Brands In Women’s Sport Event A Great Success

We were delighted to host our latest event at the Kia Oval earlier this month, focusing on the role brands can play in supporting the growth of women’s sport. This is an area our team at Synonymous Sport feel passionate about, with our experience in seeing the positive impact brands can have for female sport.

The event, sponsored by Mills & Reeve, featured guest speakers from Crystal Palace Football Club and Surrey County Cricket Club. Grace Williams, with previous experience with Watford FC and Bristol City FC, currently heads women’s football at Crystal Palace. She was joined by Emma Calvert, a former investment banker and now Director of Women’s Cricket at Surrey CCC.

The event was attended by attendees from Aon, Ambassador Cruise Line, Liverpool FC, Ziegler UK, and Helly Hansen.

The speakers captivated the room with their observations on the state of play in sponsorship of women’s sport, why it differs from the men’s and their words of encouragement for brands considering a sports sponsorship.

Grace said: “The biggest challenge in women’s sport is that it still compared to the men’s game on and off the pitch, but crucially in the marketing.

“Only 5-10% of our audience is the same as the men’s, so why would our marketing be the same? When we are pitching to brands for sponsorships, we make it clear that sponsoring women’s sport is an entirely different product.”

Williams told the audience she had taken this approach at Crystal Palace to great success.

“We have seen commercial growth of new assets at 300% with just 50% of assets sold, and Crystal Palace Women are the only team in the Super League to have a different front of shirt sponsor to the men’s team,” she said.

Emma offered her perspective on the success and challenges in women’s cricket.

Calvert said: “Success for us has been beyond lifting silverware. Since the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) regionalised women’s cricket in 2018, we have seen a clear growth in popularity and match attendance.

“However, the biggest issue remains the buy-in from brands. They still try to compare the women to the men’s game, but you have to take it for its merit.”

Calvert reiterated the difference in audiences for men’s and women’s cricket. “

People sponsor the men’s game because they want to reach a certain audience and think they will get the same with women’s sport, but our audience is so different – it is families and young people instead of men in their 40s and 50s,” she said. “Brands have to remember that to sponsor women’s sport is to connect with a different audience.”

Darrell Fox, our founder and the host, asked the speakers about the value of sponsoring women’s sports and any advice that they had for brands wishing to reach those audiences.

“My advice to brands considering sponsorship would be do it!” said Williams.

“By sponsoring women’s sport, you get to be a part of a community and help shape the legacy of something bigger than the game. For the women’s team, those brand sponsorships can make so much more difference than a drop in the ocean.”

Calvert added: “Brands create so many opportunities when they decide to be a part of the women’s game, where it’s more family oriented and you get to make a different generational impact. Think about it – the next generation coming up will never know a world where women’s sports don’t exist, and brands have a chance to be a part of that.

“It’s so much more than a box-ticking exercise; it’s a chance to be a storyteller and make a legacy for a brand.”

The panelists provided insight into the types of brands that sponsor women’s sport, which go far beyond women-owned and women-focused ones.

Williams said: “Initially, people think that it is women-owned and women-focused brands that partner with women’s sports, but it’s more than that. The majority of brands involved with women’s sport are financial service companies.

“For example, Barclays, Metro Bank, LV=, Vitality and others now want to sponsor the women’s teams because of the value it provides and not just because it’s a nice thing to do.”

She added: “The marketing of the women’s team has been so important for sponsorships. By showing that the value proposition and assets of the women’s team is different to the men’s, we have been able to showcase that it is more about brand credibility and having an impact on growing the game than a numbers exercise.”

If you are a brand who is considering a sports sponsorship, reach out to our dedicated & expert team today.