Women’s football gets its ‘game-changing’ moment

A new three-year television deal will inject £15m per season into the women’s game and, it is hoped, take it to a bigger audience than ever before

Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr celebrate (Getty Images)

As with most things in the women's game, Emma Hayes has done it best.

"This is a day that everyone has been looking forward to, the announcement of a really strong broadcast partner that will help give us the viewership and exposure that the women's game has earned," she said.

Hayes is talking about a groundbreaking new three-year broadcast deal that will see Sky Sports show the Women's Super League for the very first time.

The television giant, who will replace BT Sport as the primary partner from the start of next season, will broadcast a minimum of 35 games per season with 44 available to show on their platform.

The BBC has also committed to screen 22 matches with 18 of those set for main channels BBC One or BBC Two.

The “game-changing” deal, the first time rights to the WSL have been sold separately from the men's game, is expected to be worth £10m per season to the sport with additional marketing and exposure commitments taking that figure to more than £15m.

WSL clubs will receive a proportion of that money with the Women's Championship, the women's game's second tier, also slated for a windfall with other investment areas, including refereeing, targeted.

"This is a landmark deal, not just for the WSL but the whole of the women's game," the FA's director of the women's professional game, Kelly Simmons, said upon the announcement.

"It's really going to help us to grow and engage our fanbase. It is bringing in vital new commercial revenue into the league and clubs. And, most importantly in some ways, it's providing a fantastic platform to inspire girls and women to play the game."

Kathryn Swarbrick, the FA’s commercial and marketing director, added: “This is a moment to celebrate - a watershed moment in the WSL’s future - with just an incredible outlook. 

“That reach, combined with this huge investment into the game, makes us really confident that this is going to be a huge leap forward in achieving our ambition of having the world’s best domestic women’s professional league.”

The WSL has come a long way since its inception back in 2011.

Starting out as an eight-team competition played during the summer, the league now boasts 12 fully professional sides playing alongside the traditional men's calendar.

Hayes' Chelsea are one of many teams to have invested heavily in bringing some of the game's best players to these shores with international stars Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder impressing this year with the Blues top of the WSL table and into the quarter-finals of the Champions League where they will play Wolfsburg this week.

Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder celebrate (Getty Images)

The star power is there. This deal now gives the opportunity to get as many eyeballs on them as possible.

"This partnership provides a wonderful platform on which to deliver on our ambitions and really to put the WSL at the global forefront of the women's game," Simmons added.

"When we look at the benchmarks around audience, this without doubt will take us to be the most watched women's sports league in the world.

"It is transformational. This is mainstream, this is prime slots on television, big audiences, week in week out, and I think it's such an exciting step for the women's game. It is quite an emotional moment."

This is Sky's first foray into women's football but their commitment to women's sport is established with cricket, rugby union and netball regular staples of their wider coverage.

"There's no better platform than to be with Sky," Hayes added. "Sky will bring the elevation that the women's game needs. It's a partner that is taking women's sport very seriously and football tops that agenda.

"I hope we can bring new viewers to them with the quality we produce. It's a perfect marriage."