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Ally proving once again they're a Day 1 for the NWSLPA. 👏 • For more stories like this, make sure you subscribe to our free, 3x-weekly sports biz newsletter: https://lnkd.in/euuiqQsj • The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Players Association (NWSLPA) and Ally agreed to a multiyear extension of their existing sponsorship deal through 2027. The recommitment comes as Ally continues to advance its 50/50 Pledge goal and further proves the viability of partnering with pro players unions in women’s sports. 🤝 • The extension aims to amplify NWSL athlete visibility and equity, specifically through the Ally Award, which allows players to select a peer who represents the perfect teammate. Ally will also help the NWSLPA fight for higher professional standards, such as improved player safety, pay, and benefits while providing access to financial tools and programming. ⚽ • Ally CMO Andrea Brimmer recently described the brand’s decision to become the NWSLPA’s first-ever sponsor after its CBA ratification as “an act of solidarity…when the players needed a demonstration of unwavering commitment to their cause.” ✊ • Recent data affirmed once again that women’s sports fans are primed to support companies that align with their values. Ally has already boosted brand affinity and consumer trust by supporting women’s sports, but by sponsoring the NWSLPA, it banks further goodwill with players and fans and helps uplift the game overall. 📈 • Even though Ally made waves with its unique NWSLPA partnership in 2022, no one else has really jumped on the bandwagon so far, leaving plenty of green field for other brands. 💰💰💰 • Which brand do you want to see invest in women's sports next, GISTers? 👇

Why is Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian Sr. investing in a women's sports bar? The Sports Bra opened in Portland two years ago. It was the first-ever sports bar that *only showed women's sports. Jenny Nguyen created it after years of not feeling at home in regular sports bars. They rarely played women's sports, and weren't always welcoming when asked to put on a game. So she thought: Maybe I should just open a bar where people like me can enjoy getting together and watching sports? It opened in April 2022, and had lines out the door from day one. Even before they opened their doors, Nguyen already started fielding calls from people in other cities asking how they could set up a similar places. Reddit co-founder Ohanian has long been a proponent of women's sports--not as a charity, but as a business opportunity. (He's one of the co-founders/co-owners of the Angel City Football Club.) This week, he announced his 776 Foundation was backing a plan to franchise the Bra (as it's called) across the country--and even around the world. (The bar has received international coverage, from Canada to New Zealand.) "The timing is right," he says, to invest in building the larger ecosystem around professional women's sports. “Do I want to make sure we have a Sports Bra franchise in Los Angeles close to the stadium for Angel City fans?" he said. "Of course.” Read more in my latest for FastCompany

Similarities between playing football and working in sports marketing. 💻⚽️👇 To celebrate being sponsored by Redtorch for my footballing antics, I’ve been thinking about how playing football actually helps with my work in sports marketing. So what similarities do these two sides of my life share? … 🥈 You win some you lose some: In football, losing is inevitable (well unless you’re Arsenal back in 03/04). The same goes for marketing. Not everything you try is going to work every time. Sometimes you can have a great strategy coupled with fantastic creative and yet you don’t get the engagement levels you thought you would. And that’s okay, so long as you learn from it and don’t let it hold back your creativity for future content. We analyse and go again! 📈 The ebb and flow of pressure: Much like the flow of a football match, sports marketing comes with periods of intense pressure (like around major event) but also ‘quieter’ periods when you get a bit of a ‘breather’ (like the off-season). What you do in the less intense periods is so important, you can never fully switch off! On the pitch, you’ve got to always be on your toes ready for the next attack - similarly in marketing, you can’t stop producing and sharing great content when outside of peak periods. You need to keep your audiences engaged year-round so they’re actively listening when your next event comes along. ✨ Fancy tricks are great… within reason: In marketing, it’s easy to get drawn into big gestures and fancy tactics but there's a time and a place to use them. Similarly in football, sometimes a flashy trick is exactly what you need to gain the edge in a game, but other times you need old reliable tactics to get the results. If it doesn’t help you achieve your goal, should you be using your energy/resources on it? 🤝 Teamwork makes the dream work: This one’s just obvious… both on the pitch and in the workplace you’re nothing without the team you have around you. Every team member plays a different role and brings their own skillset. The trick is to work out how to best utilise these individuals to maximum effect. ☕️ Finally… caffeine helps! #womeninsport #womeninfootball #womeninmarketing #womensfootball #SheMovesTheGame Women in Football Women in Sport Her Game Too

Samuel Agini at Financial Times was kind enough to include me in this super important and timely article about this once-in-a-generation business opportunity around Women's Football. My thoughts were: 1) Athletes which are in the game now are making unbelievable efforts at this stage (with low pay and insufficient funding for physical and mental support) - out of pure love and passion for the game, and are an inspiration for women all over, on and off the field. 2) This is one of those rare moments where business and impact go hand in hand with a win-win proposition: supporting the women's game in its infancy also means reaching new-untapped audiences, which are passionate and engaged. These are mom's, daughters, families that represent a whole new TAM. 3) Kudos to brands like Adobe (headline sponsors for the Women's FA cup) for coming in now. This is an authentic move which will be rewarded by young, diverse audiences that appreciate loyalty and genuine support Women's Sport should be treated like an investment in innovation, it is a long-term, passion-driven play, with a totally different risk-reward model. (p.s. thats why it is exciting!)

2023 - a new peak for women's sports: - Viewership up 28% in the UK. - Records rights deals for the WPL. - Prediction that global revenues will top £1bn this year. That's not just growth. That's a revolution! Fans will fuel the 2024 revolution. Thing we loved last year: - BOXPARK's fan experience with #WOMXNWHOPLAY - Sports Bra in Portland, USA featuring exclusively women’s sports - Baller FC's packed screenings of the World Cup Here's the real deal: It's not just about the game. It’s about: - The DIY spirit of fans - Betting on yourselves - Brands getting in early - Funding from the grassroots up Now, get a load of Set Piece Social. They’re on a mission to open the UK's first women’s sports bar. And hosted a banger of a pop-up in December to see the Lionesses pick up another win against the Netherlands. Now they’re on track to open full time later this year. Check out our latest insights drop with The Marketing Society. There is so much space for brands to win in 2024! Link below to our latest article. On the One can help your brand, club or institution’s place in all of this. Interested to hear more? Drop us a DM.

🤔 What if we looked at the fans and their unconditional love as an outstanding opportunity to promote positive change and better business in football? 🏟 Fostering positive values and emotions would only enhance fan and athlete experience, make the game more attractive to brands, and generate change. Last week's newsletter made a case for leveraging fan passion for impact and brought great samples of how it can be done. Discover it below: #football #socialimpact #fanengagement

Are you a fan, club member or even a partaker in the playing of sports? Do you feel your club or the sports body engages you enough in the game you love. Do you wish you could have more say in how a club is managed or fan issues like the design of their strip/jersey/kit. Would you like to share your memories, history or ideas with the club mascot on things like what song they should walk out to each game day? Read my latest blog on digital community engagement in sport. https://lnkd.in/gkwRKfrN #sportengagement #communityengagement #digitalengagement

What’s the benefit of being able to calculate social value? For Dream Big Sports, a social enterprise who ignite a passion for physical activity through school programmes, holiday camps and other activities, it has meant: ·       A new understanding of the difference they make; ·       An awareness of their competitors’ propositions; ·       The ability to provide clear evidence for partnerships and tenders; ·       The scope to boost brand reputation. We have loved reading their impressive Social Impact report 2022-23, revealing £2.14m social value delivered. Read the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/egKP98jX #socialvalue #sports

The WNBA achieved double-digit growth for partnership revenue this year — an all-time 27-year high. The 2023 Women’s World Cup increased prize money to $152 million, 3x more than in 2018. The women’s NCAA 2023 tournament generated 177 million impressions and $5 million+ in social value, and female athletes are garnering twice the social engagement compared to their male counterparts, despite having fewer followers on average. "Viewership, attendance, revenue, and fan demand are all up." It's time to invest more in women's sports. #linkedinsports #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz https://lnkd.in/dneTsYhG