Happy 16th Birthday, gsport! What a journey… The ups and downs, the lulls, the waiting… and then the sweet success, because we put women’s sport first and worked through it all.
gsport has come a long way since 2006 when finding information on women in sport was an extreme sport itself. In 2022, women in sport are winning gold and dominating media coverage. Everyone is talking about them. Brands are in the spotlight too… now it’s their move.
When we launched gsport all those years ago, our vision was to raise the profile of women’s sport and encourage greater support. It’s been a long journey of walking the talk, and ultimately building the value that attracts big brands.
The secret to gsport’s success has been initial self-funding, followed by consistent action. In fact, gsport took action on day one of its launch in 2006, when we presented the first ever gsport Award to 1996 double Olympic gold medallist, Penny Heyns.
So, this year, while we are only 16 years old as an initiative, we are gearing up for the 17th Momentum gsport Awards later this year. Remember to get our nominations in at gsport.co.za/nominations- You have until 9 August 2022 to do so!
In February 2021, we partnered Henley Africa Business School, to consolidate our learnings over the last 15 years, in collaboration with other leading women’s sport stakeholders, to help boost the commercialisation of women’s sport. This resulted in us producing gsport’s first ever commercial roadmap, under the guidance of Dr Julian Day, the founder of the Systemic Stairway.
This past Friday, 29 July 2022, gsport hosted its inaugural Business Breakfast, where the gsport Systemic Stairway was presented to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, to share with the rest of the country, as a gift to the industry ahead of gsport’s 16th birthday.
Over the last year, we put the gsport Systemic Stairway to the test by working to build business acumen among our team, partnering Nielsen Sports South Africa to show the value of gsport, and putting together compelling sponsorship packages that have caught the interest of big brands.
At the same time, we have reported on advancements in women’s sport in the gsport Newsroom powered by Momentum in partnership with Telkom. And judging by the progress, we can say first-hand that the gsport Systemic Stairway has been an excellent practical management tool to keep gsport on track, to keep playing our part to fully professionalise women’s sport.
None of this would be possible at gsport without sponsors. And we have attracted them because of the value built over many years, and the decision to always put women first.
Big thank you to gsport’s partners, Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Momentum, Telkom, SuperSport. Nielsen Sports South Africa, Imperial, Sasol, Brand South Africa, and Mail & Guardian.
Your belief in us drives us to deliver on our mission to close the visibility, celebrate the power of the recognition and advance women’s sport.
I can’t thank the gsport team enough. Your commitment to the cause, your red-hot delivery of content, and your absolute obsession with closing the visibility gap. I am inspired by you and love our growing girl squad at gsport.
The mission remains the same as we celebrate today: Raise the profile of women’s sport and encourage greater corporate support for our sportswomen. We are committed to playing a bigger role in ensuring our women in sport are paid.
If this is the first time you are encountering gsport, remember to get involved with the gsport community:
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel and tune in to #gsportLIVE every Monday at 7pm
Register a free membership at gsport.co.za and share your personal journey in sport
Time to eat cake and celebrate the journey! Then, back to work
Photo 1 Caption: The gsport Team pictured at the inaugural gsport Business Breakfast on Friday, 29 July 2022. Photo: gsport
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