Funding needed for SailGP Women’s Pathway Program

The growth for women in sport is about overcoming obstacles, and for high-performance racing, there is an extensive experience gap between men and women. To provide opportunities to close that gap, SailGP initiated a rule change to require mixed crew.

This began at Spain Sail Grand Prix in October 2021 with SailGP’s Women’s Pathway Program. As a way to fast-track gender equity in the championship, all eight F50 teams expanded from five to six crew to include a woman racing onboard for the first time in SailGP.

Since then, female athletes have been onboard in 100% of races – providing a visible example for those wanting to pursue a career in sailing and inspiring the next generation.

To further this initiative, SailGP has partnered with the Women’s Sports Group (WSG), founded in 2021 to drive the profile and value in women’s sports and ensure women’s sport becomes its own economic driver. WSG will provide SailGP with advisory services on commercial partnerships for the purpose-driven sports league to accelerate the progress of its Women’s Pathway and drive sustainable growth for SailGP.

The past few years has witnessed a significant shift in investment in women’s sport as commercial partners have begun to recognize its value. Together, SailGP and WSG want to capitalize on this surge to support SailGP’s ambition of creating a gender equitable league where the best athletes can compete together on a hydrofoiling F50.

Twenty-nine female athletes have now raced onboard the F50, including the most successful female sailor in Olympic history, Hannah Mills OBE, Danish Olympic heroes Anne-Marie Rindom and Katja Salskov-Iversen, and Brazilian sailor Kahena Kunze.

However, commercial investment and the right partners are needed to advance the program’s growth and provide opportunities for further training time on and off the water, including simulator sessions and bespoke camps for female athletes to close the gap.

Thus far, the female crew has been limited to a strategist role, but SailGP’s goal is to have a female driver win a SailGP event by Season 6 (2025-26), with half of the F50s in the fleet having at least two females onboard during racing.

“We are delighted to be working with SailGP to secure authentic partnerships that not only increase investment in the sport but also amplify the work SailGP and its teams have done to drive equity and inclusion,” said Dame Heather Rabbatts, co-founder at the Women’s Sports Group.

“SailGP is a championship that places sustainability and gender equity at its core, and through commercial partnerships, we aim to accelerate and enhance the opportunities for female sailors, providing a platform for these incredible athletes and inspiring the next generation.”

Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team strategist Hannah Mills recognizes the need for commercial backing and funding to fast-track the ambition of getting a woman driver. “For someone to own that and be responsible for creating the first female driver in SailGP would be huge, so this partnership with SailGP and WSG is incredibly exciting.”

SailGP information – YouTube – How to watch

Season Standings (after four of 12 events; results and total points)
1. Australia (Tom Slingsby), 2-3-2-2; 35points
2. Great Britain (Ben Ainslie), 7-6-1-1; 29
3. Spain (Diego Botin), 5-1-3-6; 29
4. Denmark (Nicolai Sehested), 4-2-4-7; 27
5. New Zealand (Peter Burling), 1-7-8-DNC/6; 23
6. United States (Jimmy Spithill), 9-5-5-3; 22
7. France (Quintin Delapierre), 6-8-6-4; 20
8. Canada (Phil Robertson), 3-4-10-5; 18
9. Switzerland (Sebastien Schneiter), 8-9-9-9; 10
10. Germany (Erik Heil), 10-10-7-8; 6
Notes:
• Canada SailGP Team: Docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
• Germany SailGP Team: Docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix
• New Zealand SailGP Team: Granted six event points for Italy Sail Grand Prix as unable to compete due to wing damage suffered at France Sail Grand Prix.

Season 4 – 2023
June 16-17 – Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 22-23 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Los Angeles
September 9-10 – France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 23-24 – Italy Sail Grand Prix | Taranto
October 14-15 – Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía- Cádiz

Season 4 – 2024
January 13-14 – Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix | Abu Dhabi
February 24-25 – KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 23-24 – ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland
May 4-5 – Bermuda Sail Grand Prix
June 1-2 – Canada Sail Grand Prix | Venue to be announced
June 22-23 – United States Sail Grand Prix | New York
July 13-14 – SailGP Season 4 Grand Final | San Francisco

Format for Season 4:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Up to seven qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the $300,000.00 USD event prize money purse that’s divided among the top three teams.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming the $1m USD prize.

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

Source: SailGP