Slug Here ship deal is particularly important. Disappointingly, women’s sponsorship deals still account for only 0.4 per cent of the total sports market.
It’s also good to report that support for women’s sport is growing. The women’s football international at Wembley against germany in november marked the team’s debut at the new stadium. The team lost 0-3 but Wembley was a sell-out, with more than 45,000 people coming to watch the match.
So the omens are good for 2015, and not just for our footballers, who next year compete in the World Cup in Canada.
Where do I want women’s sport to go from here? Firstly, I want to see more women in top leadership positions in sport, and I want to see more women and girls considering a career in sport. This is harder than it looks, I’m afraid.
ROLE MODELS There’s a perception that sport’s a male industry and that you have to be – or have been – really brilliant at sport to work in the field.
It’s about bringing the right skills and diversity to the sector – and women have a huge part to play in that. That’s why I’m supporting the Inspiring The Future campaign to encourage girls into sporting careers. I also want to see more sportswomen and elite women’s sports events featured in the media. We know there’s a demand – the germany game proved that – so it’s about showcasing it. To be fair, the broadcasters are already doing a fantastic job, but I just want to see more.
What else? I want to see more commercial investment in women’s sport through sponsorship. Companies are missing a trick – our fantastic sportswomen are great role models who could hugely help a brand’s reputation and take their product to new audiences.
and finally, of course, I want people to get behind Sport england’s new campaign, This girl Can, to get women and girls more active, to be launched in the new year.
Sport is such a force for good and can benefit women in so many ways. So a new year’s resolution for readers of The Lady can be – get out there and get involved. There’s a sport out there for you. ■
2 january 2015 The Lady 17
