Women’s sport has entered a new era of visibility, belief, and unstoppable momentum. Record audiences, landmark sponsorships and transformative broadcast deals have rewritten what’s possible. The rise of women’s sport hasn’t just been about what’s happening on the pitch; it’s been about the stories being told off it. The next leap forward will include rights deals and marketing budgets and also something increasingly more powerful – the voices of athletes themselves.
Athletes are redefining what leadership looks like, standing up for equality, inclusion, and mental health; challenging stereotypes; and using their platforms to drive change far beyond their sport. These are not side stories, they are the story. They are what inspire fans, shape culture, and turn participation into passion.
When we talk about the “value” of women’s sport, this is what we’re really talking about: authenticity, connection, and purpose – qualities that audiences trust and brands can’t replicate.
Female athlete research
Our experience and research* shows that female athletes aren’t just motivated by performance; they’re driven to give back. In fact, 72% of elite female athletes say they want to make an impact within society, yet only 39% feel they know how. Their priorities are clear: the growth of women and girls’ sport (57%), participation (52%), and mental health and wellbeing (45%) top the list, alongside body image (30%) and inclusion (25%). That instinct to lift others doesn’t detract from commercial ambition, it enhances it, creating value that lasts.
Sport at its best changes how people see the world. When athletes share their experiences (the real highs, the hard lessons, the personal purpose behind the performance) they make that change tangible. They spark conversations about belonging, representation, fairness, and resilience. They show that sport isn’t just entertainment, it’s a platform for empathy, progress and hope. And that’s why supporting athletes to use their voices isn’t an optional extra – it’s one powerful way that sport fulfils its social potential.
The power of Unlocked
At the Women’s Sport Trust, we’ve seen this power up close. Through our Unlocked programme, we’ve watched athletes grow into changemakers, confident, connected, and clear on the difference they want to make. And with the launch of the latest Unlocked programme, we’re seeing that power renewed. This new cohort of athletes brings fresh voices, diverse experiences, and bold ambitions.
The growth of women’s professional sport depends on continued commercial investment, and rightly so. Bigger budgets, stronger sponsorships and broadcast deals are vital to take the game to the next level. But this movement has always been about more than revenue; it’s about what that investment enables.
Our experience shows that female athletes don’t just want to benefit from that growth, they want to be part of driving it. Their instinct to give back, to use their profile for progress, is a force that amplifies everything commercial investment makes possible.
When purpose and profit move in the same direction, women’s sport doesn’t just grow, it transforms. And athletes are at the heart of it.
* Previously unpublished WST research, commissioned by UK Sport with support from Think Beyond, surveyed 253 elite female athletes (national, international or equivalent level), competing or retired, from the UK and over the age of 18, about their thoughts and experiences on social impact / making a difference. The survey ran from July – August 2023.