The Women’s Super League will now have a new home as Sky Sports have signed a three year deal to show WSL matches, which includes at least 35 exclusively live matches per season, “as part of the broadcaster’s commitment to women’s sport being strengthened”, said the Sky Sports Press Release.
The Figures
Sky aren’t going to be the only home for the WSL next season however, with the BBC showing 22 games live across the next three seasons, with a minimum of 18 on BBC1 and BBC2, with the rest via either the Red Button, or FA Player. The BBC’s schedule is expected to include a 6:30PM Friday slot, 11:30 am Saturday, 12:30 pm and 6:30pm Sunday slots. It has also been announced that 75% of the investment revenue will go to WSL Clubs, with the further 25% going to Women’s Championship sides.
Within the wider footballing world, this is welcome news for the women’s game and an announcement that some will feel has been a ‘long time coming’. Take Chelsea Ladies, Pernille Harder for example, who became the most
expensive Female Footballer in the world, after the Danish international signed for Chelsea for a record fee from VFL Wolfsburg, which is reportedly more than £250,000. Speaking in an interview with WSFL Live, she said, “Growing up, there weren’t many female footballers for me to look up at, so most of my heroes were men’s players. With this news, hopefully we can now be the players, and be the people to inspire young girls that watch our game”.
Fan’s Thoughts
That seems to be a recurring theme, not just from the players, but from the fans too. Billie Griffiths, who is a Tottenham Hotspur Women fan and part of the Lillywhite Corner Podcast said, “I feel It will inspire a lot more people, with the mainstream channels now integrating the Women’s game into their schedules, it will allow children to watch the TV and have someone to look up too”.
Looking more locally, speaking to Alice Coker from the ‘We are the Girls in Claret and Blue Podcast’, for local club, West Ham Women, the news was a positive. “I think for clubs like West Ham, it’s going to give a great boost in funding, along with hopefully more top players in the league spread out, rather than just the Big 3 of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City”.
Coker was however, sceptical about the effects further down the Women’s pyramid. “We have only seen the deal affect the WSL and some Championship sides, so teams below the Women’s Championship will find themselves wrestling with a bigger gap than ever before”. In the main, it has come as a welcome piece of news to West Ham Women, but remains to be seen what will happen further down the ladder of the Women’s game.
Lionesses Impact
Women’s football being more accessible can only bring good things, with the new contract on BBC having at least one free-to-air game on the BBC every weekend when the deal kicks in, opens a whole new world of football to people. “It’s brilliant that it’s more accessible, it gives people a chance to get more invested in the game”, says Carla Devine who is an ardent Lionesses supporter.
England Women’s team have been a hugely popular figure in the rise of Women’s football in the UK, with their performance at the 2015 World Cup thrusting Women’s Football in England right into the limelight and there it has stayed. Former Manchester United and Everton full back, Phill Neville’s Lionesses journey had its ups and downs, but the impact the Lionesses have had on the country and the perception of women’s football in England, was magical. November 2019 saw the Lionesses host Germany at Wembley in a friendly, with a record 77,768 in attendance! In short, the Lionesses have had a huge impact on the growth of Women’s football in this country.
Former UEL Student, Abbey Conroy who is also a big Lionesses Supporter said, “It’s an incredible positive for the Women’s game and a welcome one too. More coverage and presence at the forefront of the media will be a huge factor in the growth of the WSL”. Abbey’s thoughts, coupled with the figures showing how much the Lionesses have helped grow the Women’s game in the country, show that the WSL already has the platform to succeed.
Take the North London Derby in 2019. Tottenham Women and Arsenal Ladies played in front of the largest WSL crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when a total of nearly 40,000 people were in attendance. The support is there, and this new deal will only catapult the WSL to new heights.
The Future
The WSL is known also for its superstar players, such as the aforementioned Pernille Harder, Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby to name a few. The league is also dominated by the ‘Big 3’ of Chelsea ladies, Manchester City Ladies and Arsenal Ladies. Speaking again, Spurs fan Griffiths, who saw her own club promoted to the WSL in 2018 said, “The money and the attention will be good for the lesser known sides in the league like your Spurs Ladies, West Ham women etc…”. By going more mainstream, not only will it inspire fans, It will show that there are some real quality players down in the lower half and away from the WSL’s ‘Big Three’.
As others have mentioned, this deal is going to hopefully do wonders for the Women’s game, the support for the game is growing and the amount of inspirations for young girls nationwide is getting bigger. So, from September, settle down to watch WSL on the box, you wont regret it!
