Sports Pundit Podcast Network Rowena Samarasinhe [Innovation #04]: Women's Sport Should Take a Lead In Creating What Comes Next!
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Aug 1, 2025 Rowena Samarasinhe, founder of GENSport and a leading systems thinker in global sport, joins Leanne Bats to envision the future of women's sports following the Lionesses' historic success. They discuss the necessity for innovative approaches that diverge from traditional men's models, emphasizing unique storytelling and branding strategies. Topics include the contrast between US and UK models, challenges in investment, and the potential of under-the-radar women’s sports markets. Their conversation inspires a call to action for supporting and investing in the growth of women's athletics.
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Women's Sport Has A Clean Slate
- Women's sport has a clean-slate advantage to design for today's fans instead of copying men's models.
- That moment of platform and investment makes women's sport an opportunity to lead innovation across sport.
Firsthand Witness To Euro Growth
- Rowena described attending multiple Euro matches and seeing sold-out stadiums and electric atmospheres firsthand.
- She contrasted today's engagement with the near-absence of attention for women's tournaments in 2008.
Fandom Consumption Has Changed
- Modern fans have more choices and consume sport in shorter, highlight-driven bursts.
- Definitions of fandom changed: you can be a passionate fan without attending every match or watching full broadcasts.