Zena Sport Co-Founder Donna Johnson: “We are empowering a new generation where protective wear will be an essential part of any girl’s kit”

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Zena Sport
Images provided by Zena Sport

Zena Sport provides the most advanced female breast and rib protection for contact sports, backed by four years’ worth of research and development through the maximum level of sports science tested by Deakin University to greatly reduce the impact across the upper torso with up to 75% of the force being absorbed by the vest.

The vest has also been established to suit the needs of teenagers right through to senior professionals, designed to be worn underneath the playing kit and without visibility.

Speaking with Soccerscene, Zena Sport Co-Founder Donna Johnson shares the importance of protective gear, particularly as more and more women and girls play sport – leading up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

What inspired you to create your protective gear for women involved in contact sports?

Donna Johnson: The idea for Zena came about over a coffee with a friend.  Her daughters had just started playing football and we were discussing injuries that had occurred over the weekend.

It concerned me that adolescent girls were playing high impact sport at such a critical stage of their physical development with o form of chest protection.  Given females are anatomically built differently I began doing some research into breast injuries in sport and possible products on the market.

To my surprise there was very little research available and no suitable products on the market. I did my own research project and found that breast injury was in fact occurring and there was a need for a protective garment.

I then spent the next two years designing and developing a vest that was lightweight, comfortable, non-restrictive and protective.  The Final Result – ‘Zena Z!’ An impact protection vest for females playing sport.

How can your vest be of assistance to young girls or women taking up soccer?

Donna Johnson: First and foremost, the vest is designed to reduce the risk of breast and rib injury. It also provides confidence and support for the athlete knowing they have an element of protection.

Impact comes in many forms. It can be diving for a ball and having contact with the ground, it can come from stray elbows, ball hitting the chest, tackling etc. so the vest provides a barrier between the chest and the impact. The vest is comfortable and non-restrictive. It helps empower the athlete to play with confidence.

Many teenagers drop out of sport in their adolescent years, so we want to keep girls active and keep them in sport.

You have a number of partnerships across multiple sports and leagues, are you looking to expand your network in soccer, particularly with the build up towards the Women’s World Cup?

Donna Johnson: We are working really hard across all sports, particularly soccer to develop partnerships and expand our network.

For us, it’s really about education and awareness.  Breast trauma does exist and over 50% of female athletes report suffering from some form of injury to breast.  We are yet to know the long-term impact of breast traumas.

Soccer participation numbers are growing, especially for female participants so we really want to give these girls female specific products to enhance performance.

The Women’s World Cup is only a few weeks away and it’s a really exciting time for women in sport.  Young girls are going to be able to see women on the world stage and dream of doing a similar thing.  It shows that anything is possible!

In a previous article we featured Melissa Barbieri who tested your vest before a launch. With the number of collisions and impact goalkeepers have, how are they supported with your product?

Donna Johnson: Goal keepers put their bodies on the line for their team. For female goalkeepers it’s fair to say their breasts and ribs take full impact with the ground when diving to save the ball.

Our vest provides a level of protection to reduce the risk of injury and help with recovery.

Why should a general grassroots or local player utilise your products?

Donna Johnson: Our Zena Z1 vest was so popular that we developed a Youth Vest for girls between eight & 12 years of age.

We are empowering a new generation where protective wear will be an essential part of any girl’s kit.  This is where the youth vest is perfect at grass roots because girls start wearing it in their junior years and just continue to wear it the whole way through. It is part of the education.

Women of all ages playing local soccer should also consider it as we have a number of new mums returning to sport that are breast feeding and this helps with sensitivity.  Women who have suffered with breast cancer or have had surgery.

They can return to sport with a level of comfort knowing they are protected.  Women also have breast implants that can rupture.  As you can see there are a number of reasons why women at grassroots level should be wearing Zena.

Is there anything new on the horizon we can look forward to, or any projects?

Donna Johnson: Watch this space!  We are just in the process of designing and developing our Rugby Vest and then we have a whole product roadmap of female specific products we hope to develop in the future.

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New ‘Unfiltered’ Episode with Paul Klisaris and Oscar Yildiz

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Image Credit: One-Nil Media

The ‘Unfiltered’ podcast by Soccerscene promises honest, thought-provoking conversations about football culture, identity and the stories fans don’t usually hear in mainstream coverage.

In the latest episode, Mihaila Kilibarda sits down with passionate councillors Paul Klisaris and Oscar Yildiz to debate the role of policy in shaping infrastructure, career opportunities and on-field success in the Australian football landscape.

From exposing flaws in policy making, to critiquing the A-League, Paul and Oscar discuss the future trajectory of football in Australia. With strong views on the disconnect between decision-makers and grassroots communities, this is an unfiltered look at the issues holding the sport back—and the urgent need for change.

“Bring back Preston, bring back South Melbourne, bring back that culture into the game. There was nothing wrong with that. Bring it back. Regulate it better, police it better, like they have in Europe. There is rivalry and that’s healthy!” says Paul Klisaris in this episode.

Oscar Yildiz agreed that “We might need to throw a bomb. There is no incentive for clubs to aspire to. You know, you can finish last and still stay in the league. They need to have people from state, from federal, people, again, who know the game, who genuinely know the game. And, it means understanding the politics around the game.”

Listeners can expect Unfiltered to go beyond match reports and transfers. Each episode will dive into the ideas, people and cultural forces that make football one of the world’s most compelling sports. Episode 2 is available now, hoping to challenge, entertain and inspire.

Listen now on Spotify: 

With Unfiltered, Soccerscene is giving fans a space to think, feel and debate about the game they love. Further, it is encouraging conversations that are as engaging as the football itself.

Stay tuned for future episodes, featuring more voices shaping the beautiful game.

Beyond the Pitch: Miyuki Kobayashi on the Real Challenges Facing Japan’s Women’s Game

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Image credit: JEFUNITED

Last week, Soccerscene spoke to pioneer of women’s football in Japan, Miyuki Kobayashi, about the game’s development in Japan and the intersection between sporting and social change in the country.

 

Talent, quality and recent silverware

After Japan’s recent AFC Women’s Asian Cup victory in the final against Australia, the women’s national team solidified its standing as the No.1 team in Asia.

Throughout the last 15 years, Japan’s women’s national team has grown into a formidable opponent, boasting a World Cup trophy, an Olympic silver medal, as well as three AFC Women’s Asian Cups.

The talent is undeniable. The quality is unwavering. And the team shows no signs of slowing down.

But these victories and trophies on the world stage wouldn’t be possible without the leaders behind the scenes – none more so than Miyuki Kobayashi, former WE League Board Member and current JEF United Ladies Scout and Academy Chief.

 

Laying the foundations

Kobayashi has led the charge for women’s football in Japan, promoting not only a sport which values success, but one which empowers female footballers across the nation.

“At university, not many girls were playing and we didn’t have an official team. I went to the US and the environment was so different,” Kobayashi explained.

“That opened my eyes – women can play. That’s how I started the women’s soccer league when I came back: to make an environment for girls to play.”

Thus, accessibility and opportunity became driving factors behind Kobayashi’s work, not only for those on the pitch, but for those in the dugout.

“I got involved at the JFA (Japanese Football Association) to promote women’s football. We wanted to create the opportunity for women to be coaches.”

“They are coached by men all the time, so even when the top players leave the football world, they never think to be involved.”

Furthermore, as a former coach of JEF United Ladies Youth and General Manager, Kobayashi was intent on employing as many female coaches as possible. It was not merely a personnel change, but a challenge to widespread social attitudes.

“When I started to employ female coaches, the girls’ parents asked why the coach wasn’t a man. But gradually, we started to make it equal – they didn’t talk about the gender, but about the quality of the coach.”

 

The mission to empower

In 2011, the same year Japan’s women won the World Cup, the domestic league was yet to become professional. Known as the Nadeshiko League, players would work during the day and train in the evenings.

The transition from an amateur to the current professional league required time, resilience and a change in perspective.

“The sports world in Japan is more traditional – it is dominated by men,” said Kobayashi.

“If you want to make the environment even, or (want) more women to come into the (football) world, you can change the mind of the players.”

Since 2021, the WE League has embodied a sense of growth and positive change for the women’s game. In name and nature, it looks to empower players, coaches and all involved in the industry.

“I was in charge of mission achievement for women’s empowerment. We wanted to educate the players, to inspire girls and women who watch the game.”

However, the drive to empower women in football was not without backlash and challenges.

“Some people don’t like that word: ’empowerment’. It’s too strong for them. Some women really appreciate it, but it’s not easy to change the mind of society through football,” Kobayashi admitted.

 

Growing and attracting talent

Although WE League clubs are accelerating youth development and expanding pathways across U15, U18 and first team football, Kobayashi acknowledged that the overall product must improve to bring foreign players to Japan and entice homegrown talent to stay.

“Most of the national team players go to Europe or North America. I don’t say it’s a problem, but from a young age, girls who can play in the WE League want to go abroad,” Kobayashi outlined.

Indeed, when looking at the starting XI in last month’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup final, only one player – Hana Takahashi – plays in the WE League.

But the key to attracting domestic and international players to the WE League, is aligning financial investment and industry attitudes.

“The reason why women’s football has developed in European countries is the social thinking – you have to be equal and have the same opportunities as men in football. The Japanese way of thinking, especially in the football world, is not that at all,” Kobayashi continued.

“When I speak to people at Spanish clubs, women’s football is not a charity, but an investment.”

“We have assets. We have good, young players, but we’re exporting them, so we need to import too.”

Indeed, Spain is a perfect example of what can happen when investment becomes intentional, not optional. Back-to-back UEFA Women’s Nations League titles, 90% television viewership increase since 2016, and record-breaking crowd numbers reflect what can happen when the industry aligns in vision and commitment.

Japan has the players to compete against any nation in the world. Purposeful investment, combined with its overall quality of players and style, could transform the WE League into a true, global powerhouse.

 

The vision for the future

Moving forward, Kobayashi hopes that girls progressing through JEF United’s academies develop confidence and resilience, whether as players or people.

“We want to make the girls – even if they aren’t in JEF United – continue playing football and continue to be leaders,” Kobayashi said.

“Some of them have a dream to be a coach or a leader off the field too, so that’s one of the attributes we want to develop.”

This resilience, reflected by the club’s ‘never give up’ philosophy, is testament to the vision of empowerment championed by Kobayashi across the women’s game.

Even in the face of social obstacles and a lack of financial investment, perseverance and hard work is at the bedrock of women’s football in Japan. It is not just that these values exist, but that they are consistently manifested on and off the pitch, which can show future generations that football is a sport for all – men and women alike.

 

Final thoughts

There is no limit to what the WE League and the national team can achieve if given the resources it deserves. All the ingredients are there: individual quality, a distinct playing style, football philosophy and ambitions to grow.

By following the example of industry leaders like Kobayashi, women’s football in Japan can hopefully continue to make waves of impact – in the sporting landscape and society as a whole.

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