Commercial revenue
Commercial revenue (and in particular sponsorship) appeared to be the key component of growth in the women’s game at this stage in its life cycle. This contrasts with the men’s game, where media rights have been the primary driver of growth in recent years.
In 2023:
of MAs that had a women’s top-tier senior domestic competition had a dedicated women’s football sponsor for the league.
of these competitions typically had a higher average operating revenue than those that did not have a dedicated sponsor (USD 1,814,000 v. USD 199,000).
of MAs had a dedicated sponsor for the top tier of the women’s competition. 81% received funding or value in kind from existing sponsors for the competitions.
Broadcast/media
Leagues around the world used a mix of both FTA (free-to-air) TV and paid forms of distribution.
72% of the MAs that took part in the survey broadcasted women’s football matches on at least one type of platform.
Games were most commonly broadcasted on FTA TV (64%), closely followed by social media platforms (63%).
Social Media
The use of social media can be an inexpensive way to promote women’s football and raise awareness amongst a younger audience who may be interested in the game. Of the MAs with a women’s national team (WNT) that qualified for the FIFA World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, all promoted women’s football across traditional (print, television, radio, website) and social media platforms.