How sponsors can help women’s football build lasting growth

Women’s football is attracting more money, but whether that investment builds a stronger game depends on what it makes possible for clubs, fans and players.

Deloitte reports that Women’s Super League clubs generated £90m in revenue in 2024/25, up 39% on the previous season. However, the four highest-revenue clubs accounted for 71% of the total so the growth is concentrated around a few big names. Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance 2026

The picture for players is equally uneven. FIFPRO’s 2026 Global Employment Report, drawing on a survey and interviews with around 800 players worldwide, found that 49% of those surveyed were considering leaving the game early (commonly for financial reasons and psychological stress). Median monthly club pay stood at $1,669. FIFPRO Global Employment Report 2026

Together, these reports raise an important question for sponsors: how can commercial investment help create a game that sustains the people playing it?

Make longer commitments count

Multi-year partnerships can give clubs greater confidence to plan ahead. Their value grows when funding is accompanied by clear commitments to player welfare, such as better facilities, mental health support or more secure employment.

Sponsors should agree what their investment is intended to support and how delivery will be reported. Employment standards remain the responsibility of clubs and governing bodies, working with players and their unions, but engaged sponsors can help fund improvements and make commitments more visible.

For brands, this also supports a commercial interest: helping the club develop the people and capabilities on which its future depends and set benchmarks within those communities.

Look beyond the leading clubs

Clubs outside the wealthiest group deserve consideration where their audiences and ambitions fit a sponsor’s objectives.

A smaller club may offer a strong connection to a local community, relevant audiences or opportunities for a brand to become closely involved in its development. Establishing that fit requires evidence: who follows the club, what matters to them and how a partnership could create value.

That gives the club a stronger proposition than a general appeal to support women’s football. It gives a prospective sponsor a reason to choose this particular partnership.

Invest in bringing fans back

Sponsorship can also help clubs understand and develop their audiences.

Deloitte highlights Arsenal Women’s investment in audience data and tiered pricing as contributors to its 2024/25 matchday performance. Its analysis also found that five WSL clubs experienced attendance declines that season, following the record-breaking 2023/24 campaign. Continued audience growth needs attention and investment. Deloitte Football Money League 2026

For clubs and sponsors, useful questions include what brings someone to their first match, what encourages them to return and which activities deepen their connection with the club.

Answering those questions can guide spending, improve the fan experience and strengthen the evidence for renewing a partnership.

Build a clearer case for investment

A credible partnership needs evidence of commercial value alongside a clear account of what the funding supports.

Audience research and partnership results can help establish whether a sponsor is reaching relevant people and achieving its objectives. Reporting on player provision can show whether agreed commitments are being delivered. Each requires appropriate measures; audience growth alone cannot demonstrate better working conditions.

At Experienz, we bring together the research and data a rights holder already holds to answer practical commercial questions: which partners to approach, what supports an asking price and how to make a stronger renewal case.

We connect findings to their sources, identify where the evidence is strong and show what is missing. For clubs with limited insight resources, that can turn scattered research into a clearer, better-supported case for investment.

Women’s football has an opportunity to turn commercial momentum into lasting progress. Sponsors can help by choosing partnerships with a sound business case, committing for long enough to support development and asking for evidence of what their investment delivers.

Team Experienz