This year, the UEFA Women's Euros will take place in Switzerland, with Sarina Wiegman's England looking to defend their title in the most hotly anticipated and high-profile edition of the tournament to date. August 2025 will see England host the 10th edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup (WRWC), and the number one world-ranked Red Roses will be hoping to lift the trophy come September.
At home, a new era of netball is on the horizon, with a bigger and better revamped Netball Super League (NSL) set to launch later this year. Additionally, The Hundred continues to go from strength to strength, with 2025's schedule set to put the nation's best female cricketers back in the spotlight this summer. Here are our predictions for marketing in women's sport for the year ahead.
A lot of noise has already been made in the industry around ticket sales for these big international tournaments this year, with both the WRWC and Euros superseding industry records.
At Sport UNLIMITED, we predict that fortune will favor the brands and rights holders who invest in campaigns that focus on who the fans of women's sport are, what motivates them emotionally, and how we can use this to drive action. Our Human Understanding Lab (HUL) allows us to do just this. Helped by some research carried out by HUL, let's look at what this means for brands and rights holders in practice.
When it comes to live sport, ticketing strategy is indeed important to get right. Research by Sport UNLIMITED and HUL confirms that lower ticket prices, greater availability, and the opportunity to watch games with friends and family are key factors that motivate sports fans to engage with women's sport in particular.
However, while ticket sales for international and domestic competitions this year already look promising, it's important not to get distracted by sell-out crowds and turnstile rotations. Opportunity in women's sport lies far beyond ticket sales, and far beyond the audiences attending the live fixtures.
According to our research, fans of women's sport value the ability to 'get behind the scenes' to really connect with female athletes, their personalities, and their lives away from the field.
Ahead of the opening kick-off, international tournaments will attract eyeballs from around the globe, as some of the world's best athletes take the spotlight - both on and off the field of play. US Olympic medallist and social media sensation Ilona Maher has ambitions for WRWC squad selection, while England soccer goalkeeper Mary Earps will no doubt keep her 1.2m TikTok followers engaged during Euro 2025.
This summer presents opportunities for other female athletes to join the likes of Maher and Earps to curate a name for themselves via their own digital platforms and through brand collaborations. Athletes can elevate their personal following, and collaborate with brands - particularly those that don't have the big budgets required for title sponsorship deals.
Additional research by Sport UNLIMITED has found that 75% of those who follow women's sport do so in a 'casual' or 'social' manner, typically centered around global tournaments. We expect this to be reflected in viewing figures this year.
Conversely, although netball is one of the most played sports by women and girls across the UK, it still lacks the level of fandom afforded to sports like football and rugby. However, this season, live coverage of the NSL will be available on Sky Sports - providing athletes, teams, and sponsors the opportunity to connect with netball fans through a new platform. As such, those in the space should tailor their approach to meet this new opportunity and work to understand this newly accessible fanbase.
The format of The Hundred also lends itself to appealing to a different 'kind' of fan. The double-headers format with men's and women's fixtures, offers cricket fans the opportunity to engage with the women's fixtures where they ordinarily might not have done, presenting an exciting opportunity for brands.
As we look ahead to 2025, CMOs in the space must grab this exciting opportunity to create clever, well-thought-out, and strategic campaigns that harness the power of individual athletes, and speak to the unique, and growing audiences that underpin women's sport - away from the pitch-side action. By truly understanding sporting audiences on a deeper, emotional level it is possible to create campaigns that resonate - and drive action.