THE women’s game could reportedly rake in up to £350 million in media rights by 2030 and also be competing with most men’s sports.
Chair of Women in Football, Ebru Koksal, reckons women’s football will become a a mainstream sport by then.
Women’s football could reportedly be worth upto £350 million by 2030Credit: PA:Press Association
And minus “top tier” men’s football, it could potentially have more viewers than even the EFL Championship and men’s rugby, she claims.
In an interview with Financial Times Live, she said: “Women’s football will become a mainstream sport property by 2030.
“Which means that with the exception of top tier men’s football, it will be competing at the level of most sports like second division men’s football, you know rubgy, cricket, tennis perhaps.”
It could potentially have more viewers than EFL Championship or Premiership rugby.
This means the top five women’s leagues in Europe could generate up to £216 – £346 million in terms of media rights.
Interest in women’s football has been on the steady rise, largely due to the 2019 World Cup.
Following the tournament’s success, BT Sports average peak audience for WSL games was 85,000, according to FA figures released last November.
The advertising revenue the women’s game will generate in the next decade if Koksal’s prediction are true will be a great addition to the sport.
Just last week, the FA said that there was no plans to introduce full time refs to the WSL as “there wasn’t enough value” in the women’s game to pay them.
But they said this could change if the game was given a cash injection from somewhere.
The top five women’s league could have more viewers than the EFL Championship Koskal claimsCredit: PA:Press Association
Joanna Stimpson, the FA’s women’s professional game refereeing manager said: “Over the next three years we plan to really increase that level of professionalism around the WSL and the Championship.
“Will that mean full-time referees in the next three years? No – potentially after that.
“We don’t know, we wouldn’t like to commit to that, but it is certainly our vision to have full-time match officials for the WSL.
“But we are unfortunately driven by the value of the league.
“If there is an injection of income from somewhere then it could change.
“We want to make sure we have got the infrastructure in place that when we have financial backing we can go with that.”
Koskal predicts the sport will be on par with most men’s elite sports by thenCredit: Alamy Live News
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
