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 wontheWomensRugbyWorldCup,womenscricketandrugbyturned professionalforthefirsttimeand,wherethreeyearsagotherewerenone,this time four women were on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist. 2015 has goneontobuildonthisfoundation;withtherecentIndependents50most influential women in sport just the icing on the cake. JanuarysawthelaunchofSportEnglandsThisGirlCancampaignwhichaims tobreakdownbarriersthatpreventgirlsfromtakingpartingrassrootssport.The advertisingwentviralandhasamassedover8.6millionYouTubeviewstodate. The campaign has received widespread praise which was topped off by winning theGlassLion:LionforChangeatCannesintheinauguralgenderinequality category.Theirsuccessshonealightonfemalegrassrootsparticipationandwill hopefully show tangible results. www.octagon-uk.com | T: 020 7862 0000 2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn London, UK EC1N 2AE ThesummersFIFAWomensWorldCuptournamentinCanadacontinuedto celebratewomenssport.TheBBCscoverageofEnglandsopeningdefeat againstFrancenettedmorethan2millionviewers;nearlydoublethehighest audience for the womens European Championship in 2013. Thisappetitecontinuedthroughoutthetournament,particularlywiththe continuingsuccessesoftheEnglandteamtheirthirdplaceplay-offagainst Germanyaveraging1.44millionviewers.Theachievementoftheteamwas unsurprisingly a catalyst for viewers tuning in. ArecentOctagonSportsPanelsurveyfoundthat2in5ofthosewhofollowedthetournamentdidsodue totheteamsresults.The momentous support for the sport has continued beyond the tournamentitselftherecentWomensFACupfinalsmashedtheattendance record with 30,000 spectators! www.octagon-uk.com | T: 020 7862 0000 2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn London, UK EC1N 2AE Itsnotonlytheviewingfiguresthattellacompellingstory.Englandswininthe match against Germany has made them thecountrysmostsuccessfulseniorteamsincethe mens1966WorldCuptriumph.Successes on the field equates to increased commercial activity with more and more brands looking to get involved with womens sport. Overthecourseofthelastfewmonthstherehasbeensignificantmomentum, withsponsorshipsincludingSSEandtheWomensFACup,Bang&Olufsenand the Ashes and Vitality and England Netball. As well as an increase in the number ofdeals,itisnoteworthythatmanyofthemhavebeenrecordbreakingforthe 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 Speakingatarecentadvertisingconference,theFootballAssociationsCEO 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. Althoughhewasfocusingonthegrowthof footballinparticular,hisadviceissomething whichcanbebroadenedouttowomens sportingeneralwhichshowsnosignsof abating. 56% of Octagons Sports Panel claim to be open to watching morewomenssportinthefuture demonstrating that theopportunityforbrandstoconnectwith newaudiencesthroughWomensSportis 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