News

With the biggest event in women’s sporting history as its backdrop, our squad embarked on an adventure “down under” to co-host the 2023 Equality Summit in the Women’s World Cup host city of Sydney, Australia, located on the traditional land of the Indigenous Gadigal people. Alongside Equal Playing Field, Women Onside, the United States State Department, the United States Sports Diplomacy Department, the Institute for Sport and Social Impact, and the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, WIS invited leaders from around the world together to rewrite the future of the soccer industry. 

Our team of changemakers worked across seven cities and four time zones to bring to life the third edition of the Equality Summit. We stayed up late, we woke up early, and we shared ideas to create something so exciting that even Billie Jean King wanted to attend. You read that right: the one and only Billie Jean King was one of our first guests to arrive and helped us kick off the day with an impromptu speech that affirmed it is all of our responsibility to lead the charge for change. As Billie said, “When it comes to equality, we can never give up. Everyone matters, no matter what. Just remember, you’re an influencer!”

Equity for ALL is the goal, and much like the World Cup itself, the impact of the Equality Summit goes far beyond the game. There’s a lot of work to be done, and there will be obstacles, but in the words of Billie Jean King, “It’s not failure, it’s feedback.” Click here to watch an event recap and dive into our calls to action below. Together, we’re impossible to ignore!

Our Summit tackled:

SETTING THE STANDARD
This session highlighted football’s obligation to respect and defend human rights and to use its vast convening power for good.
BELONGING
This panel explored how we can ensure industry progress toward inclusion. Our experts discussed all-abilities football, LGBTQIA+inclusion, First Nations players, and the refugee experience. 
GOVERNING
The panelists addressed the systemic issues prevalent in sports governance, including outright bans faced by women, battles over pay inequity, systemic discrimination in leadership, and human rights abuses. 
THRIVING
Our Thriving leaders focused on how we can better support the physical, emotional, and mental health of women in football, from ACL tears that sidelined some of the greatest players in this year’s World Cup to the invisible scars of emotional abuse.
ACCESSING
The final panel highlighted how the industry can ensure all women and people with marginalized identities have access to resources that make them feel seen, supported, and empowered on and off the pitch. This panel showcased innovative methods to drive brand growth and the importance of women in tech and production, as well as the need for more Black and Brown voices in the game.

STAY CONNECTED TO OUR CHANGEMAKERS 

The day-long event was filled with global innovators and visionaries who are determined to ensure the future of the game is equitable. Click here to learn more about the organizations represented at the summit. A LOT can happen when you get soccer people talking, especially when you connect with someone new! Did you miss grabbing those all-important contact details from someone at the summit? Or do you see a leader listed below that you just have to learn more about? (Hint: all of them!) Let us know here, and we’ll do the connecting. 

FULL LIST OF SUMMIT CHANGEMAKERS

GOAL CLICK x 2023 EQUALITY SUMMIT

WIS partner Goal Click empowers people from around the world to tell real stories about their lives and football communities through analog photography, short film, and their own words. Ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, players shared stories with Goal Click about their own lives, club culture, and training camps. For the first time, Goal Click exhibited its WWC23 series live at the Equality Summit. The photos hung proudly at our venue as a reminder of the agency players have to tell their own stories and as inspiration for us all to continue to ensure our soccer industry is one that deserves the inspiring players in it.

GOAL CLICK WWC23

SUPPORT THE PARAMATILDAS

Equality Summit panelist Rae Anderson is a ParaMatilda and a fearless multi-sport athlete. Last year, Rae competed in the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games in Alpine Skiing before returning home to take up duties with the ParaMatildas’ women’s football squad. Rae uses her platform to advocate for inclusion and access for everyone in sports and supports athletes with disabilities to integrate into para-sports. While the mighty Matildas have captured the attention of the world with their show-stopping success in this year’s World Cup, inspiring the Australian government to pledge to invest $200 million in women’s sports, the ParaMatildas equally need this level of support. Learn more about Rae’s advocacy work here, follow the ParaMatildas, and give anything you can to support this trailblazing squad.

SUPPORT THE PARAMATILDAS

WIS x EQUALITY SUMMIT ORGANIZERS STAND WITH JENNI HERMOSO

Whilst the World Cup showcased many milestones for women’s soccer, there’s still so much to be done to create an equitable game for ALL. We stand together with all of the organizers of the 2023 Equality Summit in support of Jenni Hermoso and the entire Spain Women’s Football Team and demand action be taken to reestablish player safety and restore trust. #ContigoJenni #RubialesOut

Read our joint statement here.

TO THE FUTURE OF THE SOCCER INDUSTRY

For now, that’s a wrap on the WIS squad’s Aussie adventure. Special thanks to everyone who made us feel at home on the other side of the world and helped the WIS network get a whole lot bigger! To our new friends, we’re only ever an email, Slack, or DM away ????. While the final whistle on our World Cup and Equality Summit journey has blown, we’re flying home with an even deeper belief in soccer’s power to unite the world.

Love,
The WIS team
Xoxo