Every year on March 8th, International Women’s Day is marked to honour the global achievements of women across social, economic, cultural, and political domains, while also championing gender equality and women’s rights.
As a global advocate for women’s football, Eleven Sports Media is committed to the growth and development of the game through our community-driven sports partnerships. We had the chance to speak to some of the incredible women here at Eleven Sports Media on what International Women’s Day means to them and the impact and growth of Women’s sports around the world.
Molly McDade:
Molly joined Eleven Sports Media in the summer of 2023 as an Account Manager. Sport has always interested Molly, and working at Eleven Sports Media allows her to combine her love for sports with her professional career.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
International Women’s Day to me is a day of empowerment by celebrating all the women in the world – how strong we are, how smart we are, how brave we are as well as recognising our accomplishments and ongoing efforts to lift women up.
Best career advice you have been given?
The best career advice I have been given is to be your own competition and don’t get distracted by what others are doing. Everyone’s on their own path, so try to stay focused on how you can consistently make progress from where you were yesterday.
Carys Ashton:
Carys joined at the end of 2023, becoming a brilliant addition to our Partnerships and Events team as a Senior Partnerships Coordinator. Carys always had a clear vision of working in sports and after graduating from the University of Leeds, has had the opportunity to work across a range of sports with the best talent in the country.
How can others inspire inclusion?
By collectively celebrating diversity and empowering those around us. There’s a momentous effort required from everyone to tackle the barriers and challenge the stereotypes in women’s sports.
What are your thoughts on the growth of women’s sports over the past few years?
There has been an exponential rise in women’s sports, which, as a young girl who loves to watch and participate, is great to see. Having recently transitioned to a job predominantly within football, it’s an exciting time for the women’s game.
We’ve seen landmark broadcast deals, enormous commercial revenue and increased participation, all of which are continuing to surge. I’m excited to see how women’s sports continue to evolve over the coming years.
Chloe Antell:
Chloe’s journey into Eleven Sports Media began after she graduated with a degree in Football Business and Marketing from UCFB in the summer. With her passion for football, Chloe found herself as a Junior Football Content Creator here at Eleven Sports Media.
What is a quote you live by?
The two quotes I live by are, “Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You can do it. “And “Just because it’s taking time doesn’t mean it’s not happening. “I think It’s important to remember life is full of ups and downs, it’s all part of the journey.
Laura Wallace:
Laura joined the team at Eleven Sports Media at the start of 2024 as Office Manager, bringing with her a wealth of organizational skills and a positive attitude. Since joining, Laura has proven herself to be a massive asset to the team.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It provides a safe space to celebrate women, in business, as mothers, as daughters, friends, all aspects of what it means to be female.
Maddie Critchley:
Maddie is the most recent addition to the thriving team here at Eleven Sports Media, joining as an Events Coordinator. Maddie studied Event Management at University and since then has had the opportunity to work within various sports clubs and organisations.
What would you tell your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to keep dreaming big and working towards my goals. When things don’t go as planned it is easy to lose focus or to feel things are out of reach but keep going and you’ll get there.
Lucy Chambers
Lucy Chambers kicked off 2024 moving into a new role as Vice President, Global Partnerships here at Eleven Sports Media.
Best career advice you have been given?
Be authentic and be yourself. This has been such important advice for me, and really helped me ensure I’m doing things that make me happy and enable me to be the best version of myself.
What does IWD mean to you?
IWD is such an amazing opportunity to celebrate women all around the world. This year, I’m particularly thinking about the amazing women I work with at our sports teams across Europe and the US, as well as the amazing women I get to work alongside each day here at Eleven. I’m continually inspired by their experience, ideas and I love that we’re seeing more and more women in senior leadership positions across the industry.
