Sky Sports is proud to support the Equal Sport Project, which aims to accelerate progress towards equality across sport through five shared ambitions.
The Equal Sport project unites UK sport behind five common ambitions for women and men across sport – from local leisure centers to the biggest stadiums, and from grassroots grounds to boardrooms.
Major sports organizations from across the UK sporting landscape – including the FA, RFU, Youth Sport Trust, England Netball, UK Sport, LTA, Women’s Sport Trust, Women in Sport, Team GB and Sport England – have made specific pledges to drive progress and help turn these ambitions into reality. Brands and broadcasters are also playing their part, signaling growing support for the movement across the wider sports industry.
The rest of the industry is also being asked to pledge support and pledges as the project looks to gain momentum in the coming months and years.
The launch of the project comes at a time when the momentum of women’s sports has never been stronger; participation is growing, audiences are growing and investments are accelerating.
But it also recognizes that progress remains deeply uneven and that significant inequalities remain in all areas of the sports system – from community and school sport to the highest levels.
Research published earlier this year by Sporting Insights found that less than 1 per cent of women working in sport believe gender equality has been achieved across the industry, while more than half believe they are paid less than men for performing the same role.
Women’s sports also continue to receive a disproportionately small share of media coverage, accounting for about 9 percent of sports broadcast coverage on major channels and 8 percent of prime-time sports coverage. Meanwhile, gender attitudes are rising, with 41 percent of boys admitting that some sports are for boys and nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of girls want to be more active; confidence, body image, unequal facilities and gender stereotypes continue to present barriers to participation.
From commitment to action
Recognizing that there are already multiple priorities across the sector, Equal Sport Project has identified five specific areas where collective leadership, investment and action will have the greatest impact and calls on the whole system to get behind them.
These are:
- Equal access to sport for girls at school
- Importance, scope and equal income for women’s sport
- An equal workforce across the sport
- Governance structures redesigned for equity
- Equal access to sports facilities
This project is a call to action that Sky is proud to support.
“For more than 30 years, Sky has supported women’s sport.” Sky Sports CEO Johnathan Licht wrote on LinkedIn.
“Today, we are the UK’s leading investor in women’s sporting rights, investing in its growth and giving female athletes a platform on the biggest stage.
“But visibility is only part of the story. Lasting change means breaking down the barriers that prevent girls from having the same opportunities to play, participate and stay in sport.
“Our game-changing research found that girls in the UK miss out on 280 million hours of sport each year. This is a gap we are determined to help close.
“That’s why I’m proud that Sky is pledging its support for the Equal Sport Project. We will continue to use our investment, platforms, partnerships and knowledge to grow women’s sport, going beyond broadcasting to create more opportunities for girls to participate.
“Through initiatives including the Alessia Cup and our wider Game Changing work, we are focused on turning visibility into participation and helping to create lasting change for women and girls in sport.
“There is much more to do and more to come from us on this soon. Collaboration across the industry will be critical if we are to break down these barriers and close the gap.”