NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference will partner with member school Villanova to host a full-day celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 1, culminating with a ‘female forward’ broadcast as the Wildcats host Marquette in women’s basketball at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on FS2 and feature an entirely female crew, including talent and production. Villanova and Marquette are coached by former BIG EAST women’s basketball student-athletes Denise Dillon and Megan Duffy.
 
The day kicks off with a student-athlete breakfast at the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership, where Villanova student-athletes and coaches from their 13 women’s teams will be hosted.
 
A Women’s Leadership Panel will follow at 4 p.m. inside the Fitzgerald Club at Finneran Pavilion. Speakers include Chief Financial Officer of NBC Sports Christine Dorfler, President of Playfly Sports Properties Christy Hedgpeth, Executive Director of the Women's National Basketball Players Association Terri Jackson and Lara Price, Chief Operating Officer of the Philadelphia 76ers. FOX Sports’ Kim Adams will moderate the panel prior to calling the night’s game.
 
“Alongside Villanova, we look forward to hosting this inspiring celebration of the many important roles women now play in the sports world,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman.  “Our game will showcase two of our most successful female-led women’s basketball programs, while our female-forward national broadcast will highlight the ways women can work in television production. The BIG EAST is proud to support and promote the advancement of women in society, and our impressive line-up of speakers will further reinforce how women are making their mark at the highest levels of the sports industry.”
 
Adams will serve as game analyst on the FS2 broadcast, with Sloane Martin handling play-by-play duties. Meghan Caffrey will be sideline reporter. In the TV truck, Kristin Hennessey will produce while Bonnie Reilly will direct. The production crew, including camera operators, replay operators, audio and graphics teams and technical director, will be entirely female led. The game officials will be an entirely female lineup.
 
The panel is open to the public with registration required. Panel attendees receive a complimentary ticket to the game. To register. Click HERE.
 
To purchase tickets to the Marquette-Villanova game click HERE.