There are three main sources of revenue: matchdays, broadcast deals, and commercial deals or partnerships.
Most WSL clubs will also receive some support from their affiliate men’s teams, in the form of inter-company loans.
Matchday revenue – through ticket sales, food and merchandise – relies on strong attendances. Last season, the cumulative attendance for both the WSL and Women’s Championship passed one million. This was linked to an increasing number of games being played at stadiums used by clubs’ men’s sides.
Those increased attendances translate into greater commercial interest.
WSL teams can often benefit from commercial deals struck at club level, alongside the men’s team. This can involve things like kit suppliers and shirt sponsors.
But we are also seeing WSL clubs strike commercial partnerships independently from their men’s side. For example, Arsenal Women have Mastercard, technology company ABBYY and beauty band Il Makiage as women’s team-specific partners.
Clubs also benefit from league sponsors as a whole. In September 2024, a new deal worth £45m was agreed for Barclays to continue as the title sponsor for the WSL. Worth in the region of £15m a year, this stood at double the previous arrangement.
Then there’s broadcast deals.
In October 2024, the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) – the company of which WSL clubs are shareholders – announce the league had agreed a new broadcast deal with the BBC and Sky Sports, which runs through to 2030.
The money generated from these rights is shared between WSL clubs.
