Thursday 6 October 2016 06:52, UK
Women's Sport Week gets underway in October, a week long initiative aimed at raising the profile of women's sport in the UK.
From Monday, October 3 all the way through to Sunday, October 9, we will have content across our Sky Sports linear, digital and social platforms raising the awareness of female success and participation from all backgrounds in sport at every level.
Being active and playing sport has enormous benefits - it improves mental and physical health, boosts confidence and leadership skills, and brings people together.<p>I want to encourage more girls and women to get involved in sport for the positive impact it can have on their lives. <p>Women’s Sport Week is a fantastic campaign that showcases the best of women’s sport from the grassroots to the elite
After the success of 2015 Women's Sport Week and the triumphs of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes at Rio 2016, #WSW16 promises to be bigger and better.
With Sport England joined by National Governing Bodies, the government and major broadcasters, the collective is joining forces with the aim of celebrating and showcasing the very best of women's sport at all levels.
The aim is to raise awareness of opportunities for women of all abilities and backgrounds to engage, volunteer, experience in live sport as well as sports leadership from playing to coaching to governing across the country.
Sky Sports News HQ will lead the way with big-name interviews, features from grassroots and elite level as well as stories to inspire the next and current generations. Among the names we will be hearing from are Great Britain hockey gold medallists Hannah MacLeod and Kate Richardson-Walsh.
Double Olympic silver medal winning cyclist Becky James will lead a spin class and the inspirational Jo Pavey gets a look at the new Olympic sport of climbing
As well as keeping you up to date with news on Chelsea Ladies in the women's Champions League, we will be across the news on the WTA Tour, the LPGA and also hear from England cricketer Heather Knight with the women's tour of the West Indies underway and leading tennis coach Judy Murray on the Miss-Hits coaching initiative aimed at young girls.
#WSW16 also promises to be the most social and digital so far and we are launching our brand new SportswomenSky Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
We also have our very own twitter campaign #MyInspirationalWoman designed to get everyone talking about the women who have shaped their lives, sporting or otherwise. Carl Froch will be among the names to reveal the woman who has inspired him most.
Last year we led the way with stories every hour through the week, and will be doing even more this year: on Sportswomen and across our digital outlets we'll have interviews with leading names, in depth features, inspiring stories, polls, and analysis of the news and stories that shape the world of women's sport.<p>From grass roots to elite level there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
Women's Sport Week is about getting more women and girls involved in sport and raising the profile of our female athletes and sports teams.
Currently 1.6m few women than men play sport in a regular basis in the UK and women's sport receives just 7 per cent of all sports media coverage and just 0.4 per cent of commercial investment in sport.
Women are also hugely under-respresented in sport workforces at every level, from the playing fields to the boardrooms
Women's Sport Week proved a hugely successful campaign last year and we now have a fantastic opportunity to build further public interest and celebrate the important contributions that women make in sport.<p>With our partners, we can reach out to the whole community - women and men, girls and boys, those who are already passionate supporters of women's sport and those who have yet to discover how brilliant it can be.<p>We hope many more people will learn about opportunities for women in sport, champion our work and join in.
Leading charity Women in Sport are joined by Sport England, National Governing Bodies, the Departure for Culture Media and Sport and major broadcasters Sky Sports and the BBC to promote women's sport and inspire women of all ages, backgrounds and sporting abilities to get out and get active.
