The sports marketing agency, with offices in Barcelona and Miami, brought together industry leaders for an event that addressed the progress, challenges, and opportunities in women’s sports and the role of women in the industry.
ISL Agency hosted on April 10th, 2025 the Heritage event this week at its Barcelona headquarters, a space for conversation and reflection that brought together key voices from the sports ecosystem to analyze the current state of women’s sports in Spain and what still needs to be done to continue advancing the role of women from all angles.
Lina Carlos de Vergara, Vice President of Communications at DAZN Spain, shared the platform’s strategic vision when it acquired the global broadcasting rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2021 for four seasons. During the first two, all matches were made available for free through an exclusive women’s football channel on YouTube, which now has over one million subscribers. In the following two seasons, broadcasts moved to the DAZN app. Currently, all women’s leagues, including the UWCL, are available on DAZN without a paywall for most matches, according to the agreements established with each competition.
“At DAZN, we didn’t want there to be a single barrier to accessing women’s sports. If the interest was there — and the data proved it — then the issue was visibility. That’s why we opened the doors and did it in a way that left no room for excuses.”
This interest is reflected in projects like the Queens League. Anna Tormo, Head of Digital Strategy for the Queens and Kings League, explained how creating the competition from the beginning under conditions similar to its male counterpart was a decisive factor in its success.
“The great differentiator of the Queens League is that it was born almost at the same time and under the same parameters as the Kings League. It wasn’t a case of adaptation, but of building something equal from day one. That allowed us to create a strong and appealing product right from the start — something that hasn’t historically happened in women’s football.”
Maria Teixidor, lawyer, entrepreneur, and former General Secretary of FC Barcelona’s Board of Directors, was clear in pointing out that the real breakthrough is still ahead:
“We can’t keep trying to make women’s sports fit into molds that weren’t designed for it. We have to build a distinct and differentiated product, and stop looking at men’s sports as the only model for success. The potential is there, but we still don’t dare to tap into it as it deserves.”
But the challenge goes beyond the game itself: it also lies in solidifying the role of women at every level of the industry — from decision-making to content creation and strategic development. As the sector evolves, it is essential that women are not only present on the field but also in the spaces where the rules are written.
Andrea Ginés, sports journalist, spoke about the cultural shift needed for women to take on leading roles throughout the industry:
“In many ways, Spain is still lagging behind [other European countries]. We need to break old habits and change the way we value the role of women in sports — both on and off the field. We need visible role models, but more importantly, we need female talent at the center of decision-making.”
Looking ahead, the speakers agreed that the real challenge is no longer proving that there is interest in women’s sports, but rather building the structures needed to ensure its sustainable growth. They noted that many commercial opportunities in women’s sports are still being missed, and brands are slow to react.
This event is part of a new line of action by ISL Agency, launched with a clear purpose: to be an active agent of change and to create these spaces for dialogue as a real way of moving the industry forward.
With this initiative, ISL Agency reaffirms its commitment to a more inclusive, diverse, and ambitious sports industry.
About ISL Agency
Based in Barcelona and Miami, ISL Agency is a sports management and marketing agency focused on bringing international growth opportunities to major sports properties.