By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Endeavor has launched a new virtual education and development program called NXT UK: Women in Sports as part of its Endeavor Impact initiative.
The NXT UK: Women in Sports program is a six-week virtual course for young women in the UK who want to pursue careers in the sports industry.
The program will provide free educational courses and live introductory sessions that cover topics such as sports media, licensing, entertainment, representation, networking, sponsorship and more.
The programme’s main goal is to increase the pipeline of talented women applying for roles at Endeavor, IMG and the wider sports industry.
“Through our various Virtual Pipeline Programs, including the NXT series, we want to democratize access to the sports and entertainment industries for under-represented groups,” said Endeavor SVP, Romola Ratnam. “NXT UK: Women in Sports aims to provide free education and inspiration that anybody can access from any device, no matter where they are, and help kick-start a career in sport. It’s important we take steps to increase diversity within our industry and encourage the next generation of talented women to build a career in sport – whether that’s at Endeavor or beyond.”
The sessions will be delivered by executives from Endeavor-owned subsidiaries such as IMG, On Location, WME Sports and 160over90, in addition to notable leaders from across the global sport industry such as Women’s Sport Collective CEO, Sue Anstiss.
The NXT UK: Women in Sports program was launched in partnership with the the Women’s Sport Collective and the USA Embassy in the UK.
Endeavor and the U.S.A. Embassy officially kicked off the educational programme on April 17, 2024 with a celebratory event at Winfield House in London.
“As women’s sports fans, we all love to celebrate our team’s victories,” said USA ambassador to the UK, Jane D. Hartley. “The real celebration will come when we push the boundaries facing women in sports upward and outward until there are no more barriers, and no more ceilings. We can achieve this through getting more women interested and involved in sports as a career by creating real pathways for their advancement and development. Now is the right time to make a push on these issues. Women’s sports are reaching a tipping point,” added Hartley. “From the global popularity of the Women’s World Cup to the U.S. Women’s college basketball tournament that just concluded – the most watched in history – to the way we all followed the Lionesses in their Euro winning campaign, the interest in and investment into women’s sports is unlike anything I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
Registrations for the NXT UK: Women in Sports initiative will launch on May 1, 2024 and will be free for all participants.
Additional details on the full educational program will be released to the public soon.
Since Endeavor first launched its Endeavor Impact virtual education and development series in 2021, more than 25,000 participants have enrolled across its various initiatives.
In addition to NXT UK: Women in Sports, the Endeavor Impact program includes NXT Africa, NXT: NYFW, NXT/Latinx and the Excellence Program.
Endeavor is a global sports and entertainment company that offers a broad range of services across branding, live events, and experiences.
The Women’s Sport Collective is a collaborative non-profit network for women working in the sports sector that focuses on promoting gender equity in the industry.
Supported by Sport England, membership to the Women’s Sport Collective is free of charge to all women working in sport.