Annette Nørgaard Jensen: Enthusiasm for club and country | 14.05.2012

Annette Nørgaard Jensen, the 2011 European Athletics Women's Leadership Award winner from Denmark.

Although women leaders are hardly rare in Danish sport, Annette Nørgaard Jensen's energy and enthusiasm for her club, Skive Athletics, have been exceptional, marking her a role model for anyone – female or male - hoping to get things done in athletics.

Recognising her ambition, skill and hard work in leading others, the Danish athletics federation, Dansk Atletik Forbund, selected Annette for the 2011 European Athletics Women's Leadership Award.

"Annette's capacity for work is quite extraordinary," says Jakob Larsen, Director General of the federation. "That's also true of her ability to build and contribute to a team. She might be quite competitive, but she always treats opponents with respect.

"And she manages to stay in a good mood all the time!"

As a long-term driving force among the club's coaches and administrative personnel and as its first-ever female president from 2005 to 2010, Annette has been instrumental in Skive Athletics' rise from local obscurity ten years ago to the top of the national scene. It is now consistently among the country's top five clubs in domestic competitions, despite drawing its membership mainly from Skive in the rural northwest of the country, which with a population of 20,000 only ranks as Denmark's 31st largest town.

Its success has led to Skive Athletics representing Denmark in European Champion Clubs Cup (ECCC) competitions, where in 2011 it was the ECCC Junior Men's team champions and came second in the ECCC Junior Women's team competition.

During Annette's tenure as president, the team's growing membership and public profile helped to persuade the town's authorities to invest in facilities for athletics, first by adding a synthetic track to the town's stadium and then by building a much needed indoor arena to make winter training and competition possible.

In the same period, Annette also served as the Meeting Director of four successful Danish Indoor Championships.

Currently Annette leads a growing group of coaches as the head of the club's Sport Department and she regularly serves as the club's delegate to the federation's annual congress and youth congress.

"Annette is a rare breed," explains Larsen. "Her results as a leader speak for themselves, yet she considers no task beneath her. She works relentlessly to improve conditions for athletics and – although she is ambitious – her main concern is for the common good."

Jensen has shown that it's possible for women to make a huge difference in athletics.

Although she remains committed to the daily life of her club, Annette's abilities are also propelling her to leadership roles on both the national and international levels. She is currently on the federation's advisory board and plans to be a candidate for a seat on the main board in the future. She has also been elected to the European Athletics Club Commission, where she is working on the development of national club systems across the continent.

As a part of her personal development towards an international role, Annette took part in the 2011 European Athletics Women's Leadership Seminar in Evian, France.

"Female leaders are no exception at club level in Danish Athletics", adds Larsen, "so Annette doesn't distinguish herself by her gender. Instead, she has excelled by setting an example and demonstrating that it's possible for women to make a huge difference in athletics".

"In fact, she is a role model for all."

Women's Leadership Awards

The aim of the European Athletics Women's Leadership Awards is to recognise the behind the scenes work and accomplishments that have helped to make the winners role models for other women in athletics. Coaching young athletes, officiating, setting up and managing club . . . their achievements are as varied as the individuals themselves.

In 2011, 31 women were selected for the award by their national athletics federations. For more information on the awards click here.

— With special thanks to Liz Wilson