The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) has welcomed for the first time in the 183 year history of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, the decision to move the women’s Boat Race alongside the men’s from 2015.
In three years time, the Newton Women’s Boat Race will take place within an hour of the men’s event, over the historic 4.25 mile stretch from Putney to Mortlake.
Commenting on the announcement that the Women’s Boat Race will also be given equal funding and be shown on the BBC, Chief Executive of WSFF, Sue Tibballs, said: “Today’s news is a huge step forward – not just for women’s rowing but for women’s sport in general and demonstrates the high regard in which participants, organisers, viewers and sponsors hold women’s sport.
“The fact that the new sponsors of the boat race were so keen to see equal billing for the Women’s Race is particularly encouraging.
“WSFF has consistently campaigned for greater investment and profile for all women’s sports, including better media coverage of women’s sports which our research shows 61% of sports fans want to see. We’ve been calling for this change for the last eighteen months.
“We applaud BNY Mellon and the BBC for their commitment to the Women’s Boat Race and hope that this decision provides further motivation for the governing bodies of other sports to up their game when it comes to increasing the funding and visibility of female sports.”
Baroness (Tanni) Grey-Thompson, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Women’s Sport (supported by WSFF) added: “This is a fabulous step forward in the evolution of women’s rowing and will encourage and inspire many more young women into the sport. 60 per cent of girls tell us that seeing women’s sport on TV inspires them to be more active.
“I am also particularly pleased about the equal access to training venues and how it will raise the profile at University level. I hope that other sports will follow suit in recognising the importance of women in sport.”
This high profile change will no doubt have a profound effect on women’s rowing not only in Britain but around the world and hopefully get more women involved.
Lizzie Flint, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
