In recent years there’s been an exponential growth and appetite for women interested in watching and participating in sports across the spectrum — whether in Formula 1, soccer or WNBA and basketball.

A recent Nielsen Sports report found that women’s soccer is set to be in the top five of all global sports by 2030, with more than 800 million fans and 60 percent of the fans being women. Furthermore, a 2024 Nielsen sports study reported that 41 percent of Formula 1 fans are women — with 16- to 24-year-old women being the fastest-growing demographic.

But historically, women never had a proper seat at the table or any real say in how they’re represented. With this new market for sports engagement, teams and leagues have largely been reliant on an old and outdated model for approaching working with women athletes and fans.

Enter the 400 Club, a women’s culture collective and global network focused on bringing fashion, beauty, sports and more together. Founded by Cherry Beagles in 2024, the London-based company has gone on to raise 2.1 million pounds and work with the biggest brands across the sports and culture space — including TikTok, IMG, WTA, Nike, Wimbledon, Formula 1 teams and more.

The platform’s membership officially launches on July 30; the wait list on the company’s website opens Friday for the general public. It already counts Olympic athletes Dina Asher-Smith and Keely Hodgkinson, tastemakers, editors, stylists, multihyphenate creatives and more as part of its growing community.

Perks based on tiered subscriptions from free to various levels of paid include access to VIP women-focused events at Grand Prix weekends and Wimbledon; gifting from major brands such as Rare Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury and Topicals; a network of the who’s who across the cultural space, and curated merchandise from major brands.

On the agency side, the 400 Club works directly with women-owned brands, sponsors, leagues and rights holders to keep women at the heart of major sporting events and helps to broker deals for women sport icons. The company said that the goal is to ensure that women are no longer looked at as a niche demographic but viewed as a serious commercial priority.

Here, Beagles chats with WWD about how the 400 Club is creating impact for women within the sports world, the gaps she sees within sports marketing, women’s cultural impact within the sector, the 400 Club’s expansion into other global markets and more.

WWD: What is the 400 Club?

Cherry Beagles: The 400 Club is a first-of-its-kind cultural consultancy and global collective operating at the intersection of sport, fashion, brand and women’s community. We are rewriting the commercial and creative playbook for how women experience sport — not just as fans but as participants, decision-makers and cultural leaders.

We build campaigns that speak to women’s actual lifestyles, not stereotypes. And we broker partnerships between legacy institutions and the most culturally credible women-founded brands in the world.

To the consumer, we’re a front-row pass into sport’s most beautiful, well-curated spaces. To companies, we’re a growth engine — converting new audiences, building cultural cachet and giving your brand relevance in a market you’ve previously missed. This model didn’t exist, so we built it. And now, we’re opening the doors. The wait list for 400’s membership is live and so is our global WhatsApp community.

WWD: Why did you decide to launch the 400 Club?

C.B.: Nothing like this existed. I didn’t see myself in sports — and neither did my friends around me. Not because we didn’t love the energy or the athletes, but because the way it was packaged, sold and sponsored had never evolved. The industry had spent decades marketing to men and when it came to women, the efforts felt like afterthoughts — soft, second-tier and disconnected from real women’s culture.

I launched the 400 Club from my kitchen table, powered by instinct and frustration — but mostly vision. Within one year, we hit a 2.1 million pound valuation, earned a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 and delivered work for Nike, TikTok and Formula 1 teams. When you build something women actually want to be part of, the industry has no choice but to follow.

WWD: What do you see as the main gaps in sports marketing? How is the 400 Club looking to change that?

C.B.: There are two core gaps. Sports marketing still assumes the audience is male and already loyal. The entire structure — from how teams advertise to how brands buy media — is built around the legacy fan. That leaves an entire generation of women out of the conversation, despite being the ones driving culture, spending and brand equity across every other sector.

The second is that women’s engagement has been handled like a homogeneous demographic, not a culture. You can’t just add a pink logo and expect women to care. Women — especially 18 to 30 — aren’t passive viewers. They’re tastemakers. And they’re looking for more than merch.

They want experiences that reflect their lifestyle, community, aesthetic and identity. 400 Club changes the model entirely. We don’t just talk to women — we build with them. We don’t slot them into sports; we redefine what sport can be through a woman’s lens. No one else is doing this in a scalable, premium and culturally precise way. It’s not inclusion; it’s innovation.

WWD: How have you seen women drastically changing the market in how brands, sports leagues and teams operate now?

C.B.: Women are no longer the audience brands “need to win over.” They are the moment. From packed stadiums at Women’s Soccer League matches to women-led Formula 1 fandom on TikTok, women are reshaping the metrics of success — who watches, what sells and how culture moves.

What’s changed is that women aren’t just showing up. We’re setting the tone. Brands are now being forced to evolve: How do you speak to a fan who didn’t grow up obsessed with sport but still wants in? How do you show up in stadiums without compromising your aesthetic or alienating your loyal customers?

That’s where the 400 Club comes in — we’re the bridge between elite sport and women-led culture. Our network includes athletes, brand founders, editors, stylists, designers and digital creatives — women who bring commercial value and cultural credibility. And now, we’re giving everyday women access to that same world through membership and the 400 Club community.

WWD: What are the benefits of joining the 400 Club? What do brands and industry leaders gain?

C.B.: For members, they get access to the most exciting corners of sport — curated, elevated and redefined for women. From VIP invites to match day suites to gifts from Rare Beauty and Topicals and limited-edition collaborations with culture brands, 400 Club turns sport into a lifestyle.

They also join a global community of women across sport, business, music and fashion via our new online collective — where real conversation, opportunity and connection happen every week.

For brands and industry leaders, 400 Club offers something no traditional agency can — direct access to the cultural drivers shaping the next era of sport. This means a 250-plus strong roster of athletes, creatives and community builders, data-backed insight into how women engage with sport — and why — and commercial partnerships that actually move the needle, such as D. Louise x Chelsea FC. Working with us means showing up differently and being remembered for it.

WWD: What are the different tiers of the 400 Club and what does membership cost/include?

C.B.: Membership officially launches at the end of July and the waitlist is now open. There’ll be several access tiers, starting from a digital community tier — where members receive invitations to events, early access to brand drops and exclusive gifting. Premium tiers offer behind-the-scenes experiences with athletes, private dinners and exclusive brand collab merch.

All members will receive access to our global online platform, VIP event invites at key sporting and cultural moments, perks from the best women-owned brands in the world and connections with the most influential women across sport and culture. We’re giving members and new fans access to a space that previously only existed behind closed doors.

WWD: Who are the major companies you work with?

C.B.: We’ve worked with Chelsea FC, Arsenal, Tottenham, MLB Europe, WTA, IMG, Formula 1 teams and more. Our brand partners include Nike, TikTok, Giorgio Armani and Sky Sports as well as cult women-led brands gifting at our events like Topicals, Summer Fridays, Hunza G, Discotheque, D. Louise, Charlotte Tilbury and Rare Beauty.

WWD: What are the 400 Club’s future plans? How are you expanding into other markets?

C.B.: We’re already seeing global demand. Our expansion into the U.S. begins next year — with activations and partnerships planned in New York and Los Angeles. We’re building city-specific collectives, launching brand drops and hosting events during key sports moments in the calendar — all through the 400 Club lens.

The goal is simple: to create a global infrastructure where women can move through sport the way they do through fashion, brand, music and women’s culture.