Women’s sport is stuck in what industry insiders are calling a “tricky second album moment,” and brands are largely to blame for the stagnation.
A panel at SXSW London brought together former Lioness Jill Scott, Red Roses winger Jess Breach, and founder Amy Drucquer to examine the question of where women’s sport goes from here.
Campaigns built on hollow slogans are doing nothing to move the needle, with Adidas declaring “you got this” and Pepsi promoting messaging around being “thirsty for more.”
Georgia Bridgwood, strategy partner at MSQ Sport + Entertainment, argues these platitudes are not just ineffective but actively harmful to the progress of the sport.
“At best, it’s empty. At worst, it’s patronising and offensive,” Bridgwood wrote, capturing a frustration felt widely across the industry.
Marketing departments are accused of tidying up language and calling it strategy, using short-termism and complexity as excuses to avoid doing the harder work required.
The gap between international tournament success and club-level engagement remains one of the most urgent and visible problems facing women’s sport today.
Breach described the stark reality of that disconnect after last summer’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final, which drew a crowd of 81,000 people to the stadium.
“Two weeks later I was running out in front of 500 for Saracens. Where did everyone go?” Breach said, highlighting just how quickly momentum evaporates without sustained investment.
Scott echoed that experience from her years in the game, noting a familiar pattern of brands committing only when the spotlight is brightest.
“What usually happens is that before a tournament we work with a big brand, but then once that tournament has finished, they’re gone,” Scott said.
Women’s club sport continues to be treated as secondary at almost every touchpoint, from venues and scheduling to broadcast coverage and promotional fanfare.
The self-fulfilling cycle Bridgwood identifies is particularly damaging, where a lack of excitement keeps fans away, which in turn generates even less excitement and fewer attendees.
Arsenal are cited as a rare and genuine exception, credited with showing up for their women’s team not just through stylish kit launches but through practical fan initiatives.
The club organises coaches for supporters travelling to matches and puts on a parade bus to celebrate trophies, incentivising attendance rather than undermining it.
The conclusion is clear: brands and clubs must stop riding the wave of international tournament success and instead dive into the messier, longer-term work of building the club game.