Iwd Shorts: Lancashire Cricket, Saints, NFL
To mark International Womens Day we have taken a look around the industry to see how its being celebrated…
Lancashire Cricket has launched its No Boundaries campaign in collaboration with its official hotel partners, Hilton, and Lancashire Thunder, the club’s women’s side.
The new campaign will focus on ‘breaking down barriers and offering the best possible support to female athletes within the Thunder playing squad.’
With funding provided by Hilton, the club will create bespoke education and support packages which will allow the Lancashire Thunder players to ‘fulfil their potential and enjoy playing cricket.’
Two new Thunder-specific roles have been created following Hilton’s funding which will allow the squad increased access to their own sports doctor and a nutritionist – who both specialise in the health of female athletes.
The club will also be setting up a number of workshops for the Thunder squad which will take a focus on health areas specific to female athletes such as the menstrual cycle, bone health, breast health, sports-bra fitting and footwear.
Premier League football club Southampton FC has partnered female football supporter’s organisation Her Game Too, which aims to tackle sexism in sport.
The partnership will see the south coast team create a dedicated female supporters’ group for Southampton FC fans, ‘providing a safe space for female fans to come together and share the matchday experience.’
The partnership has been announced alongside news that the Southampton FC Women has reported a 454% growth in women’s game attendance and a 180% growth in women’s season ticket holders since last year.
Discussing the new partnership, Jasmine Newberry, Saints’ Her Game Too ambassador, said, “As a lifelong Southampton fan, season ticket holder, and general admirer of the beautiful game, it’s amazing to have the club officially backing the #HerGameToo campaign. Football is a game for all – and I’m looking forward to working with the club to promote this message, educate others on what it means, and develop true inclusivity for fans, aspiring footballers, and the women’s team. Everyone deserves to feel safe, welcome, and accepted in football. It’s Her Game Too.”
NFL franchises, the New York Jets and Chicago Bears, have launched the inaugural Jets and Bears NFL Girls Flag league, the first UK all girls’ competition of its kind.
The initiative will aim to ‘overcome barriers in activity and to increase access to sport for young girls.’
Starting from the 20th of April, the inaugural league will see girls aged 12-14 compete in two conferences of six teams each (twelve teams total) across five weeks in Ealing.
Dr. Victor Thompson, Sports and Clinical Psychologist, commented, “The launch of this new league will help girls foster a can-do mindset within a supportive team environment and community. The game brings a great social atmosphere, where everyone works together to plan and execute winning plays, building outputs that include life-long psychological skills in strategy, communication, resilience, and can promote healthy mental wellbeing for the future.”
Premier League football club West Ham United’s men’s first team have marked International Women’s Day (IWD) by paying tribute to the inspirational women in their lives.
In commemoration of the day, the side celebrated the impact of notable women from their own lives, wearing bespoke training tops with their respective names on the back ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 first leg tie with AEK Larnaca.
Fifteen members of the squad paid tributes to their mothers, including captain Declan Rice, Nayef Aguerd and Pablo Fornals. Striker Michail Antonio, meanwhile, picked out 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams as his inspirational figure.
Lewes FC, the first and only club in the world to pay its male and female players the same salary, has partnered with The English Soap Company.
The vegan soap manufacturer based in East Sussex has a senior management team that is more than 50% female, with gender equality set to become a key theme throughout the partnership.
Oliver Butts, Managing Director of The English Soap Company, said, “We are thrilled to be sponsoring three female players and the manager at Lewes FC. It’s the only club in the world to have a zero gender pay gap and is setting a fantastic example for the sporting and corporate world.
“My company shares the same values, so we are delighted to be supporting the club in this way. We also want to set an example to fellow businesses, supporters of Lewes FC and our customers that we should be assisting organisations that practise and promote equality.”
