Introduction
Sporting activities have become powerful tools for promoting equality and guiding members of the society to address the challenges of gender bias. The relevance of women’s football has increased significantly within the past three decades. This means that different stakeholders, partners, and sponsors have been instrumental in empowering more girls and encouraging them to continue pursuing their goals in life. The FIFA Women’s Football Strategy is essential since it guides different stakeholders to continue supporting or fulfilling the needs of women. This paper identifies the best sponsor for the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team (CANWNT) and how the two can collaborate to deliver positive results.
Identified Sponsor
There are different corporations and agencies that have been on the frontline to support and empower women to engage in various events. The most appropriate sponsor for the CANWNT is Nike Corporation. The reason for this selection is that this organization is associated with sporting products and apparels in different parts of the world. The strategies outlined by FIFA can be applied to this company and explain how it can guide CANWNT to achieve its goals. The first one is for every potential sponsor to grow and develop women’s football. Nike has been keen to ensure that different national teams receive funds and uniforms for pursuing their objectives. It has established several academies for footballers and referees. Such attributes are applicable the Canadian team (“Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team”). The second one is that this sponsor organizes public events that are aimed at promoting competition. This practice supports the creation of top players and advancement of football.
The third strategy revolves around the ability to broaden exposure and commercialize sporting activities. Nike can deliver this objective by ensuring that there are programs that promote women’s football. It also partners with different nongovernmental organizations and corporations to support women rights and protect them against any form of abuse. The fourth one is the sponsor’s ability to improve gender balance. This organization has been on the frontline to improve women representation and include them in decision-making processes (“Women’s Football Strategy”). The sponsor is also capable of implementing new development programs that will transform the level of professionalism. Finally, Nike is capable of educating more community members through the use of competitions, partnerships, and empowerment campaigns.
SWOT and PESTC Analyses
Strengths
- This team has experienced and talented players who have won different medals in the Olympic and CONCACAF champions.
- It has an effective and sustainable program for identifying and promoting talent.
- It has an effective managerial structure that ensures that decisions are made effectively to promote the outlined goals.
- Its coach has adequate experience and guides all players to focus on the outlined goals.
- The entire organization has an effective structure, thereby streamlining decision-making and problem-solving strategies.
Weaknesses
- Although the team has won a number of cups and medals over the years, some of its emerging players do not have the required experience or skills.
- The absence of a female instructor or coach can affect performance to some extent. This gap can make it impossible for this team to succeed (“Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team”).
- Women football is yet to become acceptable or appreciable to the greatest number of fans in different parts of the world.
PESTC Analysis
Political
For the FIFA women’s leagues, the issue of politics is critical since it influences operations and activities in different countries, including Canada. For instance, many governments have powerful regulations and systems that promote a sporting culture (Şener and Karapolatgil 13). This scenario encourages women and leaders to pursue their objectives without fear. However, in emerging economies, gender inequality makes it impossible for such countries to develop systems that have the potential to empower women and encourage them to engage in sporting activities (“Women’s Football Strategy”). Regions with poor government structures make it hard for such leagues to thrive.
Economic
Economic forces dictate the nature, success, and effective of women’s leagues in different countries. For example, such activities have thrived in Canada due to the presence of financial support from sponsors and government institutions (Şener and Karapolatgil 13). This is not the case in many developing countries. Similarly, women who lack resources and capital will only focus on income-generating activities to feed their children.
Social
Social aspects are essential when focusing on the performance and success of women’s soccer events in different parts of the world. For instance, civil unrests, forms of discrimination, and gender imbalances will discourage women from participating in football events (“Women’s Football Strategy”). Efforts aimed at encouraging women to engage in various social activities and empowerment programs will eventually promote women’s soccer leagues.
Technological
The identified industry is not affected significantly by emerging or developing technologies. However, modern innovations are making it possible for pioneers and leaders in this sector to use social media platforms to inform more people about new games and sporting activities (Toscani and Prendergast 429). New technologies have also supported the production of high-quality shoes, balls, and pitches.
Cultural
Finally, the cultural attributes experienced in a given country will influence the decisions many people make regarding the importance and sustainability of women’s football. Fortunately, Canada is one of the countries that have proper mechanisms and initiatives for empowering women (Şener and Karapolatgil 17). Nations planning to record positive results should focus on the best practices and incentives.
Opportunities
From the above analyses and descriptions, it is evident that there are unique opportunities that will continue to make it possible for this team to pursue its objectives and eventually emerge successful.
- The global society is presently appreciating and supporting the role of women in the sporting industry.
- Modern technologies are supporting or promoting new developments and innovation for women’s soccer leagues.
- Cultural practices and behaviors are improving to favor the concept of women empowerment.
- More people today are willing to engage in sporting activities than ever before.
- Political environments and situations in different regions favor sports activities.
Threats
- Some underdeveloped countries and societies are still unwilling to support women’s soccer.
- Men’s football has captured attention of almost all sponsors and social groups.
- Many women are still experiencing poor living conditions.
- Many regions do not have sustainable programs to promote or encourage sporting activities for women.
Target Segment
The success of the CANWNT depends on this sponsor’s ability to identify a specific target segment and apply a powerful campaign that resonates with FIFA’s strategy. This model is aimed at developing, showcasing, communicating, leading, educating, and empowering different people in order to make women’s football acceptable and enjoyable. The selected segment includes people between 15 and 40 years of age. The sponsor should begin by developing a powerful promotion strategy or campaign that seeks to inform more citizens about the importance of women empowerment and the relevance of sporting activities.
With this segment in mind, the organization will be able to undertake various strategies that can meet the demands and expectations of the identified people. This aspect of demographics means that individuals below the age of 40 appreciate sporting activities, tend to be against traditional or radical practices, and embrace emerging technologies. The sponsor will go further to consider the habits, values, spending habits, and hobbies of these people. The campaign should be developed in such a way that it encourages them to engage in partying and sporting activities, rely on the use of emerging technologies, and communicate to them using social media platforms (Şener and Karapolatgil 16). This model will also encourage more Canadian women to be part of this dialogue.
Marketing Tools
Nike should consider and promote various approaches that will ensure that its campaign resonates with the outlined goals by FIFA. Firstly, it needs to support various activities and events in Canada and across the region. This practice amounts to increased communication and awareness (Toscani and Prendergast 431). Secondly, it can prepare and present various advertisements that will be broadcasted to the greatest number of people. Such an approach will ensure that more people are aware of the campaign, targeted competitions, and attract more stakeholders.
Thirdly, the inclusion of successful women athletes and footballers in its campaigns will create a sense of female leadership in accordance with FIFA goals. Such individuals might become ambassadors for the program and eventually deliver positive results. Fourthly, there is a need for Nike to showcase the game. This means that it will promote several competitive matches in order to maximize awareness and encourage more people to join this conversation. It can improve the strategy by presenting merchandise to winners and prizes to specific fans (Toscani and Prendergast 432. Finally, it can be on the frontline to establish a number of academies and sporting activities in different regions that target girls below the age of 17.
Recommendations
The current performance of this team is acceptable and promising. The partnership with the identified sponsor will deliver timely results and make it more successful. The most appropriate recommendation is for management team to present a detailed report or letter to Nike Corporation’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) department. Being a leader in the sporting business, the company will present further guidelines for signing up the intended sponsorship agreements, terms and conditions, and anticipated outcomes (Keshkar et al. 84). The team will also capitalize on the outlined opportunities, such as positive political situations and the willingness of more women to join different leagues.
The leaders of this team should be keen to follow the company’s requirements throughout the sponsorship period. This aim attainable since Nike sponsors national teams in each of the seven continents. In North America, it is the leading partners for the national men’s football teams of these countries: United States, Canada, Belize, and Martinique (“Women’s Football Strategy”). This information means that it will be willing to sign a new pact with the CANWNT. The end result is that the level of awareness in Canada will increase.
Conclusion
The above discussion has described how companies and teams can pursue the idea of sport marketing to achieve their objectives. The strategies outlined by FIFA can become a powerful model for organizations that want to partner with different sponsors to promote women’s football in different parts of the world. The proposed company can make it possible for the CANWNT to attract more players, improve performance, and record additional outcomes. The sponsor’s use of appropriate marketing tools will ensure that the selected team wins more trophies and medals.
Works Cited
“Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team.” Canada Soccer, Web.
Keshkar, Sara, et al. “The Role of Culture in Sports Sponsorship: An Update.” Annals of Applied Sport Science, vol. 7, no. 1, 2019, pp. 57-81.
Şener, İrge, and Ahmet Anıl Karapolatgil. “Rules of the Game: Strategy in Football Industry.” Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 207, no. 1, pp. 10-19.
Toscani, Giulio, and Gerard Prendergast. “Arts Sponsorship versus Sports Sponsorship: Which is better for Marketing Strategy?” Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, vol. 31, no. 4, 2019, pp. 428-450.
“Women’s Football Strategy.” FIFA, Web.