of women who play sport have a second job.
For athletes whose careers can be relatively short, the issue extends beyond today’s income.

It is about what happens tomorrow.

It is about whether a player, referee, coach or sports professional has the financial knowledge, commercial confidence and personal brand to continue creating value when competitive sport is no longer the centre of her life.

That is where the summit sought to make its mark.

THE ATHLETE AS A BRAND

The presence of established sporting and media voices such as Doctor Khumalo, Andile Ncube, Surya Dawad, Nqobile Ndlovu and Phathokuhle Zondi reinforced the summit’s broader conversation around the different dimensions of success in sport.

Their involvement reflected an important reality: the modern sporting ecosystem extends far beyond what happens during competition.

For athletes, the ability to understand their identity, communicate their stories, build credible relationships and recognise the value of their audience can be just as important to their long-term careers as their sporting performance.

BEYOND THE NEXT GAME

The summit therefore presented success as something larger than the scoreboard.
A sporting career can provide visibility, influence and opportunity, but without financial planning those opportunities can disappear as quickly as a playing career ends.

Momentum’s approach is to encourage women to think about their financial future while they are still competing, rather than waiting until retirement or career transition forces the conversation.

That philosophy sits at the heart of #SheOwnsHerSuccess, Momentum’s campaign aimed at encouraging women to take greater ownership of their financial journeys.

The summit’s first day consequently became less about telling women what success should look like and more about encouraging them to define it for themselves.

A NUMBER THAT BELONGS TO HER

“Her Success Has a Number” is ultimately a call for clarity.

A number can represent a financial target, an investment goal, a future income requirement or the resources an athlete wants to have available when her sporting career changes direction.

But behind the number is a bigger idea: ownership.
Ownership of the career.
Ownership of the brand.
Ownership of the money.
And, ultimately, ownership of the future.

That made 7 August more than another gathering celebrating women in sport.
It was a reminder that the most important victory may not always be the one recorded on the scoreboard.

Sometimes, it is the ability to walk away from the field knowing that the future is still firmly in your hands.

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