Each Wednesday the Sport for Business Women’s Sports Centre highlights wins around Ireland and the World for Women’s sport. It’s not a token nod, rather an attempt to highlight that the growth of Women’s sport is not something that will happen in the future, it’s already here. The Sport for Business Women’s Sport Centre is supported by our friends in Liberty Insurance.
NETBALL BREAKTHROUGH
Netball scored a major breakthrough in television ratings last weekend when the Final of the Fast Fives tournament was seen by 1.4 million viewers in Australia.
It couldn’t have come at a more opportune time with next year marking the start of a new five year deal putting the sport on primetime Saturday night screens on the Nine Television network.
IRISH U17’S CONTINUE ON RIGHT PATH
The Republic of Ireland U17 Women’s team set up a winter of anticipation by comfortably claiming top spot in the initial qualifying round for the 2017 European Championships this week.
A 4-1 win at Turners Cross over Iceland followed a 6-0 win over the Faroe Islands and a 2-0 win against Belarus. They now go on to the Elite Qualifying stage among the top seeds and will be looking to make it to the Finals in the Czech Republic next summer.
The 24 remaining teams are now drawn into six groups of four teams. The groups are played as one-venue mini-tournaments with the winners and the runners-up with the best record against the teams first and third in their section progressing to the finals to join the hosts in May.
TAKING A LOOK AT THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE
This infographic below from Ohio University paints a picture of where Women’s sport is at present but also where it is heading, and fast.
The media coverage figures may remain small in the major US markets but look underneath at the growth in participation and the sales increase in Women’s apparel for brands like Nike and Under Armour and you can see the clear growth path that has already been laid down.
TEAMING UP FOR WOMEN’S SPORT
Join us on November 30th and be one of 100 opinion formers standing up for Women’s sport on a half day packed with imagination and inspiration.
We will be joined by Sally Hancock, Managing Partner of Y Sport and Chair of Women in Sport in the UK, and by Minister of State for Sport Patrick O’Donovan who will outline the ambition of Government to ensure a more level playing field for Women’s sport.
Lidl and Liberty Insurance will be among those outlining why they chose to get involved as partners of Women’s sport and we will also look at a number of different ideas, including from those who are among the audience as to how we can make a real difference to Women’s Sport in 2017.
We will also have a panel of Women who are competing at the highest level to share their stories of success and what they had to overcome. These will include irish Women’s Rugby Captain Niamh Briggs and Paralympics medallist from Rio, Ellen Keane.
The Event will take place from 10am until 2pm at the Griffith College Conference Centre on Dublin’s South Circular Road on Wednesday November 30th and places are filling fast.
