‘The talent is there and there is no excuse’: How greater equality in sports technology can deliver a revolution in women’s sport

SportsPro speaks to executives across the board to find out how technology can transform women's sport, why greater representation is needed in a male-dominated field, and why female-led startups can change the whole industry. Read here.

‘The only woman in the room’

Systemic and unconscious bias has often discouraged women from pursuing careers in either field, even if they are passionate about sport or have a relevant qualification, and some recruitment processes have reinforced these prejudices. As a result, many technology companies are simply unaware of how and where to find female talent.

Marilou McFarlane has worked in sports technology for more than 12 years, founding education platform Vivo Girls Sports in 2009. She has since held positions at an array of companies in the industry and for many years would be the only female at certain events.

“I would go to conferences to learn about other areas of sports tech, and I would often be the only woman,” she tells SportsPro. “It was an industry where only men were in leadership roles. I didn’t think this was by design, it’s just that people tended to hire who they knew [and these would be men].

“I was kind of used to [the situation] but then I’d meet women who were really intrigued by the [sports technology] industry and so I realised we needed somewhere to connect everyone.”

Her solution was to create Women in Sports Tech (WiST) back in 2017. The non-profit organisation is now a thriving community that provides networking opportunities, workshops, job listings, and education content to encourage more women to enter the field and allow tech companies to take advantage of the talent that so clearly exists.

Read the full SportsPro article here.