Women’s Football Scales the Heights of Success Now More than Ever!
2023 marked a historic moment in women’s football, and there are no signs of this trend slowing down soon. The year saw this sport taking center stage, recording huge achievements such as an increased fanbase, more football action, a shoot-up in game attendance (in-person), skyrocketing viewership growth, and more funding opportunities.
As women’s football continues to take an upward course, investing in this sport has presented itself as a lucrative opportunity set to pay off handsomely. Sponsors focusing on female football players stand a chance to defy the status quo, bringing in an authentic touch that will disrupt the market.
We have gotten to a point where women’s football is pivotal to new opportunities. The fight for equality between male and female footballers seems to bear the desired fruits. A classic example of this is the ‘Lionesses’ win in the European Championships 2022. Heavy funding to the tune of £600M was a great starting point in ensuring that the England female players were presented with a competitive environment where they could participate in the competition and thrive.
A Brief History
In England, the history of women’s football goes back to over one century ago. However, this was not long-lived.
In 1921, the FA prohibited female footballers from participating in major football leagues because the game was inapt for women. The ban, however, was lifted 50 years later (1971), and as of 1994, the Football Association took over administration matters in women’s football.
In 2018, the Women’s Super League (WSL) became a self-sufficient football league (professionally) for the first time.
Ground-Breaking Records
2022 saw women’s football in England reach some ground-breaking heights. The country’s women’s team, the Lionesses, performed excellently, leading to their impressive win in the 2022 European Championships. The competition sold more than 575,000 tickets, breaking the previous record by more than double! During the finals, which were held in Wembley, there was an 87,000-ticket sell-out for the match between England and Germany.
In the 2022-2023 season, they recorded even higher in-person game attendance for the Women’s Championship and the Women’s Super League. Emirates Stadium hit a new record for the WSL, with fans growing to 47,000! During the same season, Arsenal broke its existing record when it registered over 60,000 fans in attendance for the semifinal match against Wolfsburg in the Champions League.
Regarding matters of broadcasting, the 2022-2023 season recorded the highest-ever audience numbers for the WSL. More than 16M viewers from the UK alone watched the game’s live coverage for at least 3 minutes. These viewing figures were 9% higher than the previous season’s viewership.
These new records came with increased commercial growth and sponsorship opportunities. A key sponsor for the season was Barclays. This giant sports sponsor extended their WSL sponsorship, becoming the first title sponsor of the 2022-2023 Championship competition for women.
Coaches, game administrators, players, and other stakeholders in the industry all played a crucial role in creating a bright future for women’s football. The sport’s increased popularity has been included in major online betting platforms such as GGBet casino.
How Women’s Football is Being Professionalized
Several changes have been proposed to implement the same level of professionalism in women’s football as is witnessed in men’s football.
For starters, the Football Association (FA) has decided that instead of the women’s football league being integrated into the FA, it should be an independent club and a full entity in its own right and by merit. There is even a Professional Sports Working Group whose main responsibility is developing an effective business plan and a strategic vision to steer the female football ship in the right direction.
Another step that industry players in the women’s football realm have taken is changing the narrative and perception that has long been associated with the sport. Recent times have seen an increased acknowledgment of the untapped potential within female sports.
The Future of Women’s Football
Women’s football is undoubtedly gaining traction, scaling the heights of success like never before. It is a major milestone for a game that had been held back unjustly for so long. While the game is still in some start-up mode, women’s football has shown impressive growth.
Previously, women’s football game clubs were majorly dependent on the patronage and funding given to their associated men’s football teams. This approach has since changed, with women’s teams standing up on their two feet as independent entities by their rights.
Women’s football is expected to fast-track returns through heightened commercialization of the women’s football clubs. Team players can leverage and take advantage of female players’ unique profiles through better partnerships. With time, we are bound to see more female football games being held in affiliate clubs’ major arenas and an increased growth in transmission viewership.
