News

That’s a wrap on the Women in Soccer London adventure! Our squad had an incredible time joining Equal Playing Field at their second Equality Summit. The 2-day event brought together sports leaders from around the world to review challenges and opportunities in women’s soccer. We were fueled to bring “WIS Guided Networking” to the summit and showcase what our network does best; connecting over our love of the game and driving action that will improve it. This will be the first of many collaborations with Equal Playing Field, Women in Football, and our partners Pixstory and Kickoff Coffee Co. Check out the recap below and watch back the action on WIS social feeds here. 

WIS GUIDED NETWORKING 

The aim of the Equality Summit was to inspire action-based thinking around improving equity in all aspects of the game. The WIS team used “Guided Networking Sessions” to help attendees switch up their social circles and make impactful new connections in the soccer industry. For instance, summit name tags listed a “goal for the women’s game” that attendees wanted to achieve, participants found their people at a corresponding table and game-changing conversations ensued. A LOT can happen when you get soccer people talking, and when you sit next to someone new! Did you miss grabbing those all-important contact details from someone at the summit? Let us know here and we’ll do the connecting.

WOMEN IN FOOTBALL X WOMEN IN SOCCER

It’s been a privilege to work with Women in Football, our sisters across the pond, to highlight our #ReclaimTheGame x #GetOnside collaboration. The joint campaign is a showcase of how different aspects of the soccer industry can work together to improve equity in the global game. Throughout July, we spotlit various approaches to #ReclaimTheGame and #GetOnside by WIS members, organizations and individuals in Europe and the US. We heard from clubs prioritizing reproductive healthcare, organizations supporting LGBT inclusion policies, journalists promoting women in soccer and more! We brought this discussion to the Equality Summit Roundtable Sessions and invited attendees to share their own experiences and ideas on the campaign. We heard from grassroots and elite-level leaders and we can’t wait to see more people working to #ReclaimTheGame and #GetOnside. Thank you to everyone who participated! How will you #ReclaimTheGame x #GetOnside?

PIXSTORY, EQUITY AND POLAROIDS

For the Equality Summit 2022, WIS teamed up with Pixstory, a brand-new social media app where you can express yourself without hate. Social media has become a powerful part of our sports industry but it is often abused to the detriment of our athlete’s mental well-being. Part of Pixstory’s mission is to provide a platform for athletes to feel empowered to express themselves in a safe space. The WIS team brought Pixstory to our guided networking sessions by asking attendees to snap a polaroid with a word summing up an issue in soccer they want to connect with others about; Allyship, Inclusion, Pay & prizes, Wellness, Storytelling, Title IX. We added around 60 grinning faces to the board, asked people to connect with their fellow teammates and create a 6-word story around the topic. The stories were thoughtful, smart and impactful…we’d expect nothing less from the Equality Summit trailblazers! Do you recognize any of these changemakers? Download the Pixstory app here and check out a social media platform where you have the #WriteToBe yourself. 

KICKOFF COFFEE CO

WIS will always be stoked to represent our partner, Kickoff Coffee Co. It seemed only right we brought speciality coffee, by soccer people, for soccer people to our networking sessions. Throughout the summit, attendees got to check out the Kickoff Coffee stand, a brand co-founded by WIS Expert Member, former pro player and soccer analyst, Melissa Ortiz. Kickoff’s mission is to inspire beautiful moments around the game as well as drive socially inclusive messages. Grab a bag here and watch your favorite team with a cup of coffee that’s giving back to the game!

The Equality Summit 2022 was a perfect start to our network’s international operations and we were honored to bring ideas from our members to an audience of global soccer leaders. Many thanks to Equal Playing Field, our partners and all of YOU for being a part of our special squad. A special thank you to Lilli Barrett-O’Keefe of Common Goal for the inspiration of using icons as a tool to group people! That trick is a gift that keeps on giving. 

Together we can do more! 

Love,

The WIS Team 

Xoxo

WIS spotlights are created and written by our content producer Pip Penman.