Momentum launched a new campaign in support of sponsorship for women sporting codes called #OneMoreFan. This audacious and brave campaign is a call to all South Africans to watch the Women’s Cricket World Cup with the ambition of continuing to bridge the gender gap in sports sponsorship. The Momentum Proteas are currently ranked second on the ICC’s One Day International team rankings.
Sports fans excitedly tuning in to watch the Momentum Proteas team currently taking part in the 2022 ICC’s (International Cricket Council) Women’s Cricket World Cup can also actively contribute to bridging the sponsorships gap which can lead to closing in on the gender pay gap in sports. The gender pay gap in women’s sporting codes is driven by lower sponsorship as a result of, lower viewership of women sporting codes than for their male counterparts among other reasons.
“More still needs to be done to close the sponsorship gap,” explains Carel Bosman, Momentum Head of Sponsorships and Events. “Female athletes globally earn five times less than male athletes due to more sponsorships for men’s teams. In South Africa, men’s sport receives 61.1% of total commercial investment in sports, while women only receive 0.5%,” elaborates Bosman.
“Women make up 40% of all participants in sports, yet only receive 4% of sports coverage. This percentage is not enough to make their sports commercially viable. Therefore we are unequivocal in our call to South Africans through this campaign. We are calling for active participation by all through a simple yet powerful action – be the one additional fan the Women’s cricket team needs to drive higher commercial value through your viewership. The more people watch, the more TV stations can charge from the advertising during the games and the more brands can find commercial value in sponsoring women athletes.” says Charlotte Nsubuga-Mukasa, Momentum Head of Marketing.
Through its sponsorship of the Momentum Proteas, Momentum understands the importance of closing this gap for fair and equitable pay, better training facilities and impact across the sporting code’s ecosystem. In 2013, for example, only six women were on fully paid contracts. Through our sponsorship as Momentum, there has been progress: 14 women fall under different fully paid contracts. Moreover, match fees have also been introduced for both ODI’s and T20s for the women over the last few years, while support staff were added including the Team Manager, Assistant Coach and Team Doctor. In addition, travel and accommodation for players in the women’s national team are now also in line with their Protea peers.
“Despite the huge difference in investment between men and women’s sport in general, the Momentum Proteas as a national team has made it to the summit of the sport and many of our local stars have become the most sought after in international leagues including Women’s Big Bash, Women’s IPL, KIA League and The Hundred,” concludes Nsubuga-Mukasa.
Follow the movement that seeks to encourage more sponsorship in women’s sport and ensure that women’s sport continues to be a viable career choice for young girls, follow Momentum on all social media pages, under the hashtags #SheOwnsHerSuccess and #OneMoreFan.