This Week's Women's Sports Recap
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Ida Sports receives $2M investment to grow women-first cleats brand.
Ida Sports has received a $2 million investment as it looks to grow its production of cleats designed for women and girls.
Kynisca, a new organization devoted to commercializing and investing in women’s sports across the globe, led the seed round investment, which also included participation from Elysian Park Ventures, Firebird Impact and Tipt Ventures. Michele Kang launched Kynisca during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Ida Sports, which launched in 2018, describes itself as the sole cleat brand that offers shoes exclusively designed for women. Its shoes are based on the shape of a woman’s foot as opposed to adapted from a male last, which, until recently, was standard practice in the industry. In the last few years, more athletic shoe brands like Lululemon and Under Armour have started to tailor their manufacturing processes to offer women more exact fits in their shoes. Last year, Under Armour launched the UA Magnetico, the brand’s first soccer cleat made from a women’s last.
Ida cleats offer a wider toe box, more arch support, a narrower heel cup and other elements meant to improve performance and mitigate injury risk for female athletes on the field.
Maya Turner makes history as first female Canada West Football All-Star.
Manitoba Bisons kicker Maya Turner has etched her name in the annals of Canadian football history by becoming the first woman ever to be named a Canada West All-Star, Originally from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Turner began her university athletic career playing NCAA Division I soccer at Loyola University Chicago. Feeling unfulfilled, she made a bold decision to switch sports and pursue football—a game she had always admired but had limited opportunities to play.
“I wanted to do what I wanted to do and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me,” Turner said.
After honing her kicking skills through dedicated training and camps, Turner caught the attention of the Bisons’ coaching staff. Legendary Bisons Head coach Brian Dobie recalled her initial tryout to Mike Still of Bison Sports: “She can kick. She’s technically really, really good. She’s going to keep getting better and better.”
In 2022, Turner made history by becoming the first woman to play and score in a U SPORTS football game during a preseason matchup against the Saskatchewan Huskies. Her impact grew exponentially the following year. On September 23, 2023, in a crucial game against the Regina Rams, she became the first woman to play and score in a U SPORTS regular-season football game. Turner kicked a 21-yard field goal and later secured the game-winning field goal in double overtime, lifting the Bisons to a 27-24 victory.
NWSL 2024 attendance hits record 2 million fans.
During the final weekend of the NWSL regular season, the league’s attendance topped 2 million fans for the first time. It is the third straight year the NWSL surpassed 1 million in total attendance. The previous record was 1,424,208 set last year.
The league crossed the 2 million mark with a sellout crowd at Providence Park, as the Portland Thorns honored forward Christine Sinclair, who is retiring and helped lead the club to three NWSL titles, including in the league’s inaugural season in 2013.
During the 2024 season, there were 89 matches with more than 10,000 fans, topping last year’s total of 55 games, according to the league. Last year, the NWSL became the first women’s soccer league to average more than 10,000 fans per game. The average is north of 11,000 this season.
How Parity athlete and 2-time Olympian Kendall Ellis used Microsoft Copilot to find balance beyond the track.
The track, the weight room, and my apartment are where I seemingly spend the majority of my time. From the outside looking in, the life of a professional athlete seems to be filled with workouts and training sessions, with little time for a personal life. That feels so far from the truth, or at least, my truth. Once my training session is over for the day, I prefer to spend my time surrounded by those so removed from the sport, it feels like a break.
I get to be Kendall — the daughter, the bookworm, the friend, the YouTube lover. Not Kendall — the 2x Olympian, World Record Holder, Olympic gold and bronze medalist. I’m free to be my full self, more than an athlete, and at my most comfortable.
Maybe too comfortable.
I used to feel a sort of guilt surrounding my interests and joy away from the track. Guilty about maybe not being as “all in” as other athletes and my training partners seemed to be. Guilty for so much success because sometimes, just sometimes, on the weekend I enjoy being on my feet and walking around the museum, or going to a pop up restaurant, instead of resting and preparing for the next workout to come. I felt as if I was supposed to be one-track-minded (no pun intended) and felt a bit of shame about having so many other interests outside of not just my sport, but my career.
UEFA pledges $1.08 billion to develop women's soccer.
UEFA pledged Wednesday to steer €1 billion ($1.08 billion) toward all levels of women's soccer over the next six years as part of a comprehensive strategy to grow the game in Europe.
UEFA's goal is to make "football the most-played team sport for women and girls in every European country," as well as doubling the number of fully professional national leagues to six and raising the number of professional players from 3,000 to 5,000.
"It is our promise to keep investing and collectively lead the game forward, with all European national associations, leagues, clubs, players, fans and partners part of our journey," UEFA's director of women's soccer Nadine Kessler said in a statement.
The UEFA plan, dubbed "Unstoppable," includes developing paths for women and girls to play, coach and referee from the grassroots level.