Cherry Beagles [#25]: Why Having a Women's Team Isn't a Female-Fan Strategy by Itself

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Cherry Beagles, the founder of The 400 Club, an all-female members club redefining what it means to be a sports fan and increasing culturally relevant brand deals in women’s sport.

Having studied law at the University of Manchester and gained experience at the likes of NBC Universal and Dentsu, Cherry founded The 400 Club as a side hustle to address an audience that was being underrepresented in traditional sports marketing - and an audience she herself fell in to. 

Since launching, she has brought on successful female founders, international athletes, and Olympians, as well as hosted events with the likes of Nike, and done brand campaigns with rightsholders such as Arsenal - all within her first year of starting the club - suggesting that Cherry is very much on to something big. 

We discuss her perspective on women’s sport, why this is not to be confused with a female-fan strategy, and the importance of engaging not just the biggest female brands, but those that hold the most cultural relevance.

Time Stamps

2:00 - What is The 400 Club and who are the members

4:00 - Recruiting New Members

8:00 - The Athlete x Brand Flywheel

13:00 - Creating a Female-Fan Strategy

17:00 - Culturally Relevant Brand Partnerships and Collaborations

20:00 - That Taylor Swift Jacket

28:00 - What Athletes can Learn from Social-First Brands

32:00 - Creating a Campaign with Arsenal FC

35:00 - Giving Rugby a 400 Club Twist

44:00 - Future of the 400 Club

Additional Links

The 400 Club x Nike for The FA Cup Final

Follow The 400 Club on Instagram

Connect with Cherry on LinkedIn - Here

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - Here