The Telegraph announces Telegraph Women’s Sport – a major new investment and commitment to women’s sport coverage

Judy Murray, Dina Asher-Smith, Jordan Nobbs and new Women’s Sports Editor Anna Kessel join The Telegraph

Today, the Telegraph unveiled a major new editorial initiative, Telegraph Women’s Sport (TWS).

A brand-new editorial team has been appointed led by Women’s Sports Editor, Anna Kessel,  to deliver unprecedented coverage of women’s sport across The Telegraph’s platforms.

The Telegraph is committed to encouraging more female bylines and coverage of specialist women’s sport. TWS will also welcome new contributors including Judy Murray, triple European sprint champion, Dina Asher-Smith, and England football vice captain, Jordan Nobbs.

TWS will see fully integrated content in the Sport sections of the Telegraph in print and online, a new monthly standalone supplement, and TWS social and digital channels.

Anna Kessel, The Telegraph’s Women’s Sports Editor, said:

‘Telegraph Women’s Sport is setting the agenda for our industry; this is truly a landmark moment for sports coverage and I am extremely proud to be part of it. Over the years too many women’s sports stories have been lost, forgotten, or undervalued. The repercussions of this exclusion have been felt by all women, and by young girls in PE halls across the country. TWS aims to play a role in redressing the balance. Our mission is to create greater visibility for women’s sport, bring new audiences to the subject, showcase new voices, unearth thrilling stories, champion sporting brilliance, and campaign on issues that we hope will help to bring about change for future generations of women and girls. I’m delighted to be leading The Telegraph’s coverage, and I hope we will play a part in changing the status quo’.

Anna Kessel will be joined by new Deputy Women’s Sports Editor, Vicki Hodges, as well as two women’s sports reporters in the coming weeks. There will also be a range of contributors and columnists including The Telegraph’s existing rugby expert, Maggie Alphonsi, who will provide insight and opinion on all the big stories and issues concerning the sector.

Today, The Telegraph published its TWS launch manifesto outlining the objectives of the initiative:

• Address the under-representation of women’s sport through increased editorial coverage in digital and print media.

• Celebrate women’s sport through the introduction of standalone channels, dedicated products and the integration of content into existing Telegraph sections.

• Campaign on key issues to inspire women’s participation in sport from the grass roots to elite level, and hold to account those responsible for its development and organisation.

• Grow audiences by investing in specialist women’s sport journalists and encouraging more female bylines.

• Develop the TWS brand to maximise its appeal with readers and /sponsors alike, and offer multiple opportunities for interaction and collaboration.

TWS will be accessible through a dedicated online channel on the Telegraph’s news website and apps, on Twitter (@WomensSport) and Instagram (@TelegraphWomensSport), alongside a new weekly newsletter. In print, TWS will include coverage in the Sports section of the daily paper and an additional monthly supplement.

Telegraph Women’s Sport will officially launch at Advertising Week Europe.  At the event, Adam Sills, Head of Sport for The Telegraph, will outline The Telegraph’s significant investment in sports journalism and the ambitious editorial plans for TWS. The Telegraph’s Chief Sports Writer, Paul Hayward, will then moderate a panel discussion featuring TWS contributors Maggie Alphonsi, Judy Murray and Dina Asher-Smith plus the Sports Minister Mims Davies.

Adam Sills, Head of Sport at The Telegraph said:

“We have a great award-winning team of sports journalists and commentators and already have dedicated women’s rugby and football correspondents here at The Telegraph. Telegraph Women’s Sport, however, is about a much bigger commitment to reporting on women’s sport and I hope it will spark interest and enthusiasm from our readers and sports fans everywhere.”