Sport is a powerful, unifying force that brings people together, evokes a sense of community and rallies us all behind a common goal. But there’s an elephant in the room: men tend to receive more of the investment, resources and spotlight. As the FIFA Women’s World Cup wraps up — marking the Canadian National Soccer Team’s eighth consecutive appearance — there’s so much we can reflect on to understand how far we’ve come and the barriers that still exist in achieving equity on the playing field for women in sport. Plus, how this translates into building a better working world for all.
I sat down with former Canadian National Team players, Diana Matheson and Melanie Booth during the EY Gameday: where sport meets business panel hosted by sportscaster, Kayla Grey, to explore the current state of soccer in Canada, how to encourage greater inclusion in the game and how athletic skills become interchangeable when people enter the workplace and boardroom. From investment, infrastructure, mentorship and everything in between, there were three powerful takeaways that these outstanding female role models shared to unite businesses around the future of women’s sport.
Accelerating the movement
The Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team has been turning heads since 2012 – a season that helped to redefine the sport and win over hearts in Canada as the team clenched bronze at the Olympics over France. Yet, more than a decade later, Canada still doesn’t have a professional women’s soccer league. This may not sound uncommon, but it is. In fact, Canada is one of only two countries in the 2023 Women’s World Cup that doesn’t have a league. A surprising stat, given Canada has the third highest player pool for soccer in the world for girls and women.
The good news is, we’re making progress. Statistics show that the last Women’s World Cup had 1.1 billion views around the world, and this year, it’s expected to reach 2 billion. Here in Canada, a poll by Ipsos found more people plan to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup than the Men’s event last year.
Women’s sport is undergoing a transformative change. Clearly, we have the talent. We have role models — elite women athletes who have paved the way for the current generation. And we certainly have the fan base. Now is the time to make the investment to see the momentum through.
Matheson is doing just that. She’s the powerful force behind Project 8, which is on a mission to establish a women’s professional soccer league founded on the principles of inclusion, community and identity. But this movement cannot be siloed. It must operate in tandem with other initiatives that build an idealist environment and sustainable pipeline that continue to attract the prospects, supporters and investment needed to realize Canada’s full potential.
Rallying Canada’s business community around the change
The sad reality is that 1-in-3 girls drop out of sports by late adolescence. Purpose-driven measures need to be put in place so that we have an attractive sporting environment to keep young girls in the game all the way to the big leagues, just as we do for boys and men. While sponsorship and ad dollars are key, there’s much more the business community can be doing to invest long-term and build up this ecosystem to compete on the world stage.
1. Create an accessible environment. Canada needs greater infrastructure and support systems that allow for the development of athletes. The establishment of fields, training grounds and stadiums are often overlooked for women’s teams. In the same breath, sport is becoming increasingly expensive. Cost is a major barrier to growing participation, and this only intensifies among disadvantaged groups. As a Project 8 founding partner, Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program has done a successful job at helping families to overcome financial and accessibility barriers, while providing the tools and equipment needed to create more inclusive play for kids of all backgrounds and abilities.
2. Support the transition from athlete to civilian. Support systems must continue as women enter the workplace. Having diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programs that allow them to take the time they need to train and be successful — both as an athlete and business professional — will help to keep more women achieve their long-term sporting ambitions, while feeling a true sense of purpose and belonging in the workplace. Through the You Belong campaign, EY’s Gabriella Doueihy shares how the firm’s supportive environment gave her the flexibility needed to balance her passion for swimming and maintain a full-time job, allowing her to propel to the Olympic stage, twice.
More broadly in the community, the EY Women Athletes Business Network supports women athletes who have outstanding leadership potential and provides guidance on how to translate their accomplishments in the sporting world to business excellence. Mentees can expand their network with business leaders, entrepreneurs and other elite athletes, while learning the skills they need to succeed in business.
3. Ensure there’s a representative ecosystem. Diversity needs to be visible on and off the field. Behind every sports team there are owners, coaches, medical staff, sportscasters and the list goes on. Ensuring there’s representation across the full ecosystem is key to ensuring policies are equitable, role models are visible and post-retirement careers are available for women athletes.
Building the long-term business case
Many of the traits that make good leaders are learned in sport. Sport builds a competitive mindset. It helps prepare you to accept losses while celebrating the wins. It teaches you when to pass the ball or when to hang on. It builds skills like collaboration, teaming, confidence, discipline, resilience and more — not to mention the immense health and wellbeing benefits.
Through sport, these important life lessons can be taught to children at a young age, and ultimately help to foster success later in their lives at work and beyond. If only half of the population are actively involved in sports, there’s big gap being unaddressed. Businesses must play a role in ensuring there’s a welcoming environment for all, fostering a sense of belonging so everyone feels empowered to continue their sporting ambitions.
This Women’s World Cup came with a clear message: better is only getting started. There are endless possibilities when we persevere, innovate and think bigger, together. Collectively, we play a role in strengthening Canada’s position as a global leader in sport and equity.
