The National Football League (NFL) has ramped up it’s efforts to include women in the sport, and an upcoming forum featuring WTA icon Serena Williams will kick off a series of meetings that will look to address the growth of women’s sports.

Over the past few years, the NFL has made efforts to promote women’s flag football. This coincides with the introduction of women’s and men’s flag football being introduced as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Summer Games.

Williams to speak at event alongside other athletes

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has been selected to be a keynote speaker at the panel discussion, which will be hosted by hosted by Mellody Hobson, part-owner of the Denver Broncos, on Sunday night. WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark has also been announced as a speaker at the event.

The panel, which will also include retired NFL quarterback Eli Manning, will focus on the growth of women’s sports.

“The NFL is certainly interested in learning from the experience of some of the greatest athletes who have ever lived,” Jeff Miller, an NFL executive vice president, said during a media Zoom call on Wednesday. “The owners, the clubs, are interested in learning more.”

Williams has long had a keen interest in the NFL. In 2009, she and her sister Venus became the first African American women to hold ownership stakes in an NFL team, with the Miami Dolphins. Clark, who became college basketball’s all-time leading scorer at Iowa and was the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year last season with the Indiana Fever, has openly stated a desire to become an NBA owner sometime in the future.