They say death and taxes are the only certainties in life, but you can add another one to the list.
The continued growth of women’s sport.
There was never any doubt the FIFA Women’s World Cup was going to be a winner - the only question mark was who would raise the trophy.
As the dust settles, there’s unanimous agreement that women’s football, and sport in general, has gone to another level.
We said the same thing after last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, and you can bet we’ll be saying it after the next major tournament - whatever that is.
There has never been a greater opportunity to tap into women’s sport than right now.
The FIFA tournament highlighted how many stories there are to tell - not just on the pitch, but off it as well.
From Kiwi cancer kicker Rebecca Stott to England’s game-winner Chloe Kelly, female footballers have shown they are incredible athletes and, perhaps just as significantly, incredible people as well.
These stories are overwhelmingly wholesome and genuine. The way they carry themselves is just so different to male athletes, and, as French advertisers cleverly demonstrated, they’re just as talented on the pitch.
While the battle for equality with men’s sport (rightly) wages on, one of the silver linings of being under-resourced for so long is that female athletes are relatable in ways that male athletes can’t be.
Joe and Jo Average resonate with so much more because they’re not paid millions of dollars and they haven’t come through fancy academies or well-resourced systems. They are still deeply connected to their communities and seen to be highly authentic.
The appetite for women’s sport is also as high as it’s ever been, creating the perfect storm for continued engagement.
It’s a huge opportunity for communications practitioners. By capitalising on this movement, we can help brands and organisations to align themselves with women’s sport, using female athletes as brand ambassadors, speakers and promo talent.
In doing so, we can fuel that growth even more, creating even more storylines to fill the space between four-yearly global tournaments. We can help clients to be part of a movement that has universal support, and elevate both at the same time.
Those that can recognise and capture the opportunity of right now will certainly benefit from it.