The YouTube accelerator will support athletes on WST’s Unlocked programme with training in channel setup, content strategy, analytics and monetisation

WST YouTube partnership

Women’s Sport Trust (WST) has partnered with YouTube to launch a five-month accelerator to support athletes in building their digital presence and personal brands.

More than 40 billion hours of sports content is watched every year on YouTube, and WST’s latest Visibility Report revealed a significant increase in women’s sport viewing on the platform.

The top 10 global women’s properties generated 463 million video views on YouTube in 2025, led by the WTA with 185 million, which is up 172% year-on-year.

Growth is also outpacing men’s sport, says WST, with views across the top 10 women’s properties rising 92% compared to 19% for men’s.

WST’s five-month accelerator is available to athletes on its Unlocked programme, as well as alumni of the programme. Unlocked is a leadership and development initiative designed to support elite female athletes in leveraging their platform to shape the future of women’s sport.

Unlocked was launched in 2020 and provides training, mentoring and networking opportunities to help athletes advocate for greater visibility, investment and equality across the industry.

“We’re proud to partner with YouTube on this exclusive opportunity. Extending this athlete-tailored support to both the current cohort and our Unlocked alumni community will give athletes greater access to the tools, networks and knowledge they need to elevate their visibility and build their personal brands,” said Eilidh Gibson, WST athlete programmes & relationship manager.

Alison Lomax, MD at YouTube in the UK, adds: “We are incredibly excited to partner with the Women’s Sport Trust for the YouTube ‘Unlocked’ accelerator. This partnership directly supports our shared mission: empowering female athletes to ignite new communities around sport, cultivate their personal brands, and unlock valuable new revenue streams on YouTube. By showing the world what’s possible, this cohort of role models will inspire a generation of girls to dream bigger.”

Starting this April, the five-month YouTube accelerator will cover everything from channel setup and content strategy to advanced analytics and monetisation.