Charity Number 1153429
THE WOMEN'S SPORT TRUST - RESEARCH AND INSIGHT
The Women’s Sport Trust builds an evidence-based picture about the growth patterns & obstacles for women’s professional sport and uses this as a catalyst to encourage further development.
Our insights hub is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the evolving landscape of women’s professional sport, offering an in-depth look at audience growth, brand investment, and the key trends driving the industry forward. Our reports serve as a thought leadership resource, sparking creativity, innovation and shaping the direction of the sports industry.
WOMEN'S SPORT - VISIBILITY
We monitor women’s sport visibility regularly, including publishing an end of year review. Our latest reports:
Feb 2025 – A full review of 2024, inc cross platform consumption, gender parity of coverage, global benchmarking, era of the female athlete, and growth opportunities 2025.
Oct 2024 – Reflecting on the summer of sport, including a review of the Olympics & Paralympics on Social Media
June 2024 – A Jan – May visibility update Jan-May update including women’s football, rugby and other key events.
Feb 2024 – A full review of 2023, inc new viewership, audience trends, and views from industry experts.
Previous visibility reports by year:
Other visibility projects:
April 2021 – The Women’s Sport Trust report that exposed the lack of data on women’s sports visibility, prompting us to begin consistent public monitoring.
2023-2025 – O2, Rugby Football Union and Women’s Sport Trust are collaborating to deliver a long-term study into the visibility of the England women’s rugby team ‘the Red Roses’.
2023 – Women’s Sport Trust report into media coverage for women’s football in the 2022/23 season, prepared for Google Pixel
WOMEN'S SPORT - COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPE
March 2025 (OPINION) – ROI | Translating bold forecasts into sustainable returns – without losing sight of what makes women’s sport valuable
December 2024 – Discover how brands are making decisions around what they sponsor and how they activate their properties in women’s sport.
July 2023 – An evaluation of the current landscape and future opportunities for the sponsorship of women’s sport.
August 2023 – The opportunity for women’s golf to capitalise on its highly engaged fanbase and bring new sponsors to the sport.
April 2021 – Our first visibility report, focusing on the commercial drivers for women’s sport.
WOMEN'S SPORT - FANDOM
Oct 2024 – Women’s Professional League Ltd (WPLL) Fan Report, shared publicly as part of our visibility webinar.
November 2023 – BBC Sport’s research into women’s sport fandom, shared publicly as part of our visibility webinar.
June 2023 – Research in partnership with The R&A focuses on the needs of committed women’s sports fans.
April 2022 – In partnership with Two Circles, UK Sport, The FA, The ECB and The RFU research on developing habit.
WOMEN'S SPORT - GENERAL STRATEGY
2023-2024 – An insight-led approach to understanding female athletes’ social ambitions and barriers to engagement, in partnership with UK Sport. (Report not public)
2023 – WST and The R&A report into committed fandom was launched at the AIG Women’s Open. The partnership also offered consultancy re. gender parity and engagement across social platforms and how to deepen connections with golf-specific fans. (Report not public)
January 2021 – A groundbreaking digest of industry-wide discussions with leaders during the pandemic. This report introduced a bold strategy for change, providing a framework to inspire leadership and guidance to spark creative solutions.