Most importantly, let us support all of those who are using sport as a force to advance equality and opportunity;

Not only are successful sportswomen showing girls that they can excel on the field; many are using their status to start important conversations about gender equality and to advocate for women’s rights more widely.

We also need more male athletes to step up with us, and model a culture that reflects equality, respect for diversity and non-violence, within and beyond sport.

Even when laws and policies are in place, deep-seated attitudes about gender roles can hold back substantive change

It’s only recently that instances of violence and other forms of abuse have been more systematically brought to light within the sports community. All too frequently in the past, athletes, coaches and officials have turned a blind eye to sexual harassment and abuse. This has led to a culture of victim-blaming for those who come forward and the reinforcement of a “boys will be boys” culture that normalises, and therefore perpetuates, abuse

In many communities, it’s not just discrimination, but gender-based violence that keeps girls off the playing field.

In November 2018, Fenerbahçe Sports Club, one of the oldest and most popular multi-sports clubs in Turkey, joined forces with HeForShe in an ’Equal together’ initiative involving its male football players, and seen by its global fan base of 25 million. They aim to achieve gender equality transformation through sport, with women- and children-friendly stadium practices, and a zero-tolerance approach to all sorts of discrimination against women and girls

Similarly, in the sports arena, we see massive gaps in the prize money, sponsorships, facilities and equipment allocated to women athletes

At the same time, the world of sport remains plagued by many of the same gender inequalities that we see more broadly; issues such as unequal pay, gender-based violence, a lack of targeted investment and negative stereotypes and social norms

Match scheduling is also a form of investment. Where women’s matches conflict with men’s, competition for viewership can create a vicious cycle of ratings being used to justify lower prize money, lower pay for female athletes and feed into the narrative of women’s sport being of lesser value

It makes a strong public commitment to invest in and improve the women’s game—not only as the right thing to do, but from the very practical standpoint of tapping into its massive revenue-generating potential

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair”.