As we head towards our first anniversary, Sportswomen returned to the all new Sky Sports News HQ studio for a third series today at the new time of 11.30am.
This series of the show promises to showcase the very best in women's' sport and there couldn't be a better time for us to return! This summer produced some of the best ever results in women's sport and we're excited to be able to celebrate key successes.
The most iconic image of the summer for me was seeing England Rugby captain Katy McLean lifting the World Cup trophy, live on Sky Sports. We've spent a lot of time with the England team in the build up to the World Cup and have seen first-hand the dedication, sheer determination and huge balancing act these women have to manage every day in order to chase their dream.
They were not alone in flying the flag for women's sport over the last few months. Jo Pavey, at the age of 40, won gold at the European Athletics Championships. The England football team were unbeaten as they qualified for the 2015 World Cup in Canada while Shelley Kerr became the first women to manage a senior British men's side. Meanwhile, footballer Fara Williams became the most capped England player of all time. In Glasgow, Claudia Fragapane took her place in British Gymnastics history with the four gold medals she won at the Commonwealth Games. Jazz Carlin and Fran Halsall dominated at the European Swimming Championships. In New York, Jordanne Whiley became the first British player to complete a calendar Grand Slam at the US Open before Serena Williams cruised to an 18th Grand Slam title. It was left to the England cricket team to wrap up the summer on Sky Sports with a Twenty20 series whitewash against South Africa.
Don't worry - if you missed these moments (or if you just want to enjoy them all over again) Sportswomen will be relived the summer of success during the first episode this morning and will be repeated tonight at 7pm on Sky Sports 4, as well as being available On Demand!
I've learnt a lot of lessons from producing Sportswomen over the last year. Sometimes you have to be a little bit stubborn, follow your gut and pick your battles wisely. Most importantly - the success of women in sport is something to marvel. Many are not professional athletes and have to manage careers with training and competitions. The fact these athletes achieve at such a high level often without financial support, sponsorship or widespread media awareness shows a huge strength of character. It's also the women behind the scenes who work for governing bodies, charities and businesses that make inspiring stories.
Sky Sports understands there is a demand from viewers to watch high-level women's sport on TV which is why we've been broadcasting live women's events for over 15 years. This summer has definitely set the standard and we're excited about what's to come and the stories we will tell. The Evian Championship is live on Sky Sports from September 11, we'll show the Horse of the Year Show in mid-October and of course Super League netball will be back next year.
The new series of Sportswomen will take you closer to a high profile list of women in sport; feature more investigations, debates and big name interviews as well as all the latest news and results from the world of women's sport.
As well as all the names mentioned above, Laura Trott, Nicola Adams and Rebecca Adlington will all feature this series and viewers will be able to continue voting for their Sportswoman of the Month contenders. We'll have high profile guests joining us in the studio to help discuss the key issues and each week, we'll be asking viewers to interact with the programme by joining in our debates and discussions through online polls and via Twitter @SkySportsNewsHQ using #Sportswomen.
The new Sky Sports apps and website will offer catch-up video clips, additional content and reports on all the top news lines alongside the live programme. As well as repeats on Sky Sports on Tuesday evenings, you can also watch us On Demand, on Sky Living every Sunday at 10am or via the Sky Sports Sportswomen podcast.
I hope you enjoy the new series.
Anna