Three reasons to sponsor women’s sport

Women’s sport is on the rise, and it offers great opportunities for sponsorship.

In the UK this year [2017] we’ve seen the success of women’s Super League cricket, the continuing growth of women’s soccer, England reaching the final of the women’s rugby world cup, and many other examples.

At Weltch Media, we’ve recognised the value of women’s sport with our support of Torquay United Ladies FC (TULFC) in England’s South West Women’s Premier League, as official sponsor of Northern Ireland international Jana-Kate Richards. We even produced a little video about it. [Update – January 2018: Following Jana’s departure from the club, we’ve been sponsoring Danielle Wyatt]

But sponsorship of women’s sport still amounts to a tiny fraction of the investment in men’s sport.

There are positive signs, however, with more big-name sponsors getting on board. This year, Kia renewed its sponsorship of the LPGA and also became the main sponsor of England’s women’s cricket test matches.

At the local and regional level, too, companies see the importance of women’s sport within their communities. In Torquay, law firm Kitson’s sponsors TULFC, stating its recognition of “the importance of sport in local areas” and the firm’s “strong connection with the development of ladies football at all ages”.

We agree, and have come up with three reasons why you or your organisation should also consider sponsoring women’s sport:

1. It needs help: If your motivation is altruism, then you’ll recognise that women’s sport is very much the poor relation. The UK organisation Women In Sport reports that women’s sport sponsorship accounted for only 0.4% of total sports sponsorship in 2011-13.
2. It will pay you back: Because women’s sport is in greater need, you’ll get more value for your investment. Media coverage is growing rapidly, so you can get ahead of the game by becoming involved now.
3. It’s fun: All sport is meant to be fun, isn’t it? But we can’t help but notice how much (men’s) sport is often so serious and stressful, any enjoyment has been sucked out of it. We posted about this before, when we also praised Sport England’s phenomenal This Girl Can campaign.

If you’re a sports organisation seeking sponsorship or an organisation looking to get involved in women’s sport, Weltch Media may be able to help. Please get in touch to discuss.

You may also be interested in this post about the Hockey is for Everyone campaign, and this about women’s sport.