Women in Sports Media
News
BSU champions female representation in Sports Media
Tuesday, 25 February, 2025One of our new courses, Sports Media Production, were recently invited to have a conversation with ITV about women in sports, considering the upcoming Women’s Euros in Switzerland.
Although the coverage of women in sport has widely grown in recent years, there is still gender disparities that exist for women, on and off the pitch, in the sports industry.
Lizzie Powell, course leader of Sports Media Production commented:
“From my perspective it really is about ensuring that there is more gender diversity behind the camera as well as in front. The rise in women's sports is exciting but we want that to translate into production roles as well. Not as many young women see it as an option so we need into change that and the more they see women in those roles the more they will think 'I'd like to do that'.”
Having a female course leader be the face of our Sports Media Course at BSU helps to shift the narrative of the gender disparity in the sports industry. Currently, the course has four females and seventeen males. Lizzie Powell hopes to see this double in the next academic year and has already noticed a growth in female interest at our Open Days.
Lizzie continued:
“I think it helps running the course as a woman to be honest, as on Open Days I see more girls coming into the room and that in turn encourages others. I'm practising what I preach”
YouGov data suggests that 70% of female sports fans aged 16-24 believe sports media is a male dominated industry, with 63% stating they would be more likely to apply if they saw a greater number of women in prominent roles.
One of the four girls on the Sports Media Production course, Millie Carnall, discussed her experience as a female in a male dominated industry.
“Being a woman in the sports media industry is a fun adventure but does not come without its difficulties. With a strong male dominated history it is hard to insert yourself and you're often left with a feeling of having to prove yourself to others to make them appreciate and acknowledge your participation in the industry. I've really enjoyed the Sports Media Production course so far as it has been fun and engaging and hasn't been focused on supporting males and showcasing their skills which makes it more enjoyable as a woman on the course.”
Millie has done additional work alongside her studies with the community project, Powerhouse. The Powerhouse Project exists to be the driving force of making sport an equal space. Powerhouse Project has created Powerhouse Media, which are several programmes that support young women in the sports media industry. They have the Pixel FC Academy and the WPL Social Media Storytelling programme.
“I am part of the first cohort of girls who have been given the opportunity to join the WPL Social Media Storytelling group, where the powerhouse has partnered with the WPL (WSL and Women's Championship) to give us a chance to go to live games and cover the matches gathering content for their social media.I had the opportunity to attend Birmingham vs Sheffield United on the 16th of February on behalf of the Women's Championship League thanks to the powerhouse, where I spent the morning gathering content of the stadium, the pitch, the dressing rooms and then the actual match action. Thanks to this opportunity two pieces of content which I filmed this day were published to the Women's Championship X channel.
Seeing content which I had filmed posted onto a platform for people to see felt empowering as a woman in the sports media industry as I have always felt like I was second best to men who have been seen as "more suitable" for the role. The Powerhouse has allowed me to go to this match and improve my skills to help make me more experienced and allow me to stand out against my other course mates which will prove very helpful in the future!”
Looking to kick off your career in the sports media industry? There’s a range of courses at BSU that could be the perfect place for you start.