A FOREWORD FROM CHARLES KAPLAN, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, STATS PERFORM
Women’s sport represents one of the most significant growth opportunities in global sport, driven by rapid audience expansion, increased investment, and a growing cultural impact as athletes become global icons.
Louise Beltrame-Bawden and Charles Kaplan at the launch of the Sport Industry Report 2026.
At Stats Perform, we are committed to growing alongside this rapid evolution by supporting leagues, teams, federations, media, and betting partners with the same depth, consistency and quality of data that has long underpinned the men’s game. Data parity is what transforms momentum into measurable, long-term value.
In this thought leadership piece, our Director of Women’s Sport Strategy, Louise Beltrame-Bawden, explores how consistent, global data creates clarity, confidence, and long-term value, helping to shape a future where women’s sport is measured, valued, and celebrated on its own terms.
Those who invest early in robust data foundations will be best positioned to lead the next decade of women’s sport.
Momentum in women’s sport has never been stronger. Audiences are growing, commercial investment is rising and athletes are becoming known around the world as cultural icons – with huge followings to match.
Despite the growing understanding of women’s sport and its differences, it can often still be a victim of comparison to men’s sport.
Parity of data provides the ultimate counter to this, changing how we view the game.
When data is collected with the same depth, frequency and intention as in men’s competitions, it facilitates stories that shift perceptions, with richer analysis, more informed performance metrics and, ultimately, a more compelling, watchable product for fans and partners.
This is why Opta’s single, consistent methodology across men’s and women’s competitions matters so much – it ensures that the insights fans receive are contextualised, giving women’s sport the same analytical foundation that has long powered the men’s game.
