The Women's FA Cup final in May drew a crowd of 45,423 to Wembley Stadium.GETTY IMAGES
With "numerous high profile events on the way over the next year," new data revealed a "tangible -- and gender balanced -- interest in women’s sport" across the U.K., according to Charlotte Rogers of MARKETING WEEK. This year "has been an exciting year for women’s sport." The Women’s FA Cup final in May between Chelsea and Arsenal attracted a record crowd of 45,423 to Wembley Stadium. The FA said that it is "now on course to double the number of players and fans in the women’s game" by '20. Hesitation, however, "remains on the part of CMOs." Women's Sport Trust co-Founder Jo Bostock said, "There’s still a perception that the market’s relatively immature or it’s one that they don’t know terribly well so the sense of risk seems a little high. The big thing we picked up on when we were sounding out CMOs is that there isn’t enough data to support the claims that women’s sport is making about itself." To help "build the business case," the WST partnered with Nielsen Sports and England Hockey to "highlight the value of women’s sport based on data." According to the analysis, 59% of the U.K. population is "interested in at least one women’s sport." This breaks down to 87% interested in both men’s and women’s athletics, tennis (83%), cycling (72%), hockey (71%), golf (57%), football (38%) and rugby union (36%). England Hockey Commercial Dir Jonathan Cockcroft said that interest -- both from brands and supporters -- has surged since the team’s Gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics. However, Cockcroft believes brands in general "are still cautious about partnering with women’s sport." He said, "There aren’t enough marketing directors and CMOs out there that have the imagination, the bravery and the gut instincts to go for something that’s slightly less mainstream." Attitudes over the viewership of women’s sport "could be affecting the way brands approach potential sponsorship opportunities," with the misconception being that "only women or girls take an interest." The Nielsen statistics show that of the 59% who are interested in at least one women’s sport, 51% are female and 49% male. This is compared to the overall sports fan, "which skews as 65% male versus 35% female." According to the data, people aged 16-24 "are most likely to like women’s sports." The number of women’s sport sponsorship deals increased by 47% between '13 and '17, with the average deal size rising by 38% during this period, according to Nielsen (MARKETING WEEK, 8/3).
