Allison Sandmeyer-Graves has always believed that there was a strong enthusiasm for women’s sport in Canada and now she has proof. CEO of Canadian Women and Sport, she chaired a panel of influential people in women’s sport who unveiled the results of a study commissioned by the organization.
Among other things, the report entitled The time has come. Banking on the power of female professional sports fans reveals that two-thirds of Canadians aged 13 to 65 — or about 17 million people — consider themselves fans of women’s sports.
“If we want to convince Canadian companies to make decisions with confidence, relying on this Canadian data can really make a difference,” Sandmeyer-Graves said, noting that all existing data on women’s sports comes from the United States.
“Knowing with confidence that certain trends seen elsewhere in the world are happening here, but even more knowing that 17 million Canadians are fans of women’s sports will allow these companies to make decisions or develop strategies with confidence. »
This study, commissioned in partnership with IMI Consulting, was carried out in October 2023 with more than 2,000 Canadian respondents aged 13 to 65.
It also reveals that two in five Canadians consider themselves to be “sports enthusiasts” and that they regularly watch elite or professional women’s sport. These events include the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the Women’s Soccer World Cup.
Record attendance at the Bell Center
Six in ten sports fans said businesses should do more to support women’s sports in the country, and four in ten sports fans said they would be more supportive of businesses involved in the development of women’s sports.
The research was conducted by IMI Consulting and presented by Canadian Tire, with support from Women and Gender Equality Canada. It was overseen by a group of advisors from Women and Sport Canada made up of people from media, business and sports properties.
“From the start, initiatives like ‘Now is the time’ were aimed at investors,” noted Allison Sandmeyer-Graves. We heard that social support [envers le sport professionnel féminin] has always been strong. It’s the right thing to do, but professional sports is a business. So we need to talk to business leaders. We need to present information that is relevant to them in order to invite them into the conversation. »
The results of this study were revealed two days after the Bell Center hosted a Professional Women’s Hockey League game in front of 21,105 spectators, a new mark surpassing the 19,285 people who attended a game of the LPHF on February 16, at Scotiabank Arena.
Jayna Hefford, Hockey Hall of Famer and LPHF vice-president of hockey operations, believes the league’s successes five months into operations are due to the business people working behind the scenes .
“We are on the same wavelength on the way forward, which is to disrupt the established order in many ways, to be open to doing things differently, to not be caught in the framework that we know professional sports, she said. But at the same time, to keep the traditions of the sport and not change the way of playing it, while remaining on the lookout for ways to be different. »
“When you have passionate, dedicated people, you can accomplish a lot in a short time. »