Emma May-Bradley and Erin Ryder, co-founders of Playmakers Nashville

By: Nicole Swickle

 Walk into almost any professional sporting event in Nashville, and you’ll see women.

They’re leading marketing departments, producing broadcasts, negotiating partnerships, managing community impact initiatives, overseeing sponsorships, running events, and making countless behind-the-scenes decisions that shape the fan experience.

Finding one another, however, hasn’t always been easy.

In sports, careers rarely happen in isolation. They’re built through conversations, mentorship, introductions, and relationships forged over time. For years, women entering or advancing within the traditionally male-dominated industry didn’t always have access to those networks. That’s exactly why Playmakers Nashville was established.

Playmakers Nashville was built on the idea that if you put the right people in the same room, good things happen. By connecting women across teams, organizations, career stages, and specialties, the nonprofit is strengthening the fabric of Nashville’s sports community.

Throughout the year, they host networking events, leadership conversations, mentorship opportunities, and educational programming featuring leaders from the Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators, Vanderbilt Athletics, ESPN, CAA Sports, Elevate, and many more. Sometimes that looks like asking for career advice over coffee. Sometimes it’s meeting a future business partner or finding a mentor who’s already navigated the path ahead. Other times, it’s simply walking into a room where you immediately feel like you belong. For hundreds building a future in sports, Playmakers Nashville has become that place.

“We kept meeting women working in sports in Nashville and asking them one simple question… ‘Do you feel like you have a community here?'” said Emma May-Bradley, Co-Founder of Playmakers Nashville and Chief Marketing & Content Officer at Rebel Girls. “Not a single person said yes. That’s when it became clear there was a need for Playmakers. We wanted to create a place where, from the moment someone walks through the door, they feel like they belong in the room. Whether they came straight from coaching a basketball game or from the boardroom, we’re obsessed with creating experiences that inspire connection, growth and, equally important, are fun!” 

That mission feels especially timely as Nashville continues its rapid rise as one of America’s fastest-growing sports cities.

In just the last several years, the city has expanded far beyond Titans Sundays and Predators hockey. Nashville SC has established itself in Major League Soccer. Major sporting events continue choosing Music City as a destination. Women’s sports are experiencing unprecedented growth nationwide, and Nashville is quickly becoming part of that movement, with UpShot set to launch the city’s first professional women’s basketball team in 2027.

As opportunities grow, so does the need for relationships, mentorship, and support systems that help people thrive.

“We find ourselves saying, ‘This is exactly why Playmakers exists,’ at least once a week,” said Erin Ryder, Co-Founder of Playmakers Nashville & Professor of Sport Administration at Belmont University. “Whether it’s watching one of our interns land an incredible job through a Playmakers connection, helping bring a new women’s sports opportunity like Upshot to Nashville, or hearing that someone decided to stay in Nashville because they found their next career opportunity through our community. Those are the moments that remind us why we started this organization. We didn’t set out to create another networking group. We set out to build a community where women genuinely connect, open doors for one another, and succeed together. Seeing that happen is the best part.” 

The impact extends well beyond the sports industry. For the founders, executives, and entrepreneurs who make up the Nashville Fit community, Playmakers is a reminder that strong businesses are built on strong relationships, and that the best leaders create opportunities for others along the way.

“The real magic happens between events,” Ryder added. “Members are making introductions, sharing job opportunities, grabbing dinner, and watching sports together. We’ve watched women hire each other, recommend one another for speaking opportunities, and simply become friends. That’s when you know a community is working, when it doesn’t need us in the middle of every connection.”

Whether you’re hoping to break into the industry, an executive looking to give back, or somewhere in between, there’s a place for you at the table. 

To learn more, attend an upcoming event, or become a member, follow Playmakers Nashville on Instagram or visit their website.