The BBC has signed up to broadcast every game in next summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The decision puts the tournament on a level never previously seen and continues the massive strides made in turning Women’s sport on to mainstream audiences.
In 2011the BBC broadcast the quarter final of the tournament in which England were playing and attracted an audience that was bigger than watched any single game in that season’s Premier League.
Stepping up to full coverage of the tournament is an inevitable advance and one that continues a trend towards coverage of major events, regardless of gender.
The Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 will be gender blind, as they always have been and in a summer where there is no major international sports gathering from the big four in broadcast terms of Olympics, FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championships or Rugby World Cup the choice is a natural one for the BBC.
Coverage will be taken largely from an international feed and it will not (yet) be as big a budget production as was seen in Rio earlier this year for the Men’s tournament but that is in many ways beside the point.
It fills a gap for the broadcaster, giving them opportunities to drive commercial revenue from the schedule. It creates a sense of occasion for the England team that will compete, raising their profile and creating a greater sense that sport is for all.
In those two accomplishments alone the decision is a right one.
The Republic of Ireland missed out on qualification behind Germany and Russia but finished well clear of group rivals Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
