W SERIES WINS: WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL NEW SPORTS COMPETITION

Following the inaugural season of W Series reaching its finale at Brands Hatch, we take a look at some of the key elements required to create a successful new sports competition.

Originality

With a huge range of sports and varying formats already on offer, fans need a reason to watch something new.

In an unprecedented year for international women's sport, alongside the Netball World Cup and Women’s Football World Cup, W Series launched at the perfect time. The narrative and purpose of the competition was clear from the start. The number of women participating in motorsport is in decline. In response, W Series created the world’s first single-seater racing championship solely for women. In the short term W Series generated an additional opportunity for female drivers to enhance their performance in their regular season races. In the long term W Series’ objective is to develop a new generation of role models to inspire young drivers and to increase the number of women involved in the motorsport industry.

Publicity

It must be easy for fans to access, follow and engage with a new competition.

Usually, the best way to increase publicity, drive engagement, and reach a large audience is to broadcast the competition on free-to-air channels. Globally, W Series was broadcast in 57 markets. In the UK each race was shown on Channel 4 with the race day broadcast being produced by Whisper Films who are also behind Channel 4's coverage of Formula 1. This choice not only delivered a high quality program but also provided familiarity for traditional motorsport fans.
 
In the current sports climate, fans’ appetite for content is ever increasing. Consequently, behind the scenes and social media content is also vital in developing the fan base of a new competition. W Series put a huge amount of emphasis on the creation of its off-track content and recognised this as a great method for fans to get to know the drivers. There has also been wider support from the motorsport community, with W Series drivers appearing on traditional motorsport programmes.

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