Women's football expected to exceed 800M fans by 2030

Women’s football is expected to have more than 800 million fans worldwide by 2030, according to new data from Nielsen Sports, which would establish the sport as one of the top 5 globally, independent of the men’s game.

The research comes after the opening weekend of the Women’s Super League season, which saw London City Lionesses take a 2-1 victory over Manchester United while sporting their new Nike sponsorship deal. The club announced last week that its partnership was the largest sponsorship deal in women’s football, adding to what has already been a huge period of commercial growth for the club. According to Nielsen, the average standalone valuation of women’s football sponsorship deals has increased by 42% over the past year.

The WSL has of course been at the centre of this growth, with Barclays renewing its title partnership for £30 million over three years, which doubles its previous financial commitment. The league has also seen an influx of brands from outside the traditional sporting market. The top two tiers of English women’s football have recently welcomed 21 non-endemic and mainstream brand deals, worth a combined £21.9 million annually. These partnerships include Mercedes-Benz, British Gas and Airbnb.

Photo Credit: via londoncitylionesses.com

It isn't just sponsorship deals that are changing, either. Technology is becoming a bigger part of how women’s football is presented, with Nike using Sportable’s Connected Ball technology and Apple introducing pitchside iPads.

Nielsen’s research also highlights key financial incentives which increase the appeal of the women’s football audience to potential commercial partners.

·      Female fans now make up 51% of the women’s football audience, up from 43% in 2019, and this is expected to rise to 60% by 2030.

·      Half of supporters are aged between 25 and 44, while 47% are in higher income brackets.

·      75% of UK sports fans want brands to increase investment in women's sport, while 72% state that sponsoring women's sport positively impacts their perception of a brand.

Photo Credit: via wslfootbal.com

Andy Milnes, Market Lead for Sports, UK & Ireland at Nielsen Sports, said the growth showed that women’s football was becoming “a commercial powerhouse”. He added “Brands are moving way beyond standard sponsorship deals because they see genuine value and an amazingly passionate audience. A huge part of this has been how some of the biggest global brands are beginning to engage with players directly off the pitch -bringing their lifestyles, interests and personalities to life through creative activations and activity.”

The growth of the global fanbase is perhaps one of the biggest numbers to come from the research, however there are still areas where the sport has room to grow, including expanding ticket sales beyond the biggest venues and closing the media coverage gap between domestic women’s football and major international tournaments.

But, the numbers are hard to ignore. Women’s football is growing, brands are recognising its value, and more fans are getting involved. It’s great to see the game continuing to expand on and off the pitch.