We will be dropping by to the Women’s Sport Hour (#WSportHour) on twitter this evening between 9pm and 10pm when the conversation turns towards the question of whether funding for Women’s sport is on a level playing field.
The regular monthly twitter conversation, managed by Sharon Hutchinson of Sportswomen.ie draws in an audience from across multiple sports and interests. This month’s conversation is supported by Sport for Business member Pledge Sports.
The question is one to which the answer may well come from your own starting perspective.
Over 40 years ago in the United States the decision was taken that all public funding of programmes at University level had to be blind to gender. That of course made perfect sense but it caused a storm when it dawned on people that all programmes included those involving sport.
Save the Date of November 30th for the 2017 Sport for Business Women in Sport Conference at UCD.
Title IX took decades to really find its feet but it has proven to be a real boon for women’s sport.
At Olympic Games, there is also no allowance for anything other than a 50:50 split when it comes to men and women. Sports looking to gain admittance to the Olympics, including most recently Rugby and Golf had to cater for men and women on an equal basis.
There is a way to go before that level of equality is made real in Ireland but the momentum is there and it will happen over time.
Arguments that it is the men’s game that attracts the biggest audience and therefore the biggest income have to be addressed in professional sports such as Rugby and Soccer while Gaelic Games still has the additional challenge of being managed separately by different organisations themselves based on gender.
Sponsorship has grown substantially for Women’s Sport over the last five years, a fact made real by the investment of companies like Liberty Insurance, Aon, Continental Tyres, Lidl, TG4, Vhi, Littlewoods, AIB and many more.
We look forward to contributing to the conversation this evening.
