There is enormous potential for growth in European women’s football. According to Uefa, significantly more media, sponsors and fans should soon be enthusiastic about it.
Quite a few football celebrities were on the posh on July 31st this year Grosvenor Square met in London. The umbrella organization Uefa had to fill a top-class “Final Forum” with the slogan “raise the bar” – raising the level – loaded to draw the big bow over a tournament that has actually opened up new horizons on the day of the European Championship final between England and Germany (2:1 aet).
The shimmering final, the impressive backdrop at Wembley, and record ratings in both England and Germany all showed the potential that lies dormant in women’s football. “It was an impressive tournament. We expected a lot – but we didn’t expect that much”said Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin.
Growth potential in many areas
“A lot of people doubted before, now they admire this tournament.” The Slovenian emphasized that “sponsors, TV stations and everyone else” are required to push the development forward. “The development has to go on, just like in men’s football.” The 54-year-old tongue-in-cheek recommended that all top brands invest in women’s football, “It’s not that expensive yet”.
Just in time for the start of the 1st qualifying round for the Women’s Champions League – Eintracht Frankfurt is challenged in a mini-tournament by the Danish representative Fortuna Hjørring (Thursday 7 p.m.) – Uefa has presented a study that reads like instructions for investment. The report (“The Business Case for Women’s Football“) wants to show why it can be worth jumping on the train. 42 leagues, 162 clubs, the club association ECA, sponsors, consumers and fans were asked. Bottom line: the growth potential is still enormous.
Firstly, there is the economic perspective. Women’s football is still an investment for the big men’s brands. But Uefa assumes that the commercial value of women’s football could increase six-fold in the next ten years to the incredible sum of 686 million euros. Club sponsorship alone is expected to bring in 295 million euros by 2033.
For many, the numbers seem quite high, but maybe such leaps are really possible. Nadine Kessler, Uefa women’s soccer boss, says: “Women’s football is on an incredibly exciting journey, with growth in almost every area and with all of our stakeholders across Europe.” One can enter spheres “which were unimaginable just a few years ago”says the 34-year-old.
The audience is more diverse and younger
Many big brands have only recently started consciously investing in order to fulfill a social responsibility that results in an image improvement. According to the Uefa report, there are already 144 million fans of women’s football across Europe, and by 2033 there could be 328 million. Every third fan is new, the audience is generally more diverse and younger.
This coincides with the impressions from the EM in England. The 574,875 spectators (average 18,544) at the tournament were recruited from a colorful mix, the audience was made up almost equally of women, men and young people. The tournament picked up exactly the momentum that the Women’s Champions League kindled.
Women’s Champions League as the most important driver
The crowded ranks of the Camp Nou, when FC Barcelona with world footballer Alexia Putellas welcomed record crowds of more than 91,000 people at their goal festivals against Real Madrid and VfL Wolfsburg respectively, are of lasting memory. At the same time, top brands such as Champions League record winners Olympique Lyon, Paris St. Germain, FC Arsenal, FC Bayern and VfL Wolfsburg played in the large men’s stadiums and filled some of them well.
The female premier class is perhaps the most important driver for development. In the pre-season there was a group phase with 16 teams for the first time, central marketing (in which 24 million euros were initially distributed) and professional TV production. This has increased visibility and presence. The cornerstones of the reform are right.
The eye of the needle for the top teams is questionable
Since the relaunch, the only questionable thing has been that top-class teams from England, Germany, Spain and France have to eliminate each other in qualifying so that as many countries as possible get into the group phase. This is how Real Madrid and Manchester City meet, probably already on Sunday in a final of a mini-tournament.
The Frankfurters, third in the Bundesliga, not only have to win against Fortuna Hjørring, but also a possible final against Ajax Amsterdam or Kristianstads DFF from Sweden on Sunday to even make it into the playoff round. Eintracht coach Niko Arnautis has already made it clear that he would have no objection to an expansion to 32 teams, analogous to the men.
However, the format has been tied down with the rights holders until the 2024/2025 season. German clubs have to adjust to a demanding bottleneck for that long. Vice-champion Bayern Munich will enter the second playoff round at the end of September. A showdown with Paris St. Germain, Real Madrid or Manchester City is then already possible.