Playing team sports can help accelerate business growth, with women entrepreneurs who frequently play sport more than twice as likely to report that their company has grown over the past two years (28% vs 12%), according to new research commissioned by Visa, sponsor of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. Almost three-quarters (73%) of women who participate in team sports say it has had a positive impact on their business. In fact, entrepreneurs who participate in team sports regularly are more likely to run bigger businesses, with those surveyed being three times more likely to have over 10 employees (54% v 19%) and report a turnover of more than £2 million a year (34% v 10%).
As the first-ever UEFA sponsor dedicated to women's football, Visa’s ‘Women thriving, on and off the pitch’ report underscores its commitment to elevating the game while driving excellence, equality and inclusion for women across the whole economy. As the nation gears up to host Europe’s most-watched women’s football tournament, Visa is shining a spotlight on how the transferable skills learnt by playing team sports can help women business owners reach their full potential.
Many of the barriers that hold women and girls back in sport are many of the same as those holding back women economically. Advancing women entrepreneurs could give a £4 trillion boost to the global economy, with Visa’s research uncovering which skills learnt on the pitch can also help women to thrive off it.
