In the last decade, the women’s game has made a big step forward, becoming more popular. These recent milestones were set during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 and the UEFA European Women’s Football Championship 2022 at which viewer [1] and attendance [2] records were broken and more are expected to be set during the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ for which more than 1 million tickets have been sold since the beginning of June 2023. This upward trend offers opportunities for brands to get involved and support women’s football.

Numbers don’t lie

We all remember the picture of the number - 87,192 - on the big screen at Wembley Stadium during the final of the European Championships in 2022. It was the highest-attended match at either a men’s or women’s European Championships ever. The picture became a symbol of change in the women’s game and has started to trigger brands into rethinking their sponsoring strategies.

A year later, the trend continues: sports streaming service DAZN revealed new records in viewing figures for its coverage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League across the entirety of the 22/23 season. With the help of their distribution deal with YouTube, more than 50 million views in 230 territories worldwide were achieved. This resulted in an increase of 17 per cent on the 21/22 tournaments. With this being the second season that the tournament has been streamed on YouTube, DAZN says that they see a link between the viewing figures, improving visibility and growing value.

According to the sports consultancy Crux’ ‘Value and Impact’ report, 80% of fans say that the coverage on YouTube has increased their awareness of women’s players. 57% have an increased desire to follow women’s players and clubs and 40% now have an increased interest in attending live women’s matches. Even 77% of the clubs mentioned that the coverage has increased sponsor interest.

How brands can support

Since the numbers are promising - referring to The Business Case for Women’s Football to highlight the sport’s potential to grow in the European women’s club and league game - it is now up to the brands to act and unleash its maximum potential.
Opportunities lie within many fields - and some brands have already taken advantage of them:

E-Commerce: UEFA recently announced that Amazon had become a partner of UEFA Women’s Football and is building an online store.

Beyond Competition: Unilever personal care brands (e.g. Dove, Rexona, Lux) were unveiled as official partners of FIFA. Their partnership goes beyond the support of tournaments: they collaborate with FIFA’s Women’s Development Programme, designed to provide opportunities for girls and women in football.

Sustainable Innovation: Since women’s football stands for progressive values, it can be the perfect match for brands to position sustainable innovations within a sponsor agreement. The fashion designer Stella McCartney created 10 pieces for Arsenal women’s soccer team in collaboration with adidas. Most pieces were made with organic cotton and recycled polyester.

These are just three examples of how brands can and are continuing to get involved in the women’s game. Many more might evolve when the sport grows further; therefore, the investment into grassroots football must be secured.

Long-term commitments

Many brands have already shown their belief in women’s football by activating short- to mid-term collaborations. An example of a commitment beyond one season is being set by the American sports brand Nike: they announced a long-term partnership with the regional-league women’s team Viktoria Berlin who are currently playing in the third league, and aiming to climb into the second by the end of next season. As a partner and supplier, Nike committed to support the team until 2028 and thereby work collaboratively with the club to achieve equal opportunities and rights for women in football.

Britain’s Barclays Bank, which sponsors the Women’s Super League, aims to make football more accessible to girls by committing to support the sport in schools by 2024. To reach their target audience, Barclays counts on former international football professionals such as Ian Wright and Kelly Smith to promote the women’s game as the league’s ambassadors.

Women’s football is pop culture

A brand seeking to align with the progressive values of equality, diversity, and inclusivity is no longer the main driver behind supporting women’s football. By investing in and engaging with the sport on a grassroots level, brands can demonstrate a commitment that goes beyond monetary profit and build brand loyalty and trust within a forward-thinking audience. This is where brands should in the future invest their resources so as to support the sport and get involved in attractive collaborations sustainably.

[1] FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™: Global Broadcast and Audience Report
[2] UEFA Women’s EURO 2022: overall tournament record attendance