The University clinched bronze in the title of Best Supporter of Women’s Sport at the Sports Business Awards, coming third in an elite field that included the Women’s Rugby World Cup, campaigns celebrating England’s Lionesses, and the Netball Super League.
Judges were impressed by the University’s commitment to empowering women in sport.
Bespoke kit
In a UK first, the University co-designed a bespoke kit for its women’s rugby club, breaking away from the long-standing practice of expecting female players to wear kit created for men.
Working in partnership with British sports brand PlayerLayer, the designs were co-created with athletes to produce an empowering, high-performance kit specifically tailored for women.
'Girls Belong'
The University women’s cricket team has also moved away from traditional whites in favour of a coloured kit that players say is more comfortable and less transparent.
The partnership with PlayerLayer further led to the creation of the inspiring ‘Girls Belong’ video campaign, reinforcing the message that women have a rightful and celebrated place in sport.
Boosting participation
The judges also note the impressive number of females taking part in sport at Edinburgh, which is up by 65 per cent since 2015, with women now representing more than half of all student athletes.
Women athletes at Edinburgh have enjoyed incredible success in recent years, with Megan Keith becoming British 10,000m Champion, Jasmine Paris MBE making history as the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons, and alumna Hollie Davidson becoming the first woman to referee a Men’s Six Nations team.
Despite extraordinary sporting successes in recent years, across society, women still encounter barriers to inclusion and a lower profile compared with men’s games. Seventy per cent of girls report dropping sport because of concerns around kit or body image, and 71 per cent report avoiding exercising during their period.
