Women’s soccer is seeing growing revenues globally from sponsorships, broadcast deals and merchandising, while also seeing greater interest from fans, according to a new survey by the game’s governing body.
FIFA released its second benchmarking report on women’s soccer on Friday as the sport gains momentum ahead of next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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The organization surveyed 30 of the top leagues and 294 clubs, building on the first benchmarking report released last year.
While COVID-19 impacted club revenue in the prior report, the latest survey found growth across the board from matchday, broadcast, commercial and prize money sources. Clubs reported year-on-year commercial revenue growth of 33% — indicating growing interest from sponsors. It found that 77% of leagues had a title sponsor, up from 11% in 2021.
Year-on-year broadcast revenue grew 22%. Ten leagues reported broadcast revenue compared to nine in the previous survey.
But there’s also room for growth. The report found that just 7% of clubs globally reported more than $1 million in revenue from matches, broadcast, commercial and prize money.
Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s chief women’s football officer, said the report underscores women’s soccer is a wise investment.
“The changes are clear in the second edition of the report. We know it, we feel it,” she said.
“And for me, it’s just getting those people that are involved, particularly in the highest levels of our game all around the world, to see and understand the opportunity that sits in front of them. It’s facts and data that are often the things that appeal to those people. … It’s not anecdotal anymore. It’s here on paper.”
