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Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Key dates to remember as the UK gears up for a summer of women's sport
The UK is readying itself for a packed season of sport from football tournaments and cricket finals to cycling races and a rugby world cup - here's everything you need to know We are about to be treated to a summer of women's sport, from football tournaments to netball finals and cricket matches. So far this year, the most-watched women's sporting competition has been the Women's Boat Race, with 2.18million viewers - and millions more are expected to tune into the sport on offer over the next few months, whether on television, social media, or in-person. Social media has been huge for women's sport - the Barclays Women's Super League has driven 56million views on TikTok and 20 million on YouTube this year, while women's football teams dominated on Instagram (FC Barcelona Women racked up 38million engagements), according to the Women's Sport Trust. Meanwhile, viewing figures are up for the Netball Super League, with hours growing by 229% on Sky Sports in 2025 compared with the previous year. The NSL Instagram has also seen a 47% increase in engagements on social media for January to May year-on-year. Women's rugby has experienced a boost - between January and April 2025, the Red Roses players posted more TikTok content than any other England men's or women's teams in rugby, cricket, or football. Their 6.7million TikTok views were 75% higher than the England men's team. Tammy Parlour, CEO of Women's Sport Trust, said: 'It's hugely encouraging to see women's sport thriving on digital platforms, with athletes, teams, and leagues leveraging new ways to connect with fans. This ecosystem (built through collaboration between broadcasters, rights holders, and platforms) is vital to continuing the sport's growth.' Let's take a look at the women's sport on offer this summer, including scheduling dates and times, how to watch, and what to expect... UEFA Women's Euros The Lionesses will be hoping to retain their title as European champions as they head to Switzerland for the tournament. The Euros will begin on July 2nd and the final will be held on July 27th . England, managed by Sarina Wiegman, are in Group D along with France, Wales, and the Netherlands. How to watch: You can catch the games on BBC and ITV over the month. Netball Super League Grand Final The Netball Super League Grand Final will take place at the O2 in London for the first time on Sunday July 6th . Loughborough Lightning will be hoping to defend their title against London Pulse and the event has already reached record-breaking ticket sales. How to watch: The match will be aired on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports YouTube - with coverage starting at 5pm. International viewers can watch on NetballPass. Vitality Blast T20 Women's Finals Day The inaugural Vitality Blast Women's Finals Day will be held at the Kia Oval on Saturday July 27th this year. The day will feature an eliminator and a final - the team finishing at the top of the group stage table will qualify straight to the final, while second and third place will battle it out in the eliminator. How to watch: You can get tickets from £20 for adults and £5 for children to watch the game at the Oval here . The day will also be broadcast on BBC Radio and Sky Sports. Tour de France Femmes The Tour de France Femmes will run from July 26th to August 3rd and will see cyclists cover a 1,165km distance between Vannes in Brittany, to Châtel in the Alps. Riders, all 154 of them, will take part in nine stages - and 22 teams will be involved in the race. How to watch: ITV will be broadcasting on TV and on streaming platform ITVX. The Hundred The Hundred will be kicking off on August 5th and running until the finals on August 31st , with the eliminators taking place the day before. Eight teams will be competing in the 100-ball cricket competition: Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Oval Invincibles, Southern Brave, Trent Rockets, and Welsh Fire. How to watch: Tickets start at £14 for adults, £5 for kids, and under-twos go free. You can get them here . You can also watch the games on Sky Sports and BBC Sport, or listen along on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. Women's Rugby World Cup For the first time ever, the Women's Rugby World Cup will be hosted across eight cities and venues in England: Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Exeter, London, Manchester, Northampton, Sunderland, and York. The opening game on August 22nd will be held at the Stadium of Light, and the final will take place in Twickenham at the Allianz Stadium on September 27th. How to watch: You can sign up for tickets here . The games will be broadcast on BBC Sport.
Spectator
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Spectator
Women's football needs Euro 2025 to be a success
On 1 August 2022, bleary-eyed England women football players danced around central London with the word 'Home' emblazoned across their t-shirts. They were celebrating being crowned European champions, becoming the first senior English team to win a major tournament since 1966. They had brought football home. Now the game is back: on Wednesday, Euro 2025 kicked off in Switzerland. The tournament comes at a pivotal moment. Both in-person and TV viewership of women's domestic football dropped in the UK last season. A recent report from the Women's Sports Trust found that in-person Women's Super League (WSL) match attendances were down 10 per cent season-on-season, with average TV viewership down 35 per cent. Data presented by Deloitte showed that major clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa and even Arsenal, so long a pioneering women's football team, saw average attendances drop in the 2024/25 season. The report hinted at where things were going, noting a spike in interest on social media platforms, namely YouTube, where a number of WSL games are broadcast live, and TikTok. 'The growing digital interest shows there's strong casual fandom; the opportunity now is to translate that into regular, domestic viewing habits, especially off the back of the interest that this summer's major events will generate,' said Tammy Parlour, CEO of the Women's Sport Trust, upon releasing the organisation's research. But TikTok views can't replace people actually going through the turnstiles. For women's football to grow further, it needs to stop being a social media trend and instead be valued as an elite-level sport. That's why a tournament like Euro 2025 is so important. Thankfully, it is all being broadcast on the BBC and ITV in the UK, meaning millions can easily watch the best players in the world, possibly for the first time. Women's football has a different vibe to the men's game, for both good and bad. It boasts a more family-friendly atmosphere in the stadium, in no small part down to the considerably cheaper tickets. It is also somewhat more politicised, with knee-taking and rainbow armbands a regular occurrence. Anti-racism and anti-LGBT discrimination are important, worthwhile causes. However, when it comes to crunch time, when you're at a major tournament trying to bring your country glory, it's only the sport that matters. And it's ultimately the sport that has to draw fans in. Things do not always develop in a straight line. A dip from one season to another doesn't mean the WSL, or women's football in general, is in terminal decline. However, if audiences do not rise again at the start of next season, there is surely a risk that investors, sponsors and even the clubs themselves will choose to put their money elsewhere. But there's no need to be overly negative. Women's sport around the globe is generally enjoying long-awaited, long-deserved growth and there are plenty of good news stories in women's football here in the UK. Champions League winners Arsenal are going to play all their matches at the club's main home, the Emirates Stadium, next season. Richard Garlick, Arsenal Managing Director, described the move as 'another bold step forward'. Over in South London, London City Lionesses, who are not affiliated with any men's side, have made it to the top tier for the very first time. This breakthrough is largely thanks to investment from owner Michelle Kang, a businesswoman who has put her money into a variety of teams. We know there is great potential to attract crowds, both in England and elsewhere. North London derbies between Tottenham and Arsenal have consistently broken attendance records, including getting over 60,000 fans into the Emirates in March 2024. In Europe, the Frauen Bundesliga in Germany is showing meaningful growth in attendances, albeit from a low base. Spain's Liga F has been broadcast in the UK via DAZN and TNT sports. Furthermore, the women's Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona has brought in a staggering 91,000 fans. But that was back in the Champions League in March 2022, ahead of the Euros, when hype was in full flow. In sport, momentum matters, both on the pitch and off it. Euro 2025 needs to provide some to keep up the progress we've seen in women's football in recent years.
