{"id":4496,"date":"2023-08-19T09:33:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T09:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/?p=4496"},"modified":"2023-08-19T09:33:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-19T09:33:13","slug":"how-english-womens-football-could-become-a-billion-pound-industry-and-where-the-money-comes-from-to-make-it-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/index.php\/how-english-womens-football-could-become-a-billion-pound-industry-and-where-the-money-comes-from-to-make-it-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"How English women\u2019s football could become a billion pound industry \u2013 and where the money comes from to make it\u00a0happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christina Philippou<\/a>, University of Portsmouth<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A long-awaited official review of women\u2019s football<\/a> in England sets out ten recommendations designed to transform and develop the sport at every level. The review, which was chaired by former international player Karen Carney, covers everything from playing standards to diversity goals and equal access to sports for girls.<\/p>\n

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As a whole, its aim is to create a better version of the sport that exists now, with more women and girls playing better football in a healthier environment, and more people watching and enjoying it. <\/p>\n

These kind of changes will come at a price. But Carney predicts<\/a> it will be a price worth paying, and could turn women\u2019s football in England into a \u201cbillion pound industry\u201d. <\/p>\n

Those costs though are considerable (and something I looked at as an adviser to the review on finances). Even at the grassroots level of women\u2019s football, building and maintaining good quality pitches and changing rooms is an expensive undertaking. <\/p>\n

Then at the top level of English football, the report lists some of the costs that will be required<\/a> in the Women\u2019s Super League (WSL) (the equivalent to the men\u2019s Premier League) and the Women\u2019s Championship to raise standards and encourage more girls to get involved. These include a salary floor for players, mental and physical health provisions, and dedicated marketing resources.<\/p>\n

For each WSL club, those costs are estimated at an extra annual spend of \u00a3441,000. Yet according to publicly available accounts, the average income for those clubs was \u00a31.9m last year. For some it was as low as \u00a3101,000. So where will they find the money?<\/p>\n

The good news is that there are plenty of signs of growing income in the women\u2019s game<\/a>. And the review\u2019s recommendations around professionalism, broadcasting, and fan engagement will help to use that extra income effectively.<\/p>\n

As with the men\u2019s game, football income tends to come from three main sources: match-day (tickets and hospitality), commercial (sponsorship), and broadcasting. Match-day is already growing, and the 2022-23 season has seen record attendance for the WSL<\/a>, Women\u2019s Champions League<\/a>, and the Women\u2019s FA Cup<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But maintaining this level of interest itself costs money, because healthy match-day attendance comes from good fan engagement. Better stadiums, dedicated marketing teams, and \u201csupport liaison officers\u201d to engage with fans are all recommended in the review.<\/p>\n

It also encourages women\u2019s teams affiliated with men\u2019s Premier League sides to play in the club\u2019s main stadium. Arsenal\u2019s women\u2019s team for example, currently play some of their matches at the Emirates, which seats 60,704 spectators, and some at Meadow Park, which holds 4,500. <\/p>\n

Not all matches can be held in huge stadiums though, as running costs are high and a full stadium is widely considered to be more atmospheric. But the grander facilities tend to have better facilities for fans, are more accessible by public transport and encourage club supporters to watch the women\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n

This is where the recommended marketing teams come in, because big stadiums require large crowds to be effective, and people need to know about upcoming matches if they are going to consider buying tickets.<\/p>\n

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