Athletes have the power to build the game, says Sports Social Media and Digital strategist

Ndlovu adds that the stories can go a long way in building a following for the athletes, which in turn brings focus on the team and then trickles down to the entire league system. When that happens, it will bring the attention of the sponsors, says Ndlovu who was a guest speaker at the Momentum “Women Who Make Moves” Sports Summit. He explains how individual brands can help the league.

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''It plays a massive role, athletes and their individual persona and stories can do a lot to uplift the state of women's sport. If you look in America for example, Caitlin Clark when she started playing in Women's NBA, I won't say she is the only one, but the WNBA currently averages about 1.4 million viewers per game, they averaged less than a 3rd of that before Caitlin Clark started, and her individual story pushes the state of the league,'' said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu is however scathing of the digital and media presence of most teams, especially football clubs in South Africa, saying they need to up their game in that space.

''All of them to up their game, not only in the women's league but in the men's league as well. If you look at the state of Marumo Gallants or Polokwane City, even at the men's level it is not professional. My view the league needs to set a standard to say these are the minimum requirements for all of the teams in terms of their digital and social media  presence. We live in a day and age where sport is a content business,'' added Ndlovu.

When it comes to women’s sports, Ndlovu is excited that the game is growing and cites the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as a prime example.

 ''It is going in the right direction, however the numbers that matter - which are sponsorship income increasing, women get about 1% of global sponsorship income,'' he concluded.

Ndlovu attributes the growth of women’s football to the masterstroke decision taken by the world football governing FIFA to separate women’s rights from the men’s rights.

 On the Hollywoodbets Super League front, Ndlovu says a lot still needs to be done for the league to get where it should be.