On International Women’s Day, World Football Summit reaffirms its commitment to giving more women a voice in sport by ensuring that women make up a minimum of 30 percent of the speakers at WFS Europe 2022. This article features as part of the latest edition of WFS Digest, our new insider’s guide to the latest and most relevant thoughts and practises from within the football industry. You can subscribe to WFS Digest HERE.
At World Football Summit we believe that we are at a crucial turning point, where a gender equal world is no longer an impossible goal. One of our contributions is promoting diversity within the football industry and making sure women’s voices reach a wider audience. As part of the #GetOnside campaign, and in collaboration with Women’s Football, WFS has made the pledge of ensuring a minimum 30 percent of female speakers in World Football Summit Europe, our flagship event, which will take place on September 28-29th in Seville.
“Amplifying female voices and promoting their work in the football industry will break down barriers”
For the past five years WFS has been a meeting point for the global football industry, generating knowledge and commercial partnerships for clubs, leagues, federations and companies. Every event, since the first WFS Europe in 2016, has featured a specific track about women’s football, assembling many of the major experts in the field.
From the 2022 event onwards, the summit will ensure that at least 30 percent of speakers are women. In the words of WFS Director Jan Alessie: “Amplifying female voices and promoting their work in the football industry will break down barriers to access that women face at almost every entry point. It is one of our primary goals to help professionalise the industry and empower women from all over the world that want to get into the business. If we can also show the next generation of young girls who dream of carving out a career in football that it’s possible to chase those dreams, then that would be very special to us.”
Sport is a remarkable tool for social change, and is able to hold up a mirror to society. At WFS we believe in the potential of a professional network of women and men committed to equality and diversity for improving our social, institutional, political and economic environment and, therefore, transforming our world.
We're proud to #GetOnside with @WomeninFootball by ensuring a minimum of 30% female speakers from our 2022 edition onwards, amplifying female voices and promoting their work in the football industry.
— World Football Summit (@WFSummit) September 27, 2021
We hope that our women speakers will not only be able to share their professional expertise through our panels, but also celebrate women’s achievement on and off the pitch.
Women play vital roles in making the game the success that it is and we join their fight for a world free of bias and discrimination, diverse and inclusive. Our partner, Women in Football, will hold next week in London’s Wembley stadium their inaugural ‘Women in Football Be Inspired Conference’, supported by Barclays – a full day of information and advice, speakers and sessions for women ‘to supercharge their career’.
This article features as part of the latest edition of WFS Digest, our new insider’s guide to the latest and most relevant thoughts and practises from within the football industry. You can subscribe to WFS Digest HERE.
