Project Access launched to open doors for women across sports TV

Project Access is a cross-industry initiative to improve opportunities for women professionals to enter and progress in sports broadcast, supported by numerous leading international organisations

International Women’s Day marks the launch of Project Access, a cross-industry initiative to improve opportunities for women professionals to enter and progress in sports broadcast, supported by numerous leading international organisations.

An initial impact is being made by HBS, IMG, the English Football League (EFL) and Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), with SVG Europe as media partner for the new project.

Later this month a deserving woman participant at the Live Sports Direction course held at the National Film and Television School (NFTS), by the Broadcast Academy – HBS’ training unit – will be selected and given the opportunity to direct a live EFL match this season at IMG’s production HQ in Stockley Park, near London’s Heathrow Airport.

Opportunities like these that give an immediate opportunity to work on high profile sports will be a game changer in bringing more women to the forefront of the industry.

Already establishing a push towards greater gender equality as one of its key pillars, the Broadcast Academy, in partnership with EVS, is proud to have worked with first women football directors in Cameroon, Jamaica, Iceland and Austria and have held dedicated sessions for women professionals at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam since 2017.

In 2019, Aleksandra Fedina, director from Saint Petersburg, Russia, won an all-inclusive ‘shadowing opportunity’ at Roland-Garros in Paris this summer, thanks to the co-operation of the FFT.

Students at the Live Sports Direction course held at the National Film and Television School (NFTS), by the Broadcast Academy – HBS’ training unit. Project Access aims to bring on board more industry partners to develop a larger network upon which to position opportunities for further progress across different regions and at other major sporting events

Building on those foundations, Project Access aims to bring on board more industry partners to develop a larger network upon which to position opportunities for further progress across different regions and at other major sporting events.

“Project Access is about taking the next step,” stated Dan Miodownik, CEO of HBS. “During the course of 2019 we have seen clear advancements taken by some of our Academy graduates and we want to increase these success stories by encouraging wider involvement across the broadcast industry. It is great to have the support of the industry, and partners like FFT, IMG and EFL, from the start. The more organisations who are on board with this initiative, and helping us to create a platform for talented women in the industry, the faster we will reach the goal of a more equal workforce.”

Stephen Cook, director of content, IMG, said: “Project Access is an important initiative to identify, encourage and promote female production talent. Programmes like this are crucial to ensuring women are well-positioned to shape the future of sports broadcasting, benefitting both the sports themselves and their fans. This has our full backing.”

Head of Digital at EFL, Russell Byrne remarked: “We are proud to endorse Project Access and to offer support to further the cause.”

Premier League Productions is also committed to join as supporting partners to offer content and various means of assistance to the endeavour.

The initiative approaches the challenge of women’s under representation in the broadcast industry from three angles. Firstly, through greater access to training. Scholarships and bursaries will allow for selected participants – either from the industry partners own personnel or independent applicants – to attend industry-led training sessions.

Secondly, exceptional candidates identified will be given access to opportunities to work on, or shadow at, major sports events with participating partners, and will be offered longer term mentorship from experts.

Thirdly, focusing on the next generation wishing to break into the industry, workshops and talks at media universities and broadcast conventions will open the door to a new audience, with hands-on experience available via the EVS Live TV Simulator and positive reinforcement of the career stories of women broadcast professionals, including those who have graduated from Broadcast Academy courses.

The symbiotic nature of the initiative will therefore allow an outlet for industry partners to guide upcoming talent in their organisation and also offer an avenue for participants recommended by all partners to progress further after their training sessions.

“We are delighted to play our part in Project Access,” Emilie Montané, director of media and production at FFT said. “Whether it is through providing content for the training courses or by offering real world experience to those who have shown their talent, everything we can do to give opportunities that would not normally be easily accessible to women in the industry is an encouraging step forward.”

To find out how you can participate in ‘Project Access’, please email: [email protected]