A report from Foxtel Media and Gemba reveals that brands that sponsor women’s sports garner greater levels of trust from the Australian public.
The Shifting the Goal Posts report states that 6.6 million Australians engage with women’s sports, with 41% indicating they are more engaged with women’s leagues than they were five years ago. The report also found that regular spectators of women’s sports have significant levels of sponsorship recall with 82% of fans recalling at least one major brand.
Katherine Frost, Foxtel Media’s Brisbane Sales Director, said, “It’s evident that the future of women’s sporting leagues in Australia is in the hands of broadcasters and brands. Our report shows that brands have an opportunity to help achieve gender parity as we lift up the next generation of female athletes and sports fans.
At Foxtel Media, we are committed to supporting and promoting women’s sport as a leading broadcaster in this Australia and look forward to continuing our work with valued partners in creating exciting advertising experiences that elevate the whole of the women’s sports market.”
The report revealed that the recall of naming rights sponsors for female leagues is still only 27% of that of men’s leagues. Gemba attributes this to inequity in recognition of persistent inequity in investment, with female sports sponsorship still representing only 12% of that of male sports. This research identifies this disparity as an opportunity for brands to build sponsorship and brand awareness during this period of increased awareness of women’s sporting competitions.
Andrew Goodieson, Head of Insights at Gemba, said, “Gemba is passionate about all sports and we aspire to a world where all sporting leagues are treated equally. We hope this research will help debunk some of the myths that have previously held brands back from investing in women’s sports and show that there is a strong business case for immediate involvement.
Well-established leagues like the AFL and NRL have been nurtured and reinvested in for almost a century and that directly contributes to their popularity. We believe that women’s sports can get there too- they just need the right resources and the backing of savvy brands.”
The report will be discussed at the Women In Sport Summit hosted by the Ministry of Sport later this week.