Ocean Partnerships

Women’s sport

In 2025, we announced two new three-year partnerships: Women’s Super League Football and England Rugby – the Red Roses women’s team, as well as the men’s senior team, England A Men’s and the under 20s and Pathway teams.

One of our proudest moments of 2025 was the official Women’s Rugby World Cup fan zone at Battersea Power Station. Curated and managed by Ocean Labs, we broadcasted more than 300 hours of rugby action, with 6000 people attending the winning celebration moment.

Our commitment in this space is clear – and it won’t stop

Through our on-screen space, Ocean events and internal initiatives, we’ve proudly supported female athletes for many years – and will continue to do so. We’ve worked with a wonderful mix of talents, from Paralympic swimmer Grace Harvey and Paralympic basketball player Laurie Williams to SOGB swimmer Taylor Mackenzie and Head of Business Operations at Women’s Rugby, Aimee Bywater-Lutman.

More broadly, in 2023 we launched our Level Playing Field campaign, featuring rower and World Cup silver medallist Kyra Edwards, alpine skier and ParalympicsGB’s most decorated winter athlete Menna FitzPatrick MBE and her competition guide Katie Guest, and Special Olympian Lily Mills, alongside their male counterparts. This initiative was a first step in our call for equality in sport, regardless of gender, race or disability.

This year, we’re also proud to be sponsoring Northern Grit, Sporting Glory, celebrating women in sport in Manchester.

Investing in women’s sport

There’s a strong business case – and it’s growing.

More than 3/5 of self-declared sports fans reported they now follow women’s sport¹

In 2024, football was the most valuable women’s sport in the world, generating over €500m and making up 45% of total revenue of women’s sport worldwide²

Summer 2025 saw record audiences tuning in for both the UEFA Women’s Euros and the Women’s Rugby World Cup

Large cross-over audience opportunity, with 80% of women’s sports fans also following men’s sports³

Women’s sport continues to gain momentum in 2026. The international line up includes the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Women’s FA Cup Final and Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, not to mention broader events like Wimbledon, The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, European Athletics Championships Birmingham and the Winter Olympics – with 47% female athletes and a record 50 women’s events.

And with an Ocean presence in each key event city – across landlord destinations and our premium screens – there’s no excuse not to get involved.

Sources: ¹Snapchat, Dentsu, and Ipsos stufy, reported in The Media Leader, November 2025. ‘She’s got game: What can brands learn from women’s sports?’; ²The Media Leader, November 2025. ‘Why now is the time for brands to be investing in women’s sport.’; ³Sky Sports study, April 20 25 .

Promoting a level playing field on International Women’s Day

The agenda for our 2026 International Women’s Day event in Manchester centred around our commitment to women in sport. Investment in grassroots sports to build opportunity, innovations at every level from kit to language, and the role of male allies in overturning discriminatory policies were key takeaways.

Our speakers shared powerful insights on leadership, bravery and energy – the foundations of change and fair play.

Speakers included former rugby international Lisa O’Keefe MBE, Secretary General of the International Working Group on Women and Sport; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Olympic silver medallist and rugby player with Sale Sharks Women; BAFTA winning producer and director Helen Tither, who was joined by former Corinthians player Dr Monica Curran; Yvonne O’Malley, Head of Leisure, Events + Contracts at Manchester City Council; and Rachel Fraser, Internal Communications + Inclusion Director at Manchester United.

Women in Sport: live across the UK

Women in Sport is a charity dedicated to ensuring no one is excluded from the fulfilment and lifelong benefits of sport.

The Loop, Battersea Power Station

The Loop, Birmingham

The Screen @ Manchester One, Manchester

The Screen @ Gateway Piccadilly, Manchester

The Corinthians

The Corinthians: We Were The Champions tells the story of the original rebels of football: the Manchester-based Corinthians Ladies Football Club. Produced and directed by BAFTA winning Helen Tither, the documentary showcases how these pioneers defied the FA’s 50 year ban on women playing football, becoming global champions and ultimately one of the UK’s most successful women’s teams.