2025: The Year of the Female Athlete on Social Media?
Ella Jerman, Social Media Director
Athletes aren’t just recognised for their accolades anymore, and they know it. We’re in an era where personalities and authenticity play a crucial role in driving visibility and connection — and female sports stars are showing us how it’s done.
From Ilona Maher going behind-the-scenes at training to Ella Toone trying out the latest TikTok filter, female athletes are making women’s sport more visible – and more accessible – than ever before.
We’ve seen female athletes dominating the conversation online over the last 12 months — and even outperforming their male counterparts.
Instagram and TikTok have changed the game for women’s sport. A Women’s Sport Trust survey discovered that during the Paris 2024 Olympics, women made up 69% of all TeamGB’s TikTok content, and drove 67% of the views.
Meanwhile, the same survey revealed that WSL players have a higher percentage of Instagram engagements than their Premier League counterparts.
The impact has been global. As listed by SportsPro, female athletes accounted for 61% of all TikTok views among the world’s 50 most marketable athletes in 2024, spearheaded by the likes of Maher, Simone Biles and Angel Reese.
So, what can we learn from this – and how do we ensure the momentum continues?
Enabling the player-fan connection
The life of a female sports fan hasn’t always been rosy. For years, coverage was limited, airtime rare, and interest often dismissed. Where traditional media left gaps, social media opened doors.
In a world where many female sports fans have felt overlooked and underrepresented, social media provided a long-awaited opportunity for visibility and connection. Not just to games, but with the players themselves.
And the good news is, the buy-in is there. Looking back at the SportsPro Top 50 2024 Athletes, featuring the likes of Lebron James, Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi, 95% of the female athletes have TikTok compared to just 58% of the men.
With female athletes, there is a clear willingness not only to engage in content, but also to authentically tell their own stories too. We’re seeing sportswomen show up in unique ways. Lionesses midfielder Georgia Stanway, for example, manages an Instagram account purely dedicated to photography, while England Rugby’s Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach are running their own podcast— Rugby Rodeo —which offers a fresh perspective on life as a female rugby player.
Rightsholders have started to take notice, adapting their guidelines to allow their athletes more flexibility when it comes to what they post online.
Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the IOC relaxed their guidelines to allow athletes to post videos from the Opening and Closing ceremonies, training areas and competition venues. And from next season onwards, players in the WSL will have permission to use match footage on their own channels, giving them the opportunity to diversify their output even further.
Let’s face it. Without the players, there would be no sport for us to enjoy. But it’s time to recognise all that they bring off the pitch too.
Cementing a long-term legacy
We’re approaching an incredibly exciting time for women’s sport in the UK, with the UEFA Women’s Euro, the Women’s Rugby World Cup and the Women’s Cricket World Cup all on the horizon.
These events will bring a surge of visibility. But the bigger challenge? Turning that momentum into something that lasts.
More than 275,000 tickets have already been sold for this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, presenting a huge opportunity to turn event goers into committed fans.
We’ve witnessed the power of players in women’s rugby already. Ilona Maher’s debut with the Bristol Bears attracted a record-breaking home crowd of 9,240 in January, more than double the Bears’ previous record attendance.
But it wasn’t just Bristol fans she inspired. Her presence provoked a chain reaction through the whole squad. We saw the team more willing to engage in new formats like the WNBA style tunnel walk, and players like Sarah Bern are becoming increasingly popular for their own content on TikTok too.
Social media has created a space that enables women to empower and inspire each other, prompting a domino effect where others want to join the movement.
If one thing is clear: when athletes feel comfortable to express themselves, they will. It’s crucial we not only encourage, but empower them to do so during major events to create a longer-lasting legacy.
We’ve seen the power of the player-fan connection, now it’s our job to back it — even when the floodlights have been switched off. With increased rightholder support, widespread player buy-in and big events on the horizon, 2025 is offering an opportunity like never before for female athletes to succeed on social.
Ten Toes exists to bring talent, brands and organisations closer to their fans - and to each other. We’re excited to continue to help shape the way athletes tell their stories across social and digital, and if you would like to learn more please reach out to mcoutts@tentoesmedia.com.