The Women’s Super League kicked off its 14th season last month, with plenty for fans to be excited about and so many talking points in the air.

How will Chelsea, the WSL champions for five consecutive seasons fare without Emma Hayes in charge? Can Manchester City, who missed out on the title last term by goal difference win it all thanks to the addition of Dutch superstar Vivianne Miedema to their already formidable attack, and how will Manchester United move on without club legends Mary Earps and Katie Zelem in their ranks?

It has all the ingredients for an epic season – with new heights being reached both on and off the pitch.

For those of us working closely to women’s football and heavily invested in its growth, personally and professionally there is plenty to be excited about.

A new ownership structure, with the top two divisions breaking away from the FA run pyramid, and now under the leadership of the Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), suggests we could see a new era where long term investment and infrastructure will be prioritised.

Crucially it allows the 23 clubs participating in the two leagues to act as shareholders, like the Premier League model.

It puts women’s football on a whole new trajectory.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Banking on your main sponsor

Barclays have signed a three-year deal to extend their title sponsorship of both WSL and Women’s Championships.

The £45m deal, is double the value of the existing partnership, and is testament to the growing attendances and viewing figures for the women’s game in this country.

WPLL chief executive Nikki Doucet said: "Barclays has been a leading light when it comes to supporting women’s football and they become a founding partner for WPLL as we embark on a transformational journey to grow the game. This record multi-year investment demonstrates long-term commitment and is important because it provides positive endorsement and increased support for what we are trying to accomplish."

The WPLL partnership perfectly complements how Barclays positions itself as a force for good in football - extending to another three-year partnership with the FA to 2028, with an excellent on the ground activation in the form of the Barclays Girls’ Football School Partnerships programme.

Of course, Barclays are not simply doing this for the love of the women’s game. They have a series of objectives and as a large financial institution, they see it as the perfect vehicle to reach target audiences, drive consideration and become meaningful to the UK consumer.

Based on our proprietary survey, Decoding360, which incorporates the views of 10,000 fans globally, we found that WSL fans are more positive towards brands and sponsors across a range of factors. For example, more than two thirds of WSL fans (68%) appreciate what sponsors provide to the fan experience, compared with just 56% for Premier League fans.

For brands such as Barclays, who are committed to the growth of the women’s game from participation at school level right up to ploughing more money into the elite, the good news is that around the same amount of fans – two out of three – expect sponsors to invest in the community, and support the growth of emerging talent.

The message is clear. Showing up and sponsoring is valued but not enough as far as most fans are concerned. You need to be able to demonstrate your commitment to the growth of the women’s game on a holistic level.

Further avenues of growth and support

Even when set against the world’s biggest sports properties, the Premier League is a huge success story.  By extension the success of its shareholders– the clubs themselves – is intertwined with the growth of the women’s game, as these commercial powerhouses seek to open new revenue streams and fan engagement opportunities.
Take Arsenal for example, where the women’s team played six out of eleven home games last season at the Emirates stadium – enjoying an average attendance of 52,029. This is comfortably ahead of the average attendance enjoyed by established men’s teams including Aston Villa and Everton.

It makes sense then, that the Premier League is doing its bit to supercharge the growth of the women’s game by providing an interest free loan of £20M to WPLL. This investment will power areas such as recruitment and long-term development projects, all of which will ultimately benefit each club.

Should rights-holders in other sports take learnings from this approach where the traditional commercial centre of the sport (in this case, the men’s game) is incentivised into helping to power the emerging side?

Sky is the limit

Just like the Premier League in the 1990s, the WSL can only true grow with the unwavering support of a broadcast partner. Enter Sky Sports.

The subscription based broadcaster say they are committed to increasing the visability of the women’s games, airing 44 WSL matches this season. Free match highlights from every WSL game this season can also be watched across Sky Sports' digital platforms, including the website, app and YouTube channels.

This is supported by  BBC’s commitment with 22 free-to-air fixtures.

The Women’s Sport Trust reported that during the 23/24 WSL season, there was a record high of viewing figures per game, up 11% year on year.

Digital content makes a difference too. For the new campaign Sky Sports launched ‘the WSL Edition’, a cover shoot featuring all 12 WSL teams. This series celebrates incredible players who are breaking barriers, setting records and inspiring fans to participate, watch and follow their sport.

Poppy Pattinson (Brighton & Hove Albion, Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Taylor Hinds (Liverpool), Megan Finnigan (Everton), Jessica Naz (Tottenham Hotspur), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Viviane Asseyi (West Ham United), Lauren James (Chelsea), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Janice Cayman (Leicester City) and Maz Pacheco (Aston Villa).

And Sky believe that they are helping to grow the game from the bottom up, delivering on a purpose driven mission of their own.

The broadcaster recently commissioned a survey which uncovered the power of increased visibility of female athletes. The study showed that an overwhelming 88% of UK adults agree that watching female athletes on TV inspires young women to participate in sports as well as 79% agreeing that TV plays a vital role in increasing visibility of sporting role models. 

The opportunity awaits

In 23-24, the WSL now attracts more than three million fans, according to Barclays data. Nevertheless, it has some way to go before getting close to the biggest leagues in the men’s game; The Premier League and Champions League.

From the latest editions of EAFC and Football Manager incorporating the option to manage women’s teams for the first time to Earps winning the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year award last year, we are witnessing a mind-shift change across the country when it comes to women’s football.

The smartest and savviest brands will make sure they are part of this meteoric rise.

If you would like to discuss the ways that MKTG can help your brand move at the speed of fans, please get in touch at gemma.woor@mktg.com.