How The 400 Club Is Redefining the Sports Industry for Women
We speak to founder Cherry Beagles about how the community came about and what it hopes to achieve.
Cherry Beagles is a firm believer that for women, sport is an industry, not just a pastime or a pipe dream. That’s why she started The 400 Club, a growing community of athletes, female-led brands and creatives who combine their experiences and insights to empower other women in the space.
“I was seeing women driving every cultural conversation except sports. We’re shaping trends in beauty, fashion, music and media, yet the way sport was marketed to women still felt decades behind,” Beagles tells Hypebae. Born from frustration, The 400 Club’s aim is simple: to offer women “a way to belong to the new era of fandom without having to know every stat or scoreline.”
Alongside its strategic arm and brand activations, the club is home to a membership platform which allows its community to network, offer insight and be an actual part of the conversation. “It’s about shifting women from endorsers to owners, and building wealth and legacy through partnership rather than sponsorship,” Beagles tells us.
Combining business strategy and community events with feedback, insight and actual experience, the club aims to be at the forefront of any sporting event or conversation, whilst bringing women up there with them.
We caught up with Beagles to find out more about how 400 came about and what its plans for the future look like.
Read on for the full interview.
Tell us a bit about what prompted you to start The 400 Club.
The 400 Club was born from a pretty simple frustration. I was seeing women driving every cultural conversation except sports. We’re shaping trends in beauty, fashion, music and media, yet the way sport was marketed to women still felt decades behind, and so ‘female character written by a male’ vibe. I wanted to build something that bridged that gap, a space where female culture and sport could finally intersect in a way that women feel isn’t miles away from the usual media, events and brands they consume.
What’s the story behind the name?
I always get this question! And it’s a valid one… The name is essentially a reclamation. Historically, “The 400 Club” was an exclusive, male-dominated network in New York, back in the Gilded Age, and a place where the most powerful and wealthy men brushed shoulders. I liked the idea of flipping that narrative for 400, because we’ve created a club of female culture brands, pro athletes and creatives. It’s a way of making fun of old and archaic systems with men at the centre, without being too blunt. I also loved that it didn’t feel hyper-feminine and was slightly sporty!
400 started as a collective that specialised in events and moments, and it has since launched a membership platform this summer. What can you tell us about that decision?
For a long time, 400 operated at the top level industry-wise, working with global rights-holders like Williams Racing, Nike and Arsenal to reimagine how women show up in sport. But the membership platform was always a part of the plan and is a natural extension of the club. It’s built for the everyday woman who loves pop culture but has never felt truly seen by sport. It gives her early access to events, merch drops and cultural activations, and above all else, a way to belong to the new era of fandom without having to know every stat or scoreline. I wanted to include people like myself and my friends in the story of 400 and who we cater to.
Community is a word that’s often thrown around a lot in sports. What does community look like for 400?
Community is our whole engine. It’s 150+ women, from founders running £10M+ businesses to Olympic athletes, journalists, designers and tastemakers — who offer real-time insight that informs everything we do. It’s a living feedback loop between culture and sport, and it’s what allows us to build strategies that actually resonate. Whether we’re designing a campaign for an F1 team or a merch line with a female-led brand, it all starts with the women shaping what’s next. We’re seeing the word “community” being thrown around so much, but truly, at the beating heart of 400 are iconic women! I’m also keen to push into an era of media that favours opinion and journalism over influencers and virality – so we’ll definitely be playing around with a few ‘new’ community models and projects soon.
We’ve all witnessed a major rise in the support and conversation surrounding women’s sport in the last year. How do you feel about that, and how do you ensure that the conversation is ongoing outside of the finals and major tournaments?
It’s incredible to see the energy, but the challenge is consistency. Big moments like the Euros spark attention – but our job is to keep it alive year-round, both from a fan perspective and rights holders’. That means treating women’s sport like culture, not charity: using fashion, storytelling and social moments to make it part of women’s daily lives. When fandom is built through identity and lifestyle – not just match results – it becomes permanent and habitual. I’m especially looking forward to seeing how the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles shapes female culture in terms of who we’re watching and what brands are entering the space. 400 will be at the helm of this, no doubt, and I’m so excited.
What still needs to be done at a grassroots level to support up-and-coming talent?
We need to completely rethink what “talent” looks like in sport. The conversation has always centred around athletes, but culture is built by so many other women around them – the designers, marketers, storytellers and founders who shape how the game feels, looks and sounds. At a grassroots level, we need to show young women that sport is an industry, not just a pastime or a pipe dream. That means visibility of different pathways: creative, commercial and entrepreneurial. Even starting at 400 I think, gave some of our followers the realisation that they can enter a completely archaic industry from scratch and not only be welcomed but also paid for their opinions.
It means more access to resources, mentorship and funding for women building from the ground up – whether that’s a player launching her own merch line or a student creating a fan community online. Through 400, we’re starting to connect these dots by bringing female founders into sport, giving athletes access to brand-building tools and creating spaces where young women can see themselves in the system.
What’s been the highlight of 400 for you so far? What are you most proud of?
So many. Launching the first female fan strategy in Formula 1 with Williams Racing. Tripling ticket sales for Arsenal Women on the day of release. Hitting 9.1 million campaign engagements for our first-ever campaign. Seeing my favourite beauty and fashion brands take calls on how to enter sports… But honestly, it’s just so cool to see women who never thought sports were “for them” show up, buy merch, go to games and suddenly feel part of something. I felt outside of sport for a really long time, so it’s all very surreal.
Oh, and absolutely winning Forbes 30 under 30… is that too vapid to say? I’ve been dreaming of that award since I was like 15 and reading entrepreneur books I had no business reading; it’s been one of those goals I’ve had for years. I actually think one of our biggest highlights is just about to happen. It’s a fashion collaboration we’re working on… You’ll have to keep an eye on our IG for the full scoop…
Finally, what are some of the future plans and goals?
We’re in an expansion phase, both in scale and ambition. The 400 Club is growing globally with new members, new categories and new partnerships that sit at the intersection of culture and sport. We’re launching the next wave of collaborations with female-led brands, artists and athletes, from limited-edition drops to live experiences that bring fandom into female pop culture.
On the business side, we’re developing a new venture model, potentially with a major brand in the market, one that reimagines how female athletes engage with brands through shared equity, founder access and venture creation. It’s about shifting women from endorsers to owners, and building wealth and legacy through partnership rather than sponsorship. Long-term, the goal is for 400 to become the cultural engine behind women’s sport – the place that connects fans, brands and athletes through culture-first strategy and community.
Aside from work, my far-fetched dreams (which I tell no one else about) are to have an Erewhon celebrity smoothie (without being a celebrity…and my name is Cherry, c’mon it makes so much sense!), to be on Emma Grede‘s podcast, meet Michael Rubin (aka the King of sports commerce) and create a product line for female sports fans with the President of Nike, Amy Montagne, who is the GOAT and someone I’ve actually been on calls with!
