As part of SFS 26, a morning packed with actionable insights from European industry leaders dedicated to the decisions that can turn attention to women’s sport into tangible value.
MOMENTUM | The Business of Women’s Sport — by SFS × The Breakaway
Women’s sport doesn't need another conversation about why it matters. It needs spaces to discuss what needs to be built, through which operational choices, and with what required expertise.
Out of this need comes MOMENTUM | The Business of Women’s Sport, the pathway designed by Social Football Summit and The Breakaway to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the women’s sports industry.
The event will take place on November 11, 2026, at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM during the second day of SFS26. A morning tailored for leaders of clubs, leagues, federations, brands, broadcasters, and investors who want to understand not only where the market is headed, but what competencies are essential to driving the commercial and economic development of women’s sport.
Growth is not guaranteed
In recent years, women’s sport has achieved unprecedented audience numbers, revenue levels, and investment. However, as the market accelerates, the risk lies in interpreting every positive metric as proof that growth is automatic.
It isn’t. While the data highlights genuine opportunities, it also reveals a heavy revenue concentration, a strong reliance on commercial streams, difficulties in converting interest into sustained engagement, and operational models that are still under construction.
MOMENTUM builds upon The Breakaway's "FAIR" framework: Fans, Athletes, Identity, Revenues—a interconnected series of strategic questions:
- Fans — Do we truly know our audience, and are we building a direct relationship?
- Athletes — Do key athletes have a voice, tools, and an active role in value creation?
- Identity — Does the club, and the women's team within it, offer a distinct reason to be followed?
- Revenues — Does the commercial model convert these assets into sustainable revenue streams?
Placing revenues last does not mean placing less value on business. On the contrary, it means establishing the foundational conditions first so that the business can generate long-term value.
MOMENTUM: a morning dedicated to building the growth of Women’s Sport
How can attention in women’s sport be converted into loyal fanbase, distinct brand identities, and commercial revenue? On November 11, MOMENTUM brings this question to the Social Football Summit with a morning of high-level discussion across football, hockey, basketball, and volleyball. The program will follow the four "FAIR" pillars (Fans, Athletes, Identity, Revenues), balancing global case studies with Italian perspectives.
Following check-in and breakfast from 9:00 AM, the program kicks off at 9:30 AM with a keynote speech by Elena Mirandola, Founder of The Breakaway, on "Women’s Sport Needs Its Own Growth Model," highlighting the necessity of tailored strategies leveraging the unique attributes of women’s sport. Next, Federica Cappelletti, President of Serie A Women, will be interviewed by Sky journalist Valentina Mariani on the ongoing evolution of the Italian league and women’s football.
At 10:20 AM, the panel Fans — From Audience Data to Fan Growth will dive into building recurring engagement. Pedro Malabia Sanchis, Chief Strategy Officer at Liga F, will showcase their work across fan experience, matchday operations, broadcast, and digital content. Angelica Lindeberg, CEO of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL), will bring insights on audience expansion and distribution. The panel will be moderated by Leone Crescenzi, Chief Product Officer at Cookies Digital.
Following a coffee and networking break, the focus shifts to Athletes — The Female Athlete as a Growth Platform. Maria Caciotto, President of EVA Milano FC, and Sofia Balzani, player and content creator for the club, will present the EVA Milano FC project—a model integrating football, digital content, and community engagement to demonstrate how athlete voices can form authentic commercial partnerships. Joined by Valentina Lualdi, VP Commercial at IMG, they will explore direct athlete-to-fan engagement opportunities for rights holders and brands. The session will be moderated by Manuela Nicolosi.
Next, the session on Identity compares two club repositioning strategies. Alessandra Nencioni, General Manager of La Napoli Women, and Stefano Petruzzo, CEO of Les Marseillaises, will discuss building distinctive brand identities across different environments: an independent women’s club versus a team within Olympique de Marseille. Moderated by Pritti Lamaison, the panel will explore brand positioning, city heritage, visual identity, and strategic implementation.
At 12:30 PM, Revenues — Turning Attention into Revenue concludes the core sessions featuring Claudia Di Renzi, Head of Marketing at FIGC, Frank Leenders, Director General at FIBA Media & Marketing Services, and Simone Tomassetti, General Manager at Spike Media. Guided by Elena Mirandola, the panel will discuss driving venue attendance, generating high-value events, creating dedicated sponsorship assets, and Spike Media’s innovative distribution model for women’s volleyball.
The entire morning will be hosted by Manuela Nicolosi, high-performance expert and former FIFA international referee—renowned for officiating in the first all-female referee team for a major European men’s final—whose career bridges elite officiating and international executive leadership.
Who should attend MOMENTUM
MOMENTUM is tailored for executives across clubs, leagues, federations, commercial and marketing departments, brands, broadcasters, investors, advisors, and specialists in CRM, content strategy, and fan experience.
Attendees will leave with actionable strategies on pivotal growth drivers: understanding audience demographics, leveraging athlete influence, building authentic identities, diversifying revenue channels, and identifying the competencies required to scale the business model.
SFS 26 takes place on November 10–11, 2026, at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Event passes are available on the official Social Football Summit store. To join the MOMENTUM session, access the dedicated registration portal: https://form.socialfootballsummit.com/en/momentum/
Women’s sport has momentum. The priority now is transforming momentum into operational execution, informed decision-making, and long-term value.
For inquiries regarding The Breakaway: info@thebreakaway.io