UEFA women's Euro 2025 highlights why we must invest in gender parity to redefine women’s sports

In 2019, I took my then six-year-old daughter, a keen footballer, to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Nice. She asked, "Why are there so many empty seats?" It was difficult to explain the economics and market failures in women's sports to a child.

Fast forward to 2022, we watched the UEFA Women’s Euro finals in London, with a sold-out stadium capacity of 87,192. It was a very different experience and exactly the one I wanted for my daughter, with England's victory an added bonus.

We are at a pivotal point for women's sports. In London, I sensed this shift. Year on year, women's sports are gaining visibility, viability and engagement. Interest and demand are surging from elite levels down to grassroots.

Major women's sporting events are now featured in prime-time broadcasts, with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 breaking global records with nearly 2 billion viewers. Global revenue for women's sports is projected to reach $2.35 billion in 2025 – an 80% growth from the previous year.

At the same time, women's sports are becoming more accessible than ever before, with streaming platforms fostering loyal and highly engaged fan bases. Participation at the grassroots level is on the rise due to investments in youth and community sports.

Yet, despite this momentum, structural inequalities persist. Only 15% of sports coverage spotlights women's sports. In 2023, only one in four leadership positions in international sports federations were held by women. Meanwhile at grassroots level, girls are twice as likely as boys to drop out of school sports when they become teenagers. Pay and reward disparities remain vast at the professional level.

Why does gender equality in sport matter so much? As the former human rights ambassador for the UK, the answer is obvious to me. Striving for gender parity in sport is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do.

Beyond the physical and mental health benefits, the skills that young athletes develop on pitch – such as leadership, teamwork, self-confidence and the ability to handle both success and failure – are transferable off pitch, and into the workplace.

Confident women drive social and economic wealth. It’s revealing that 94% of C-suite women executives have played sports in their formative years.

So, where do we begin? We need to make women's sports more visible and viable. We need to dispel myths, and shift perceptions.

First, win the argument that investing in gender equality in sport pays off. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap 2025 report, achieving parity will take 123 years. While not explicitly explored, this gap is probably even wider in the realms of sports. The arguments for investing in gender parity across the economy are well-rehearsed. There is no reason to believe this wouldn’t hold true for the sports sector.

Second, challenge the assertion that opportunity and investment parity are unachievable as the women's game does not attract the same level of funding and sponsorship as the men's game. This argument inherently assumes that there is equality in opportunity and a fair playing field. Yet, the reality is quite different.

From elite competitions to grassroots initiatives, the men's team is generally perceived as the premier product, influencing decisions on investment, sponsorship, scheduling and facilities. We must end the cyclical notion that women's sports must first attract greater audiences to secure greater sponsorship, investment and prime scheduling. Without increased funding and favourable scheduling, attracting interest and audiences is considerably harder. Sports that have broken this cycle are now reaping the rewards.

Third, design a sports ecosystem that works for women. It requires addressing barriers from grassroots to elite levels, responding to dropout and participation, tackling online and offline harassment, as well as designing facilities and kits. And yes, we should discuss the impracticality of white shorts and necessity for more sports footwear specifically designed for women.

Unequal investment and visibility over decades have created gaps that require structural change, new commercial investment models, innovative media strategies and bold leadership to close. This transformation is already under way, and with increased data and analysis, can be accelerated.

Fourth, don't shy away from a dialogue about fair pay for men and women. Whilst this remains challenging, progress is being made. National sports bodies in Australia – from football, cricket to tennis – are shifting towards equal base pay, while Spain’s women's national football team now receives the same percentage of bonuses as the men’s team for participating in international competitions. And thanks to the tireless campaigning by Billy Jean King and others, tennis is setting the standard for equal prize money for men and women in the major Grand Slams.

Fifth, leadership matters. We need to engage with organizations that have the power to reshape the sporting landscape. This requires leadership within sports governing bodies, both national and international, as well as across sponsors, media and public partners. Focused efforts in Australia’s sports sector have delivered more progress in gender parity in the past 10 years than in the previous 100 years, with significant strides in equal pay and visibility. The Matildas, Australia’s national women's football team, are closing the gap to becoming the country’s most popular sports team.

In the United States, interest and engagement in women's basketball and football are growing rapidly. In the United Kingdom, women's sports broadcasting is increasingly accessible, with balanced panels for coverage. Stadiums are full for major sports events, attracting new audiences without taking away from the men's game. In Brazil, women's football is on the rise, with increased investment and fan engagement, especially following the success of players like Marta.

The quiet revolution in women's sports is happening. The global women's sports market is projected to grow to $256.67 billion by 2030 from $145 billion in 2023. It’s time for women's sports to occupy this space, no longer as a side event or afterthought to the men's games.

With Switzerland hosting the UEFA Women’s Euro throughout July, the excitement is building. As the host of over 100 international sporting federations, it’s timely to ask, what will it take, and how do we get there? It’s an open goal we cannot afford to miss.