Sofascore Stadium Meetup: The Power of Women's Sports

Women’s sports are no longer a niche — they are one of the fastest-growing and most exciting areas of the global sports industry.

The Power of Women’s Sports brings together industry leaders to explore what’s driving this growth, where the real opportunities lie, and what’s needed to sustain long-term momentum.

This panel is for anyone working in sports, media, data, business, partnerships, or technology — and for everyone who believes women’s sports deserve equal attention, investment, and ambition.

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🔎 What We'll Discuss:

• The growth and professionalization of women’s sports
• Attendance, investment, and commercial interest
• Fan engagement and media demand
• Why sustained investment matters
• How data, organizations, and platforms can support long-term momentum

🎤 Meet our Panelists:

• Louise Beltrame-Bawden, Director of Women's Sport Strategy, Stats Perform (Opta)
• Gustavo Arellano, Head of Commercial Development, FIBA
• Marta Bihar, Head of Business Development, Sofascore
• Moderator: Damjan Rudež, Senior Advisor for Global Partnerships, Sofascore & Director of the Sunset Sports Festival

Beyond the numbers, the message is clear: women’s sports are a growing force in the global sports business. For the first time in Croatia, we’re bringing industry leaders together to explore what comes next.

📅 When: Thursday, February 26, 6 PM
📍 Where: Sofascore, Vrbani 4, Zagreb
🟡 REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND THE EVENT 🟡

AGENDA
5:45 - 6:00 PM - Arrival
6:00 - 7:00 PM - Panel
7:00 - 7:15 PM - Q&A
7:15 - 8:30 PM - Networking

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More about our panelists:

Louise Beltrame-Bawden, Director of Women's Sport Strategy, Stats Perform (Opta)
Louise is the Director of Women’s Sports Strategy at Stats Perform, where she leads the company’s global efforts to accelerate the growth, visibility, and commercial value of women’s sport through data, AI, and storytelling.
With a background in sports journalism and international content leadership, Louise brings a media-first perspective to the data revolution reshaping sport. She has worked closely with leagues, federations, broadcasters, and digital platforms to deliver live coverage at scale, giving her firsthand insight into how data quality influences coverage, fan engagement, and commercial opportunity. Louise now focuses on building go-to-market frameworks and partnership strategies that help the industry unlock long-term commercial growth in women’s sport.

Gustavo Arellano, Head of Commercial Development, The International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
Gustavo combines a background in engineering, business, and sports management with more than 20 years of international commercial experience. At FIBA, he built the federation’s market intelligence function, supported the rollout of a new global competition system, and shaped the multi-event sponsorship strategy for major tournaments. Today, he leads strategic initiatives across the FIBA ecosystem, with a strong focus on the commercialization of media rights and digital assets, esports, licensing, sponsorship, digital transformation, and the FIBA Academy. Beyond his executive role, Gustavo contributes as a guest lecturer in leading sports management programmes and is co-founder of a Lausanne-based sports think tank.

Marta Bihar, Head of Business Development, Sofascore
Marta is Head of Business Development at Sofascore, with a strong background in sales and business development. Over the past few years, she has established herself as a driven leader, bringing innovative ideas and a clear strategic vision to the team. Marta has played a key role in the development of Torneo, contributing to the digitalization and democratization of sport, while actively pushing for greater visibility and equality of women’s sports within the Sofascore app.

Damjan Rudež, Senior Advisor for Global Partnerships, Sofascore
Damjan is a former professional basketball player with a rich international career spanning 13 teams across seven countries, including NBA stints with the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic. He represented Croatia at major international competitions such as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2015 FIBA World Cup. After retiring from professional sport, he moved into sports business and media. He is the Director of the Sunset Sports Festival and Senior Advisor for Global Partnerships at Sofascore.