Revenues among the Women’s Super League’s twelve teams soared during the 2022 season after broadcasting rights were sold separately to the men’s game for the first time.
Combined revenues jumped 60% to £32mln during the 2021/22 season, after the BBC and Sky Sports both signed deals to air games from England’s top flight of women’s football.
Boosted revenue also meant that the aggregate wage-to-revenue ratio fell from 92% to 78% across the twelve clubs, according to an analysis of the league by Deloitte.
Deloitte sport business head Zoe Burton dubbed the rise as a “significant leap,” adding the Lionesses Euros victory last summer was an “inflexion point for the popularity of women’s football”.
“It’s telling that even before this historic win, revenues had begun to grow in the Women’s Super League,” she said.
The league was founded in 2010 and includes the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and most-recent champions Chelsea.
The story of the #BarclaysWSL season, as told by the league table! ???? pic.twitter.com/cGxov9a0QT
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) June 9, 2023
“We have already seen new records set for attendance, viewership and the value of commercial partnerships in the 2022/23 season,” Burton continued.
Ticket revenue accounted for just 10% of the clubs’ combined revenue in the 2021/22 season, while commercial deals such as sponsorships made up around a third.
Though the men’s game still far outdoes the women’s in terms of revenue, with the Premier League generating over £5bn in 2021/22, streams are set to skyrocket for the latter in the coming years.
Average attendance soared 200% to 5,616 fans per Women’s Super League game in 2022/23, while new sponsorship deals are set to provide millions in new investment.
“Organisations should not be shy about the commercial opportunities available in women’s football,” Burton added.
“We are now reaching the point where clubs can seek to maximise the value associated with the women’s game by unbundling revenue streams to target a unique fanbase.”