Stake and potatoes

The GIST: This week, UK marketing agency Redtorch released its SportOnSearch 2024 report, which analyzes fan engagement with sports properties via Google Trends data. The findings show interest in women’s sports across the board — in fact, all women’s sports properties recorded growth in 2023. Keep reading for more key findings from the report.

⚽ The WSL is poised for exponential growth. The English women’s soccer league fielded a 258% increase in online searches, the most for any sports property. This means a higher jump in search interest than MLS, and that’s with the advent of Messi Mania and Apple’s 10-year broadcasting deal. Hello, leverage.

📺 Media rights make a difference. The UEFA Women’s Champions League (WCL) ranked in the top five for searches and experienced major growth after rights holder DAZN made all 2022-2023 games free to air. Growth in tournament interest was also driven by its six most popular teams, including FC Barcelona, Arsenal, and Chelsea.

📈 Women dominate the conversation. Six of the top 10 for search frequency increase were women’s sports properties. They included soccer’s NWSL, WSL, and UEFA WCL, as well as basketball’s WNBA and EuroLeague Women. Rugby’s Women’s Six Nations Championship — a new entry to the report — saw 59% growth YoY.

• This increase for the annual European women’s rugby tournament was driven by interest in the women’s Rugby World Cup and a trendy TikTok partnership. Like DAZN, coverage and investment from UK broadcaster BBC also boosted exposure.

🌎 Global sports stars create local interest. For global athletes participating in North American leagues, big wins generated interest back home. LPGA world No. 3 Lydia Ko from New Zealand and WTA world No. 1 Iga Świątek of Poland saw increased interest and searches in their home countries.

The takeaway: Heightened search interest in women’s sports usually happens around tentpole events like the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, but the key is creating sustained engagement throughout the sports calendar. Gimme more.

The GIST: Soccer tech company TOCA announced an extensive multiyear partnership with Angel City FC teammates (and sisters!) Alyssa and Gisele Thompson yesterday. While the Thompsons have secured groundbreaking deals in the past, this marks their first deal that includes an equity stake. Two can play that game.

The company: TOCA utilizes its uniquely calibrated soccer tech across its 40 indoor training facilities, the most for any North American company. In 2022, the company signed a 10-year deal to become the MLS’ official training partner, while also making the men’s soccer league an official shareholder.

The details: While investment details for the new partnership haven’t been disclosed, the Thompson sisters will represent the TOCA brand and encourage women and girls to participate in soccer at facilities that utilize the tech-informed training program.

The sisters: The teenage siblings are no strangers to historic firsts. Alyssa and Gisele were the first high school athletes to sign NIL deals with Nike in 2022, and Alyssa was the first high school player to go No. 1 overall in the 2023 NWSL draft.

• Beyond TOCA and Nike, the Thompsons also have a sponsorship deal with Stifel to promote the financial company’s focus on empowering teens and young adults through their fiscal decisions.

Zooming out: There’s a reason cutting-edge brands are gravitating toward the Thompson sisters. They’ve carved out names for themselves with their talent, but have also uniquely leveraged this into meaningful partnerships at a young age.

• Companies like TOCA and Stifel are playing the long game by involving two young phenoms before their stars rise even higher. It’s a safe bet to sign generational talent early — think Nike’s lucrative 27-year relationship with Tiger Woods that began when he was 20. Just do it.

Did you know that the most distinctive shift in sports in the last 50 years has been the rapid rise in the importance, influence, and value of female fans?*

Did you know that 80% of all consumer spending is controlled by women?**

Did you know that The GIST reaches one million newsletter subscribers, 85% of whom identify as women or nonbinary?

Did you know that you could grow brand love and affinity by aligning with a women-founded business that’s challenging the male-dominated sports industry?

If this sounds intriguing to you or your company, let’s talk.