In recent years, women’s sport has surged in prominence and recognition, fuelled by record-breaking wins and athletes pushing boundaries to redefine what’s possible.
Last year showed just how far the momentum has come, with milestone victories across multiple sports. The Lionesses defended their UEFA Women’s Euro title. In rugby, England’s Red Roses took a record-breaking Rugby World Cup win, their first title in over a decade. In darts, Beau Greaves defeated world champion Luke Littler to win the World Youth Championship, securing her rise as a female talent aged just 21.
On the tee, British golfer Lottie Woad, also at 21, took the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open title while Olympic champion Hannah Mills helped the British SailGP team achieve the $2m (£1.5m) global racing series title, adding another milestone to her already impressive career.
“As a country, we always like it when sports do well. And recently we’ve seen some amazing achievements for women, so many successes,” says Shona Goodlad, Head of Sales Mid-Market Existing Accounts at Sky Business.
Successes showcased on Sky Sports underline how powerful that momentum has become. And of course, it plays out in pubs where fans gather to experience sport together – from the collective highs and lows of anticipation and celebration to commiseration, all reinforce loyalty to both the venue and the sport.
Sky has steadily positioned itself as a major driver of gender equality across the wider sports landscape. Its efforts span workplace equality, industry-wide advocacy, investment in women’s sport and collaboration with organisations championing women. And the data shows why this matters: a 2024 poll found that 55% of girls feel inspired to participate in sport when they see professional female athletes.¹ Insights like these, bolstered by broadcast reach and partnerships aimed at supporting grassroots participation, inform Sky’s approach.
Goodlad believes Sky have done a great job in improving female representation.
“From thinking about female presenters on camera to how much women’s sport we’re showing, we’ve really pushed, promoted and encouraged women – and now it’s paying dividends.
“Women’s sport is incredibly popular today. We were ahead of the game – we got in there early.”
Championing diversity
With International Women’s Day (Sunday 8 March) championing women across all industries and backgrounds, it’s an opportunity to reflect on what still needs to change. What’s clear is that equity matters from a young age. Research suggests one in three girls experience sexist comments in sport; one in five say schools only offer a boys’ football team; and nearly half feel uncomfortable changing for PE.² How do we collectively close this gap?
“It’s about striving for 50-50,” says Goodlad. “Whether or not you’ve felt disadvantaged, moving towards equality means supporting others, it’s about representing and role modelling.
“Women don’t need to talk more loudly and do more. It’s not about deficiency – listening is an important contribution. It’s knowing that by being in the room, it’s better for the room. Everybody gets more out of it.
“Championing diversity can mean showing up differently and believing that it makes a better outcome – and that’s better for business. I’ve really seen that shine through at Sky.”
The sports broadcaster is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities it serves. It supports women’s progression on multiple levels – through recruitment activity, networking, sponsorship and development programmes. Sky remains the UK’s largest investor in women’s sports coverage, contributing to increased visibility across a wealth of disciplines.
“Inclusivity is part of our DNA at Sky,” says Goodlad. “Our engagement surveys continually assess women’s sense of safety in speaking up and having equal opportunities. As a manager, having your team know that you’re putting value and importance here is key, too. We’re always on an improvement curve.”
Pubs as inclusive spaces
Supporting women at all career stages calls for a joined-up approach across hospitality, sport and media to expand meaningful opportunities and elevate women’s sport. Within that, pubs have a unique chance to turn visibility into community‑level impact.
“I love seeing pubs support local teams,” says Goodlad. “Supporting grassroots community football and local sports is something we do a lot of a Sky. Pubs can really get involved – sponsoring kids football teams, for example, and knowing how many of those are girls’ teams. And it works on many layers – more families coming in, more staff engagement, more customer participation and fuller venues.”
Supporting women better in pub venues and in the workplace is not an “overnight fix”, adds Goodlad. Leadership roles are often male dominated so it’s about taking steps to improve representation and create safe spaces for women.
“Hospitality is such an energetic and agile industry. It’s done a tremendous amount for women in the last decade to create safe, inclusive spaces and workplaces where women not only want to work but know there’s a pathway to leadership.
“We can help women by asking what else can we do for them. Do they need a mentor, for example? Many people have helped me in my career and doing that for others is important to me. It’s like a ‘pay-it-forward’ so that women can be successful and they can be safe.”
Sharing perspectives and paying it forward
Driving equity and creating space for inclusion at Sky Business includes a raft of employee networks and events designed to promote inclusivity in a workplace where women are supported, visible and empowered. Women@Sky supports women through career development, networking, mentorship and initiatives that promote work-life balance; the Get into Tech network opens pathways for women into technology careers by providing access, training and opportunities in areas where they have traditionally been underrepresented.
“Our networks allow people to experience and understand the perspective of their wider team and leaders and managers are encouraged to join multiple groups. Being part of something that isn’t about you is okay because you will learn new things,” says Goodlad.
“You might say the wrong thing sometimes but hopefully you’ll say more of the right thing. And that’s important because it’s easy to send people out with a polished message but it’s often less meaningful than speaking candidly.”
Goodlad’s team is also planning a calendar of events that focus on key issues affecting women and align with internal work at Sky.
“We identify what’s worked well, then share these initiatives with our customers to inspire conversations because what we take for granted as being normal at Sky isn’t necessarily the case elsewhere. Introducing an initiative into a business can make a positive impact for years to come. It’s about fostering that long-term view and encouraging an authentic voice,” Goodlad says.
“Last year we had a fantastic mix of people and some even left with a mentor from a completely different sector. The aim is for them to take everything back to their workplace and be inspired to make small but positive changes.”
Keeping the “drumbeat going” is a really important conversation, says Goodlad. “Having engaging conversations with a mix of people and deciding how we scale that across different sectors is key. We have a great opportunity here at Sky to do that.”
For International Women’s Day this year, Goodlad is thinking more widely about inclusivity – which events she’ll be involved in, as well as those she’ll encourage other women to join.
“It’s hard to fit everything into a single day – we call it International Women’s Month to spread it out. But I like to honour the day itself and take a moment to reflect how amazing women are. Last year [on International Women’s Day] I played netball after work – something for me – and realised I’d been surrounded by brilliant women all day. I took a quick selfie of ‘sweaty old me’ after the match thinking – this is me, celebrating International Women’s Day.”
Her advice to others champions a ‘just be yourself, find your way” philosophy: “Be your own version of a great manager – take some bits from over here and some from over there. It’s okay to climb the ladder in a different way. I don’t get it right all the time but you want to be able to look back and be proud of your decisions and how you showed up.”
Much like in sport and in hospitality.
References
1. Beyond Sport. March 2024.
