What is The Women’s League Summit?

Building a Global Meeting Point for Women’s Football

A conversation with Ersel Aybasti, Executive Director & Editor-in-Chief of The Women’s League

At a Glance

Building a Global Meeting Point for Women’s Football

Women’s football is entering a defining period. Professionalisation continues to accelerate, investment is increasing, and new opportunities are emerging across every area of the game. As the landscape evolves, so does the need for stronger collaboration between the people shaping its future.

On 22 October 2026, The Women’s League will host the inaugural The Women’s League Summit, an international online event bringing together leaders from across the global women’s football ecosystem. Ahead of the official launch, The Football Week spoke with Executive Director & Editor-in-Chief Ersel Aybasti about the vision behind the summit, why knowledge sharing matters, and what success will look like beyond the first edition.

Key Insights

• The summit will connect decision-makers from different areas of the global women’s football industry.
• Five executive panels will explore the key issues shaping the future of the women’s game.
• The online format is designed to remove geographical barriers and encourage international collaboration.

Our Exclusive Interview with Ersel Aybasti

The Women’s League has established itself as a platform dedicated to women’s football. Why was now the right time to launch the first Women’s League Summit?

When we founded The Women’s League, our ambition was never limited to publishing news, articles or interviews. From the very beginning, we wanted to contribute to the growth of women’s football by creating a platform that connects people, shares knowledge and gives a voice to those shaping the game.

Over the past few years, we’ve had the opportunity to speak with professionals from clubs, federations, media, commercial organisations and many other areas of the industry. Those conversations gave us a unique insight into how much expertise exists across the world and how willing people are to share it.

At the same time, we realised that these conversations often happen in isolation. People are doing remarkable work in their own environments, but there are still too few opportunities to bring those experiences together in one place.

That was the starting point for The Women’s League Summit.

We wanted to create an international platform where leaders from different countries, organisations and backgrounds can exchange ideas, learn from one another and strengthen the global women’s football community.

For us, the summit is a natural extension of what The Women’s League has always stood for: connecting people, encouraging meaningful conversations and supporting the continued development of women’s football.

For us, the summit is a natural extension of what The Women’s League has always stood for: connecting people, encouraging meaningful conversations and supporting the continued development of women’s football.

For those hearing about it for the first time, what exactly is The Women’s League Summit?

The Women’s League Summit is an international online summit that brings together decision-makers from across the global women’s football ecosystem.

Our ambition is to create a platform where leaders from clubs, federations, media, commercial organisations and other areas of the game can share experiences, discuss current challenges and offer different perspectives on where women’s football is heading.

The programme is built around five executive panels covering Technical Leadership & Coaching Development, Investment, Sponsorship & Commercial Growth, Brand Building, Media & Communication, Data, Scouting & Recruitment, and Federations, Governance & Global Development.

Every panel has been designed to explore one of the key areas shaping the future of the game. Rather than listening to individual presentations, participants will hear conversations between experienced professionals who approach similar challenges from different perspectives.

We hope attendees leave with practical insights, fresh ideas and a broader understanding of how women’s football is evolving around the world.

There are already conferences and football events around the world. What gap do you believe The Women’s League Summit fills?

One thing we’ve observed over the years is that many conversations still happen within the same professional circles.

Coaches speak with coaches. Sporting directors exchange ideas with other sporting directors. Commercial leaders meet people working in commercial roles. That’s completely natural, but women’s football has reached a stage where those conversations should become broader.

Some of the most valuable ideas come from hearing a perspective you wouldn’t normally encounter.

A sporting director might gain a new understanding by listening to a media executive. Someone working within a federation may discover a different approach from a club operating on another continent. Those different viewpoints create stronger discussions.

The online format also plays an important role.

From the beginning, we wanted this to be a genuinely international event. By removing geographical barriers, we can bring together speakers and participants from different continents who might never have the opportunity to meet at the same conference.

That’s what makes this summit different. It reflects the global nature of women’s football.

Your vision is to bring together decision-makers from across the global women’s football ecosystem. Why is international collaboration so important at this stage of the game’s development?

Women’s football is developing at different speeds around the world.

Some countries have well-established professional structures, while others are still laying the foundations for long-term growth. Every market has its own challenges, but there is also an incredible amount of knowledge within the game.

International collaboration creates opportunities to learn from one another.

We’ve spoken with people working across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Although their environments are very different, many of the topics they discuss are remarkably similar. Leadership, player development, commercial sustainability, recruitment and governance are challenges that exist everywhere.

If we can bring those perspectives together in one place, everyone benefits.

That’s why we believe the summit should be international from day one.

The summit is built around five executive panels. Why did you choose these particular themes, and what conversations do you hope they will spark?

We started by asking ourselves a simple question: Which conversations will have the greatest impact on the future of women’s football?

The five panels reflect the answers to that question.

Leadership, commercial growth, media, recruitment and global development are all interconnected. Progress in one area often depends on progress in another, so it was important to bring these topics together within the same event.

We also wanted every discussion to remain authentic.

The themes provide direction, but the final discussion points will be developed together with the speakers before the summit. They are the experts in their respective fields, and we want them to help shape conversations that are relevant, current and valuable.

Rather than keynote presentations, you’ve chosen moderated panel discussions. What was the thinking behind that format?

The best conversations are rarely one-sided.

When you bring together people with different experiences, different opinions and different professional backgrounds, you create an environment where ideas naturally evolve.

That’s exactly what we wanted.

A moderated discussion allows speakers to challenge one another, build on different perspectives and explore topics in much greater depth than a traditional presentation.

We’re also investing time before the event by bringing each panel together in advance. That preparation helps create focused discussions while still leaving room for spontaneous debate.

The best conversations are rarely one-sided.

You’re currently speaking with leaders from clubs, federations, media and commercial organisations around the world. What qualities are you looking for when selecting speakers?

Experience is important, but it isn’t the only consideration.

We’re looking for people who bring genuine insight and who are willing to share it.

Some have built successful projects over many years. Others are leading change within established organisations. What they all have in common is a desire to contribute to the wider development of women’s football.

We also wanted diversity in every sense: Different countries. Different organisations. Different professional backgrounds.

That combination creates richer discussions and allows participants to hear perspectives they may never have considered before.

Who is this summit designed for? Which professionals will benefit most from attending?

The summit is designed for anyone working in or around women’s football who wants to better understand where the game is heading.

That includes executives, sporting directors, coaches, federation representatives, recruitment professionals, commercial leaders, media professionals, agents, educators and many others.

Although every role is different, everyone is contributing to the same ecosystem.

Our aim is to provide discussions that are relevant across those different areas and offer ideas that people can take back into their own organisations.

The summit will be held online. Why did you decide against a traditional in-person conference for the inaugural edition?

Accessibility was one of the biggest reasons.

We wanted someone in Australia to have the same opportunity to join as someone in Germany, Kenya, Brazil or the United States.

An online format allows us to reach a much broader international audience while making it easier for senior leaders from different parts of the world to participate.

For the first edition, that felt like the right decision.

What do you hope participants will take away after the event has finished?

I hope they leave with a broader perspective.

Sometimes one conversation is enough to challenge the way we think about a particular topic.

If participants discover a new idea, hear an approach they hadn’t considered before or gain an insight they can apply within their own organisation, then the summit has achieved its purpose.

How do you see The Women’s League Summit evolving over the coming years? Is this intended to become an annual international platform?

Absolutely.

Our ambition is for The Women’s League Summit to become an annual meeting point for the global women’s football industry.

Every year the game evolves, new challenges emerge and new leaders step forward.

We want the summit to evolve alongside the sport and continue bringing together people who are driving that progress.

Finally, what does success look like for you when the first edition concludes on 22 October?

Success won’t be measured by the number of speakers or attendees.

For us, success will be measured by the quality of the discussions and the value they create.

If participants finish the day with new ideas, a broader understanding of the global game and inspiration they can take back into their own organisations, then we will have achieved exactly what we set out to do.

If The Women’s League Summit becomes a platform that people trust for meaningful conversations and international perspectives, then this first edition will have been a very worthwhile beginning.

FAQ

What is The Women’s League Summit?

The Women’s League Summit is an international online summit bringing together decision-makers from across the global women’s football ecosystem.

When is The Women’s League Summit?

The inaugural event will take place online on 22 October 2026.

Who should attend The Women’s League Summit?

The summit is designed for executives, sporting directors, coaches, federation representatives, recruitment professionals, commercial leaders, media professionals, agents, educators and others working in or around women’s football.