Women’s football: Why brand is key to building on Lionesses’ success
With the Women’s Euros approaching the spotlight is bright on the Lionesses, and domestic clubs will be looking to capitalise on the momentum of the tournament by converting national fans into home team supporters.
This is where brand comes in. Crucial for building greater connections, a sense of belonging and loyalty, and for attracting the right commercial partners, getting it right can be tricky.
The dominating stories around women’s football have been equality, inclusion and the growth of the sport itself.
As popularity rises, clubs must work together as a league to push for broadcast rights, increased viewership, and investment into health and infrastructure.
Partnerships like Project ACL, a major research initiative into serious knee ligament injury prevention involving all Women’s Super League clubs, do just this.
However, individual clubs must also demonstrate their value to convert casual Euros fans into loyal supporters during the regular season. After all, the excitement of any sport is found in its competition.
The women’s game has been largely positioned as a friendlier and more inclusive alternative to the men’s — but clubs should not forget the rivalry, jeopardy and competitiveness that fans love to watch between teams.
In France, Orange Telecom tackled this head on in a recent campaign. A compilation of impressive technical moves by the French women’s team were edited to appear as if they were performed by men. The campaign revealed the truth at the end, getting viewers to admire the talent of the women players without gender stereotyping.
Writing a new history in women’s football
As Jose Mourinho famously once said, “This is football heritage”. While embracing club legacy is simple for men’s sides, it becomes more complex when looking at the disrupted history of the women’s game.
From the FA’s 50-year ban on women’s football to the uneven pace of investment and support across clubs, the result is a fragmented landscape where some teams have decades of momentum while others are only just beginning to build their legacy.
Arsenal solve this challenge with a “one club” mentality which unites the men’s and women’s squads under one fanbase — something they can only do due to the club’s early recognition of the women’s side and the success the team has seen as a result.
When the 2022 Euros kicked off, Arsenal were in a prime position to capitalise on the success of their England players. Other clubs may need to think more strategically about which parts of their history are relevant to the new crop of fans attracted by the women’s teams.
The coming Women’s Super League season will see the London City Lionesses compete as the first ever independent women’s club in the competition.
They arrive with a clean slate and the freedom to write a new playbook of what a women’s football club can be. It will be fascinating to witness how they establish their brand among London heavyweights like Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham.
Turning brand values into fan experience
Once you’ve defined who you are and what you stand for it’s time to bring this to life across the entire experience, from membership, matchday experiences, sponsorships and off-site fan experiences.
Everton’s decision to make Goodison Park the home of their women’s team marries legacy and purpose as it becomes the largest dedicated women’s football stadium in England.
But it will not be enough to just put the women in the old Everton men’s stadium — the club will need to bring these new values to life and create a matchday experience that understands the fans it wants to attract.
Style of Our Own, the first-of-its-kind retail destination for women’s sport in Regent’s Street, speaks to the demand for a different kind of experience.
And this alignment is crucial for partnership strategies too. Higher engagement in the women’s game offers a compelling entry point for new brand partners, especially those who’ve never stepped into sport before.
Women’s football has never been more exciting – but with rapid growth comes the challenge of building meaningful and distinctive club identities that can convert fans for the long haul. The smartest clubs know that brand will be a key driver of that future.
Daisy Noble is strategy director at creative brand agency The Clearing.