En garde

The GIST: Two new leagues — the World Fencing League (WFL) and International Dance League (IDL) — are gearing up to serve avid fandoms for niche sports. But are they really that niche? Maybe not, and brands are counting on that wide appeal. Let’s boogie.

The WFL: The league hosted its global debut in LA on Saturday after officially selling out tickets for a 1.1K crowd. The league has made the sport more accessible for a broad audience with state-of-the-art tracking tech and a DAZN global streaming deal. Harry Potter and Star Wars comparisons and Keegan-Michael Key skits also helped explain the game.

• The league’s got Olympic prestige, but also a cool factor thanks to cofounder Miles Chamley-Watson. F1 champ Lewis Hamilton went to support his friend, while celebs like Swizz Beatz, Jay Shetty, and Ashley Greene were also in attendance. And the WFL’s already got major sponsors in Mercedes-Benz USA, Nike Fencing, Don Julio, and Bombay Sapphire.

The IDL: Yesterday, the IDL announced E.l.f Cosmetics as a founding partner, a new territory for the beauty brand and prominent women’s sports sponsor. E.l.f. already dallies outside of major sports leagues (think racing, Paralympic swimming, and wrestling), and the brand has been clear about seeing value activating across a variety of sports.

• Makeup is a big part of dance culture, so there’s easy alignment there, but what may be surprising are the stats E.l.f cited for inspiring the partnership: Dance is one of the most participated-in activities in the U.S. (26M annually), and it’s TikTok’s second most-viewed category with 181B hashtags.

• That may be why fellow blue-chip brands like Honda, Shopify, and Cîroc have already committed to the league. Locked in.

Zooming out: These sports have their audiences, but could still be facing a “make it or break it” situation without the right backing — similar to what we’ve seen with track & field. We’ve learned, especially from women’s sports and their fans, that every sport really does have an audience, and brands are understanding the value of that.

• Early brand buy-in is taking these leagues to the next level, and they get a lot of value from getting in on the ground floor at a (presumably) low cost. There’s really only upside here, and brand backing helps solidify leagues, while companies also gain affinity with avid, “niche” fans. It’s a delicate dance.

The GIST: The PWHL is getting bigger and better each year and has the data to prove it. This week, the league shared metrics from its third regular season that illustrate a continued rise in fan demand. And that interest is driving more and more sponsorships, with new categories constantly joining the fold.

• Let’s review what the latest PWHL data indicate and what brands should keep in mind if they’re exploring the marketing opportunity in women’s hockey. An easy celly.

The numbers: In its third straight year of attendance growth, the PWHL regular season drew over 1.1M fans, a 28% jump over last season, including the playoffs. Average attendance at all primary home venues surged 35% YoY, with its 16-stop Takeover Tour drawing 200K fans. And fans want more: There was a 500% demand increase for community hockey programming.

• The league saw impressive YoY gains on social media — total impressions across platforms jumped 150% over the previous season to 682M. Web traffic also increased, rising 66% YoY, 89% coming from new users.

• This was especially evident on YouTube, where the league has streamed all three seasons for global access. Live YouTube viewership jumped 77% YoY, with viewers hailing from 154 countries (up from 106), and 61% of channel viewers were new. How about a global Takeover Tour?

The brand response: The PWHL banked a robust brand portfolio in its first season (and even earlier buy-in from heavy-hitters like Canadian Tire), but its roster grew further in year three. League and team partnerships grew 35% YoY to encompass 81 corporate partners, including league newcomers Aero (Nestlé), DoorDash, and Aveeno.

• This season, brands sought opportunities as team partners, including Alaska Airlines, Good Protein, labor union LiUNA!, health market Organika, Canadian sandwich chain Mr. Sub, childcare brand Tommee Tippee, and Sprouts Farmers Market. Brands also engaged fans through in-game activations, with Canadian Tire and Midea sponsoring sign-making stations.

Zooming out: It was a big year for the league, thanks to two new expansion teams, a bigger Takeover Tour, and many PWHL players winning gold at the Olympics — which sparked a 190% YoY jump in merch sales compared to the same time last year. Clearly, word is spreading, and one big takeaway is that it’s spreading far beyond the league’s eight home markets.

• Social media has helped the PWHL grow, and the Olympics put the game on the biggest possible stage. A lot of new categories, especially local brands on the Canadian side, want in on women’s hockey. We’re seeing a rich diversity in brand partners big and small, something Explore Edmonton recommended through its own experience. Local brands, global impact.