CHENNAI: It was the semifinal day of the 2024 Women's Asian Champions Trophy in Rajgir. Conventionally speaking, Bihar is not known for anything related to the sport. Odisha followed by Jharkhand and to a certain extent Chennai have come to be known as the centers of hockey when it comes to hosting in recent times. However, the roar the crowd let out when the ground announcer started introducing the Indian players at the Rajgir Sports Complex in late November would tell you that the state of Bihar had embraced the sport like never before.
It is not just hockey, women's sports in India are slowly and steadily gaining the imagination of people. The crowd at various sporting events are an indication of what is to unfold in the coming years.
Female athletes, who have played in front of empty chairs in the not-so-distant past feel this is one of those watershed moments they never thought they would witness in their careers. Take Harmanpreet Kaur, for example, the current captain of the national side played in the 2013 ODI World Cup hosted in India. The fixtures were played across two cities, Mumbai and Cuttack, on five grounds. Despite Wankhede Stadium being within walking distance, the Indian team played their matches at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium. The final of the ICC event was played at the same venue with empty stands and minimum fanfare.
Ten years later, in March 2023, Kaur led Mumbai Indians to their title in the inaugural season of the Women's Premier League at the same venue in front of a packed house. "It was a great experience for all of us, we were waiting for this moment for so many years. I think everybody enjoyed in our dressing room. It feels like a dream, I think not only for me but for everyone here, even for the crowd also. So many people were asking us, "when the WPL is going to come?" and today that day is here and I'm so happy and so proud that our team did so well," Kaur had said after the final in Mumbai.
When the season expanded in two cities in the 2024 edition, the two iconic venues M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi showcased their love for the game. Royal Challengers Bengaluru's final home game of the season fetched a crowd of over 26k spectators at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, while the final of the competition saw close to 30k loud audience in New Delhi. One must notice that these were the ticketed matches and even though the prices of those tickets were not as high as their men's counterpart competitions are, still spectators were ready to pay some amount of money to watch these fixtures.
Apart from adding to the marketability of women's sports and athletes, these increased numbers have also motivated the players and put a different challenge in front of them. The crowd has well and truly made a difference for the teams in crucial events. India's hockey captain Salima Tete who played in Rajgir admits to the same. "The international hockey tournament was happening in Bihar for the first time, and it was a great experience for us as a team. We didn't expect that much crowd, but they were there to support India. I think it gives you added motivation, especially since these many Hockey admirers were on the ground to watch us play," she told this daily.
Other than the attendance at the ground, viewing numbers over TV and OTT platforms have skyrocketed over the years. The 39% increase in the Dedicated Global Audience views in the 2024 edition of WPL is one of the biggest indications of that. While there is no gender-specific data available, with over 17 crore viewers tuning in across digital and linear platforms, the 2024 Paris edition was the most-watched Olympic Games in India's history. That could be a watershed moment for many sports going forward.
The trends we are currently witnessing in India are in line with the revolution many sports are witnessing all over the World. Almost two million fans attended the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand - up by more than 600,000 from the previous record. Elsewhere in the USA, The average attendance for the 2024 Women's National Basketball League season was 9,807, the highest in 22 years - a 48% increase from the previous season. The league also witnessed 154 sellout games in 2024, which was a 242% increase from the 2023 season.
What has made this growth possible is the dedicated investments in the sport, giving players the facilities to show their talent and at the same time, making the sports-watching experiences spectator-friendly. Indian authorities can take a leaf out of these leagues going forward. One has to admit the appetite for all things women's sports has increased in 2024 and things can only get better from here.
While we march into 2025 with more hope for increased participation and returns in women's sports, multiple issues still need to be worked on. Women’s leadership in sports is critical to driving investment and improved sports policy related to gender equality objectives. There are still significant gaps in pay, prize money, and sponsorship deals parity. Despite all of these recurring issues, women's sports in India have taken a giant leap towards achieving mainstream status in 2024, waving the tide of what happened in 2023. Women's sports, especially in team games, is not the sideshow as it was once, but has taken the centerstage and is here to stay.