International Women’s Day Calls for #AcceleratedAction
Saturday marks International Women’s Day (IWD), an auspicious occasion that has become an important date on our calendars as the fight for equal rights continues daily. The day empowers many around the world in their quest towards gender parity, and shows how the work that has been put in pays off in various ways.
In saying that, there is still much more that needs to be done, as men and women work tirelessly to ensure the playing field is becoming more fair.
The official theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is #AccelerateAction which, as it implies, will look to speed up the fight for gender parity.
In the lead-up to this year’s International Women’s Day, there have been some game-changing announcements in women’s sport, and it can be argued that FIFA is one of the leading federations when it comes to doing its part in accelerating action for women’s football across the globe.
The world football authority announced two major developments, the first being the long-awaited FIFA Women’s Champions Cup to allow the best women’s club from each confederation to compete for a new trophy with a commencement date in 2026, and the announcement of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, is set to kick off in 2028.
The driving force behind the initiative, former two-time winning FIFA Women’s World Cup head coach Jill Ellis said on FIFA.com:
“These are more than just new tournaments – these are drivers for the future of our sport that will raise standards, provide invaluable opportunities for growth and local development, and generate new revenue – all on a global scale.”
FIFA Chief Football Officer, Jill Ellis
“We thank the confederations, clubs, leagues, players, and all stakeholders for their open dialogue and support,” said Ellis, “As well as the FIFA Council for taking the final decision to give women’s club football an unprecedented global stage on a truly historic day that will redefine the women’s game.”
Another groundbreaking announcement was made on 6 March 2025 with the introduction of maternity benefits from the Women’s Tennis Association in partnership with the Public Investment Fund.
The PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program will see players who are looking to start a family or looking to expand it receive comprehensive financial support with paid maternity leave of up to 12 months. The pioneering decision will also allow players to access grants should they want to explore fertility. The program benefits will be offered to the 320 players on the WTA.
“I’m honoured to introduce this program, driven by players, and made possible with the support of PIF and the WTA. This marks the beginning of a meaningful shift in how we support women in tennis, making it easier for athletes to pursue both their careers and their aspirations of starting a family. Ensuring that programs like this exist has been a personal mission of mine, and I’m excited to see the lasting impact it will have for generations to come.”
WTA Players’ Council Representative, Victoria Azarenka
WTA CEO Portia Archer agreed on wtatennis.com: “It can be challenging to balance the physical and emotional demands of a professional tennis career with the complexities of motherhood and family life.”
“For some time, we have been exploring how we can increase our support for players to help them become parents at a time of their choice. We are delighted that our partnership with PIF allows us to realise a key ambition to offer paid maternity and parental leave to more than 320 eligible WTA players.
WTA CEO Portia Archer
This initiative will provide the current and next generation of players the support and flexibility to explore family life, in whatever form they choose.”
As the worldwide charge to improve matters for girls and women in sport gains momentum and public recognition, significant strides will continue to be made to ensure that women are afforded fair and equal treatment in sport, with a particular emphasis on continually working to limit the gender pay gap disparity between men and women.
Main Photo Caption: WTA CEO Portia Archer. The world women’s tennis governing body, and FIFA, the world football federation, have both made significant promises of their commitments to world-changing moves to the women’s game. Photo: WTA
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