Proposed title:
A critical evaluation of the promotional and marketing strategies used to increase participation in women’s football in England.
According to Dunn and Welford (2015), England has witnessed a steady increase in the number of people playing sports in the past decade. Similarly, a study by Kringstad et al. (2021) revealed that in 2020, England had a significant increase in the number of people involved in physical activities by over 2.1 million more than the previous year. Despite the potential medical and social benefits from sports and physical activities, there is still a majority of UK children and adults whose activity levels do not meet the weekly recommendations (Mondal, 2021). Cashmore and Cleland (2012) argue that sports and physical activities are integral in ensuring better health and guaranteeing the population against sedentary illnesses.
There are several research studies on sports participation that commonly reveal that England has experienced a significant increase among the youth (Pritchard, 2020). However, research by Power et al. (2020) reveals that regardless of the accelerating increase in sports participation among the English since the London 2012 Olympic Games, women have consistently lagged behind their male counterparts. Reflecting upon this, promotional strategies and other factors have significantly impacted the trends today as the statistics continue to alter. For example, Valenti et al. (2020) report that the English government’s initiatives and policies through the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport have intentionally promoted the participation and global success in sports and physical activities among its citizens.
According to Mondal (2021), the Active People Survey during the April 2012-2013 period revealed that 15.3 million people played a sport once weekly. The government’s recognition and appreciation of sports and physical activities are critical in accelerating the rates of physical involvement throughout the country. Dunn (2016) argues that the role of the UK government in ensuring its population exhibit increased participation in sports and physical activities can only be emphasized by the policy to ensure physical education remains mandatory in schools and the funding of £160 million towards community facilities involved in sports and physical activities. Similarly, Rutherford et al. (2014) assert that the UK government’s successful bid and hosting of the London 2012 Olympic Games played a critical role in accelerating the rates of sports participation in the UK population from a young age. In addition to the above improvements, the participation in women’s football in the country is slowly improving.
In 2007, an estimated 26 million females played football, with 4.2 million of them being registered football players (Ráthonyi-Ódor, 2020). There is a global drive to market women’s football even more seriously from associations or organizations with a secure structure. According to Kringstad et al. (2021), the initiative by UEFA to create an innovative program for women’s football development indicates that the goal to increase the level of awareness of females in football remains a critical concern. Pawlowski (2013) discusses that the UEFA’s main goals under the women’s football development program include accelerating the attendance rates at women’s league matches, reshaping the domestic leagues to be more attractive for women football players, and boosting the revenue avenues from the sport to create a sustainable future. Similarly to working in liaison with other stakeholders such as the Women’s Super League, marketing the image of women’s football from the community to the elite level remains a critical factor. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the promotional strategies used to increase participation in women’s football in England. The study will compare the findings to the current statistics on participation in women’s football to determine the effectiveness of the strategies.
