WOMEN

IN SPORT 2015

AUGUST 2015

Women in Sport
2014 was the year when womens sport really came to the fore in the UK: England
won the Womens Rugby World Cup, womens cricket and rugby turned
professional for the first time and, where three years ago there were none, this
time four women were on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist. 2015 has
gone on to build on this foundation; with the recent Independents 50 most
influential women in sport just the icing on the cake.
January saw the launch of Sport Englands This Girl Can campaign which aims
to break down barriers that prevent girls from taking part in grassroots sport. The
advertising went viral and has amassed over 8.6 million YouTube views to date.
The campaign has received widespread praise which was topped off by winning
the Glass Lion: Lion for Change at Cannes in the inaugural gender inequality
category. Their success shone a light on female grassroots participation and will
hopefully show tangible results.

www.octagon-uk.com | T: 020 7862 0000

2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn London, UK EC1N 2AE

The summers FIFA Womens World Cup tournament in Canada continued to

celebrate womens sport. The BBCs coverage of Englands opening defeat
against France netted more than 2 million viewers; nearly double the highest
audience for the womens European Championship in 2013.
This appetite continued throughout the tournament, particularly with the
continuing successes of the England team their third place play-off against
Germany averaging 1.44 million viewers. The achievement of the team was
unsurprisingly a catalyst for viewers tuning in.
A recent Octagon Sports Panel survey found that 2 in 5 of those who followed the tournament did so due
to the teams results. The momentous support for the sport has continued beyond the
tournament itself the recent Womens FA Cup final smashed the attendance
record with 30,000 spectators!

www.octagon-uk.com | T: 020 7862 0000

2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn London, UK EC1N 2AE

Its not only the viewing figures that tell a compelling story. Englands win in the
match against Germany has made them the countrys most successful senior team since the
mens 1966 World Cup triumph. Successes on the field equates to increased commercial
activity with more and more brands looking to get involved with womens sport.
Over the course of the last few months there has been significant momentum,
with sponsorships including SSE and the Womens FA Cup, Bang & Olufsen and
the Ashes and Vitality and England Netball. As well as an increase in the number
of deals, it is noteworthy that many of them have been record breaking for the
governing bodies, and highlight the value delivered through sponsorship.

www.octagon-uk.com | T: 020 7862 0000

2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn London, UK EC1N 2AE

Speaking at a recent advertising conference, the Football Associations CEO

Martin Glenn said,

My advice to [brands and agencies] is to get on the curve now because

it is only going to get bigger. Get onto that ride early on.
Although he was focusing on the growth of
football in particular, his advice is something
which can be broadened out to womens
sport in general which shows no signs of
abating.
56% of Octagons Sports Panel claim to be open to watching
more womens sport in the future demonstrating that
the opportunity for brands to connect with
new audiences through Womens Sport is
ever-increasing.

www.octagon-uk.com | T: 020 7862 0000

2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn London, UK EC1N 2AE

BY MINAL MODHA

Senior Research Executive

www.octagon-uk.com | T: 020 7862 0000

2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn London, UK EC1N 2AE