By Laura Weston and Jules Hilson
2024 is no doubt another epic year in the trajectory of women’s sport. As we see full stadiums, record breaking broadcast deals and the emergence of new female global sporting superstars, it’s happening. Finally. But there’s always a more nuanced story behind the headlines.
This is possibly the hardest year so far for women’s sport. Now the cultural shift is happening, the industry needs to catch up.
From speaking with both sport organisations and brands, what we are hearing is there are still fundamental questions to be answered if the opportunity of women’s sport is to be realised.
Who is the audience? What are the segments? With at least some of this audience completely new to sport, what does that mean for communication/content? How do we maintain a link to grassroots? How do we attract sponsors who are going to work with us to grow the game…in fact how do we attract sponsors who are willing to invest proper money into supporting and activating women’s sport? What is the role of the female athlete? How do we resource this?
It was clear to us that there was a gap for a consultancy that lives and breathes women’s sport. Consultants that have deep experience of working in the industry to answer these questions. The sports industry can be formulaic in its approach and men’s sport is so interwoven with culture,
especially in the UK, it can be hard to step outside what has gone before.
A fresh perspective is needed.
This is what our consultancy ‘See You At Jeanie’s’ has been developed to provide.
By working with ambitious partners and brands we will develop a new women’s sport marketing playbook that challenges the status quo and reflects culture and the fans. Our first client is a Barclays Women’s Super League Club looking to elevate and innovate around its women’s team.
Our experience so far is that there is a lot of positivity around women’s sport but also hesitation. Some of this comes from a fear of doing the wrong thing. This leads to the potential for rights to be warehoused. It also leads to creative work that can be vanilla and lacking in a call to action. Jeanie’s was developed so senior leaders can have the space and perspective to think about their role in this amazing ascension of women’s sport. How are they showing up and how will it benefit their organisation?
It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop work that will genuinely move forward not only the sports industry but society. With ‘’purpose’ being the word du jour for many, this makes women’s sport a
perfect option. For us, this is both a blessing and a curse.
Of course, great work will inspire and engage people around women’s sport. But often the interpretation of this, creatively, focuses on the negative and problems to be solved. Periods, ACL’s, it’s hard being a girl, body image, teenage girls falling out of sport, lack of coaches etc. These
are important topics that require focus, but we need to balance this with bringing to life the joy, fun and excitement of playing and supporting women’s sport. It is different, and those differences need to be
celebrated. There are more ways into women’s sport than approaching it through an issue – and we are excited to explore those with clients.
The game changing ideas are going to come from an understanding of the culture that is emerging around women’s sport. There are new influencers, brands, voices and media that are setting the tone and look and feel of what women’s sport is becoming. Leaning into this and listening to the fans is essential.
This is what our consultancy ‘See You At Jeanie’s’ will provide. It was founded court side at the Billie Jean King Cup with the name of the business inspired by Billie Jean’s revolutionary impact on women’s sport. It is a place where you can come to design what the future of women’s sport could look like for your organisation.
By working with ambitious partners and brands we will develop a new women’s sport marketing playbook that challenges the status quo and reflects culture and the fans. Our first client is a Barclays Women’s Super League Club looking to elevate and innovate around its women’s team
So, the time is now for a women’s sport consultancy. In this fast moving, culture defining, fan focused moment, specialised help and fresh thinking is required.
We’re in a ‘women’s sport is incredible’ era, and Jeanie’s is here for it.
Laura Weston and Jules Hilson are the founders of See You At Jeanie's and can be contacted on the following emails: