The growth of women’s sports on TikTok
TikTok was rife with content surrounding UEFA EURO 2020 when the platform sponsored the games for the first time, and now, the incredible growth of women’s sport on TikTok is getting its recognition too.
Alongside a landmark title sponsorship of the Women’s Six Nations rugby competition and unique partnership with Burnley FC Women who stream all their home games live on TikTok. We’ve seen everything from England’s Lionesses taking us behind-the-scenes, to Spain’s women’s Primera División sponsor Iberdrola showcasing the pride and passion of women’s football through #JueganComoChicas (#PlayLikeGirls), and football freestylers like Lia Lewis inspiring young women to get into the beautiful game.
All of this has led TikTok to become a cultural home for all sports fandom across Europe, with the hashtag #womeninsports racking up almost a billion views.
The tournament kicks off on 6th July across England, and the TikTok community can get involved in a variety of creative ways, from using the platform’s innovative special effects and sounds in their videos, to joining in with TikTok LIVEs and EUROs-inspired hashtag challenges.
Be sure to look out for an official UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 TikTok account ahead of the tournament, which aims to inspire and entertain the global football community with exclusive behind-the-scenes content, plus current and archival footage.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA, said: “We are thrilled to once again partner with TikTok, this time for the biggest UEFA Women’s EURO ever. With the TikTok football community ever-growing with teams, fans, creators and associations, we are looking forward to showcasing this summer’s premiere sporting event featuring some of the greatest women’s footballers in the world through unique, creative and engaging content. It’s an exciting time to be a football fan.”
Rich Waterworth, General Manager, Europe, TikTok, said: “Since our partnership with UEFA for EURO 2020, we have seen TikTok become the home of football fandom; with creators, players and nations alike coming together to share their passion for the beautiful game, in a uniquely TikTok way. We are delighted to continue this partnership as the Official Entertainment Platform of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, and to build on our joint efforts to promote equality and inclusion in football through TikTok’s #SwipeOutHate campaign and UEFA’s #EqualGame. We cannot wait to see our community show their support for the women’s game, as we make this year’s championship even more accessible to our global community.”
These are some of TikTok’s favourite women’s football accounts and creators to follow:
- UEFA Women’s Football (@womensfootball) covering UEFA Women’s Football for #WEURO2022, #UWCL & #WePlayStrong
- Be sure to follow our home nations taking part in England (@england) and Northern Ireland (@northernireland) who also meet in the group stages during the tournament
- Some of our favourite pundits on the platform include Alex Scott (@alexscott) the presenter, pundit, and former professional footballer who mostly played as a right-back for Arsenal and England, and football TV presenter Alison Bender (@alibendertv)
- Keep an eye out the players on TikTok during the tournament, including England’s Manchester United and goalkeeper Mary Earps (@1maryearps), Arsenal forward Beth Mead (@bethmead_) and Alisha Lehmann (@alishalehmann7) of Aston Villa and Switzerland
- And don’t forget some of our amazing TikTok creators including freestyle football world champion five times world record holder Liv Cooke (@livcookefs) and female World Panna Champion Harriet Pavlou (@harrietfreestyle)
It’s great to see how TikTok continues to create a platform for niche communities, in this case, women in sport. The TikTok momentum never stops!
