What sports organizations have the highest female representation in leadership positions?
In the world of sports, the landscape of leadership structures varies significantly from one team to another. For British teams, the highest-ranking group of officials is typically a board of directors, while in the US, executive officials hold the top positions.
Regrettably, the representation of women in key leadership roles such as CEO, Chair, and Performance Director remains low across major sports in both the UK and the US. A recent count across the top 20 sports by participation in England revealed that only 24% of these crucial positions were held by women [2]. This underrepresentation is coupled with broader gender disparities, including fewer girls participating in sports than boys and low percentages of women in coaching positions, particularly at elite levels [2].
In women’s football specifically, the UK has seen growth in the professionalization and commercial value of leagues like the Women's Super League (WSL), but information on women’s representation in governance varies and is not directly detailed [1]. However, investment and ownership involvement by women, such as Michele Kang’s leadership role in US and UK women’s soccer teams and her $25 million investment in athlete development, indicate increasing female influence at ownership and executive levels in women’s soccer [4].
For the US, while specific statistics on women's representation on sports leadership boards are rarer in the search results, the trend aligns with the UK: women remain underrepresented in top leadership roles in sports organizations, though investment and ownership by women, especially in women's soccer, is growing [4]. Female-led funds like Mercury/13 and the Monarch Collective have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into women’s soccer, which often corresponds to increasing women's leadership involvement [4].
Cricket was the sport with the greatest diversity in the UK, with 13.9% of board positions taken by women. Rugby league had the lowest female representation of the sports analyzed, with women taking just 4.1% of board positions. Ice hockey had the lowest representation of the big four sports leagues in the US, with 18.8% of senior team members being female [3].
The analysis included teams from various sports such as association football (Premier League and Scottish Premiership), rugby union (Premiership Rugby, Pro14), rugby league (Super League), county cricket, American football (National Football League), basketball (National Basketball Association), baseball (Major League Baseball), and ice hockey (National Hockey League) [3].
In summary, women remain a minority in leadership roles across sports organizations. However, targeted investments, ownership, and growing professional infrastructure in women’s sports are contributing to gradual progress in both countries [3].
| Country | Women's Representation in Sports Leadership Boards | Notes | |---------|----------------------------------------------------|-------| | UK | ~24% women in CEO, Chair, Performance Director roles across top sports [2] | Growth in women’s football professionalism; WSL gaining independence; ownership and investment involvement by women rising [1][4] | | US | Low but improving representation; no exact % found here | Increasing female leadership and ownership investment in women’s soccer, e.g., Michele Kang and major women-led investment funds [4] |
References:
[1] The Guardian. (2021). Women's Super League: A-Z of every club in the WSL. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/01/womens-super-league-a-z-of-every-club-in-the-wsl
[2] Sport England. (2019). Active Lives Adult Survey: January 2019 to December 2019. [online] Available at: https://www.sportengland.org/-/media/files/active-lives/active-lives-adult-survey-january-2019-to-december-2019.pdf
[3] Deloitte. (2021). Women in Sport: Time for Change. [online] Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/About-Deloitte/deloitte-uk-women-in-sport-time-for-change.pdf
[4] Deloitte. (2020). Women in Sport: The Future is Now. [online] Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/About-Deloitte/deloitte-uk-women-in-sport-the-future-is-now.pdf
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