This week the Women’s Super League (the top division of women’s football in the UK) announced a rebrand. A new logo and graphics were revealed alongside news that the second tier of the women’s football pyramid is being renamed from the FA Women’s Championship to the WSL2.
As rebrands go, this news might seem fairly unremarkable, and the branding itself wasn’t exactly universally loved by the WSL fanbase. However, the decision to choose now to spotlight the second division of women’s football in the UK is one of many signals of the global boom of women’s sport.
According to Deloitte, this year, women’s sport is expected to exceed £1.88bn in global match day, broadcast and commercial revenue, a near 50% projected increase versus 2024 when revenue exceeded £1bn for the first time. It’s no wonder given the bumper second half of the year that the women’s international sport calendar has in store. Between July and October we will see the Uefa European Football Championship, the Rugby World Cup and the ICC Cricket World Cup all play out.
But crucially people aren’t just turning up to don half-and-half scarves at the big events, committed weekly viewership has emerged. This season viewing figures for the WSL tripled when it agreed to stream all 66 non-televised fixtures on YouTube. In the US, the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) was recognised by business intelligence company Morning Consult as the fastest growing brand for 2024 – in fact it is now reportedly has the fifth largest fanbase of any sport in the country, male or female. Its growth has been so significant that the Indiana Fever’s pre-season matchup against the Brazilian National Team on 4 May averaged 1.3 million viewers, a figure that betters 55 of the 57 pre-season games broadcast on ESPN for the men’s league since 2010.
These juicy figures are sure to have marketers jumping through hoops to put their brand centre stage/court, and sure enough 80% of brands say they are likely to invest in women’s sports sponsorship in the next three years. But before they take to the field at any of the major international sporting events that kick off later this year, there are clear watchouts and opportunities to note down.
Firstly, brands have to ditch the idea that they can simply shrink and pink their sponsorship of the men’s game. While a FootballCo report revealed that 71% of fans of women’s football say they feel positive about brands sponsoring and endorsing the game, 67% said they expect brands to understand and respect the differences between women’s and men’s football.
In research by The Space Between, 50% of women’s sport fans strongly agreed that brands should act with purpose and try to make the world a better place, compared to just 20% of men’s sport fans. It highlights why brands such as Orange and Heineken have repeatedly committed to challenging negative stereotypes around sport, and why Nike backed women’s sport to win big with its ad at this year’s Super Bowl despite a global roll back of DEI.
But that doesn’t mean every campaign in this space should be seen as a CSR opportunity. Fans don’t want their game to forever feel like a charity case. Instead, they want to see relevant content that enhances their day-to-day engagement with the sport. After all, according to a Women’s Sport Trust study, 58% of committed women’s sports fans crave more non-live women’s sport content, but 47% say it's difficult to find.
A lot of the WNBA’s on-screen success has been attributed to the narrative that has been built around the sport off-screen. More personal storylines around the league’s athletes, such as the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese spark continued conversation and debate online. It’s not just about aligning sport with entertainment, it’s about fans having readily available content to tap into outside of game day.
It’s a plausible space for brands to enter and shift their marketing away from their default pitch to win on diversity ground. As Rebecca Sowden, founder of women's sport agency Team Heroine, pointed out, ‘72% of women’s sports fans are interested in what these athletes are doing off the field, so huge opportunity awaits brands who create captivating engagements with this loyal fanbase.’
Of all of this year’s international tournaments, the Uefa Women’s Euros is likely to garner the most brand attention. Those that get involved with the sport now, to provide the kind of non-live content that fans want to see, will have the chance to make a name for themselves as true supporters of women's football for years to come. But this will only be the case if branded content and sponsorships add a new layer to the fan experience, where lessons are taken from the women’s game itself and not just what has worked for men’s coverage in the past.
Alex Poultney, writer / analyst, Contagious
