Teamwork
the online space in the eradication of gender inequality. “I don’t really have any background in sports and haven’t ever been a sporty person, but when I saw this opportunity, it was something I knew I wanted to be a part of,” says Women in Sport campaigns and communications officer, Shanika Flanore. “Especially as a woman of colour, we are at a greater disadvantage in so many ways. This compelled me to join, as I had experienced sexism in my previous roles.” Women in Sport was established by captain of the England women’s hockey team, Anita White, and former England lacrosse captain, Professor Celia Brackenridge OBE. “Our founders started the charity based on the frustration and discrimination they endured in their own sports – and sport as a whole. “Anita was part of the England hockey squad that won the Women’s Hockey World Cup in 1975 – and felt frustrated by the total lack of event coverage. This led her to becoming a key fighter for gender equality in sport.
COME TOGETHER The entire nation united to support the Lionesses
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“Our founders started the charity based on the frustration they endured in their own sports – and sport as a whole”
“Co-founder Celia Brackenridge not only captained the GB lacrosse team, but was also inspired by the likes of tennis legend Billie Jean King, wanting to ensure that gender equality was at the forefront of the UK’s agenda,” says Flanore. A critical element to the charity’s mission is not only to think about changes specifically within sport, but how to use it as a wider tool for societal change. “With the buzz around the Women’s Euros, it has been a fantastic time for women’s sport to be public-facing – and we’ve seen a lot of conversation around how crucial it is. “Our core aim is centred on the belief that no one should miss out on the joy, life benefits and fulfilment that sport brings,” Flanore adds. KILLER CAMPAIGNING Women in Sport’s sector-leading insight is driving innovation, with programmes that provide impactful solutions to the tackling of gender inequalities, and campaigning that empowers more women and girls to be active. “A key message we wanted to spread during the Euros was the
importance of team sport,” describes Flanore. “We had the Hisense #RememberTheName campaign, as well as our work with Greene King pubs. They installed female football tables in all their venues. “We primarily used all the social media platforms to communicate our message – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. But a key thing was that the Lionesses told our story to everyone through their own social media, where they presented a team-wide element of confidence and resilience, which only worked to amplify our message.” According to statistics from Next Sports, the Uefa Women’s Euro 2022 social media content registered 1.34 billion total user impressions overall, as well as 14.3 million user engagements. Its top ten social media posts generated over 308.4 million user impressions – four times more than the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup top ten, for reference. Five of the top ten social posts (ranked by engagements) were published via England’s TikTok account. At the time of analysis, the most engaging post came before the final itself, featuring a Q&A with England striker Fran
A FITTING FINALE England v Germany was an enormous event, with a capacity crowd of 87,192 in attendance – a record for Euro finals of any gender. An estimated 17.5 million watched from home
18 FEED:XTREME SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
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