Five London and Essex sports clubs have collaborated to form a new Women's Elite Sport Partnership.
West Ham Women, basketball clubs London Lions and Essex Rebels, London Pulse netball side and Sunrisers cricket team will collectively work together in order to help grow and sustain the development of women's sport in the UK.
The partnership comes following in-depth analysis of the challenges facing women in sport today, with the goal of supporting sportswomen in reaching their full potential, as well as continuing to progress elite women's sport.
The five clubs of the Women's Elite Sport Partnership, also supported by Essex Cricket and Middlesex Cricket, will focus on supporting one another in three main areas – engagement, performance and commercial activity.
The group will also look to develop programmes which help grow women's participation in sport as well as capture new audiences while working together in growing the fan base of the combined professional teams and better match day experiences for female sports fans.
Focus will also be on enhancing the player pathway experience and growing the support staff structure at all levels to improve the experience of women athletes.
Managing director of West Ham women's team Jack Sullivan welcomed the initiative.
"Despite 2020 being a really challenging year for sports across the globe, women's football is gaining huge momentum and we are looking to build on this in 2021, through this fantastic partnership," Sullivan said.
"The collaboration is a great opportunity for us to help each other grow and in turn, we hope that the fans of each team will support us all on this journey."
The Sunrisers were formed as one of eight regional ECB hubs competing in the new Women's Elite Domestic Structure.
Danni Warren, regional director of women's cricket for Sunrisers, said: "The creation of this Women's Elite Sport Partnership gives us an incredible platform to showcase and develop female athletes across several sports, harnessing our collective desire to provide an opportunity for female sport to thrive over the coming years."
