Allison Sandmeyer-Graves has always believed there is great enthusiasm for women’s sport in Canada, and now she has proof. As CEO of Canadian Women and Sport, she led a panel of influential people in women’s sport that presented the results of a study commissioned by the organization.

The report is entitled The time has come. We rely on the power of professional sports fans shows that two-thirds of Canadians ages 13 to 65 – or about 17 million people – consider themselves fans of women’s sports.

“If we want to convince Canadian companies to make decisions with confidence, relying on this Canadian data can really make a difference,” Sandmeyer-Graves said, pointing out that all existing data on women’s sports comes from the United States.

“Knowing confidently that certain trends seen elsewhere in the world are happening here, but even more knowing that 17 million Canadians are fans of women’s sports, will allow these companies to make decisions or develop strategies with confidence.”

This study, commissioned in collaboration with IMI Consulting, was conducted in October 2023 with more than 2,000 Canadian respondents ages 13 to 65.

It also shows that two in five Canadians describe themselves as “sports enthusiasts” and regularly watch elite or professional women’s sports, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Women’s World Cup.

Record attendance at the Bell Center

Six in 10 sports fans said companies should do more to support women’s sports in the country, and four in 10 sports fans said they would provide more support to companies involved in the development of women’s sports.

The study was conducted by IMI Consulting and presented by Canadian Tire, with support from Women and Gender Equality Canada. It was overseen by a Women and Sport Canada advisory group comprised of people from the media, business and sport sectors.

“From the beginning, initiatives like Now is the Time have been aimed at investors,” noted Allison Sandmeyer-Graves. We have heard this social support [envers le sport professionnel féminin] has always been strong. It is the right thing to do, but professional sport is a Business. That’s why we need to talk to business leaders. We need to present information that is relevant to them in order to invite them to the conversation. »

The results of this study were announced two days after a Professional Women’s Hockey League game was played in front of 21,105 spectators at the Bell Centre, surpassing the 19,285 spectators who attended a LPHF game at Scotiabank Arena on February 16.

Jayna Hefford, Hockey Hall of Famer and LPHF vice president of hockey operations, believes the league’s success five months into operations is thanks to the business people working behind the scenes.

“We are on the same wavelength on the way forward, which is to disrupt the established order in many ways, to be open to doing things differently and not to be trapped in the framework that we know in professional sport,” she said. But at the same time, it is important to maintain the traditions of the sport and not change the way it is practiced, but at the same time to look for ways to be different. »

“If you have passionate, committed people, you can achieve a lot in a short time.”

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