Beer, kits, hospitality and stadia can take Women’s Super League to greater heights
Bigger crowds and greater matchday revenue are just some of the growth opportunities for the WSL as the new season begins, says Sarah Rock.
This weekend marks the return of the Women’s Super League, with last night’s opening fixture between London City Lionesses and Manchester United featuring one of the league’s biggest name signings to date, two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.
The transfer market has been particularly busy over the summer, now including multiple transfers for fees of £1m or more, as the league and its clubs look to push on from the success of the last few seasons.
With overall attendances growing, more clubs are moving their fixtures into their associated male club’s stadia – Chelsea being the latest, as they will play all of their league games at Stamford Bridge this season.
This brings with it the possibility of bigger crowds and greater matchday revenue. A report produced by Barclays earlier this year showed that fans spend more across a matchday when attending a WSL game than when attending a men’s Premier League match.
This spending is likely to increase with the introduction of drinking alcohol in view of the pitch, an experience now available to all clubs in the WSL and WSL2. The scheme has been trialled over the previous two seasons and has received shareholders’ approval to be fully rolled out.
The crowds at WSL and WSL2 matches tend to be more family-focused and, without the tribalism and aggression more often associated with men’s football, this new revenue stream seems a sensible and welcome addition to the matchday experience at women’s games.
The league is also consistently finding new and innovative ways to modernise the game and appeal to a new audience. The move to bigger, more equipped grounds also brings the possibility of a greater hospitality offering.
Family-friendly hospitality at WSL matches
Appealing to a corporate market is one way in which the WSL will continue to grow. While hospitality is not new to football, the appeal of clients being entertained alongside their children brings a new spin to corporate entertainment.
Clubs are providing family-friendly lounges where deals can be done at the same time as the protagonists’ children are having their faces painted or enjoying a meet-and-greet with players or the mascot.
As the fanbase spends more on a matchday outside of food and drink at women’s games than at men’s, there is a need to provide a wider variety of merchandise. Only a few years ago it was not possible to purchase the replica goalkeeper shirt of the England Lionesses No1.
While this has been rectified, the full array of replica kit is still lacking. It is not possible to purchase most WSL clubs’ replica shorts. With kits now tailored to fit the female form, this oversight is preventing a possible income stream with gym-going female fans unable to don their team’s colours in the correct fit when working out.
The spend on merchandise in women’s football is growing, demonstrated by the opening of the first official shop dedicated to women’s football kit in Manchester earlier this year.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s plans to build a stadium specifically designed for their women’s team and its unique fanbase shows a direction of travel which recognises the opportunities available in the women’s game.
Household names such as Gillian Anderson are also now seeing the investment potential in this fast-growing part of sport. As the season kicks off, it will be exciting to see where it goes next.
Sarah Rock is a partner and head of construction at Boodle Hatfield.