Women's football is set to become the fifth most-attended sport in the UK by 2024, according to data from Two Circles. This article will delve into this exciting development and its implications for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts.
Two Circles predicts that a total of 2.12 million fans will have attended women's soccer games by 2024, marking a significant increase of 38% year-on-year (YoY). This surge places women's soccer as the fifth most attended sport outright, trailing behind men’s soccer, rugby union, cricket and horse racing.
The average attendance for the Women’s Super League matches (WSL) has grown by an impressive 32% YoY. However, this growth was outpaced by the second-tier Women’s Championship which saw average match crowds rise by a staggering 71% on last year's figure.
Popularity of football
Soccer continues to be the most popular sport in the UK with total attendances across professional leagues expected to reach an astounding figure of 55 million. The Premier League alone is projected to draw crowds exceeding 14.8 million for 2024 with stadiums achieving an incredible occupancy rate of almost full capacity at around 97%. On average over each match day, more than forty thousand fans are estimated to be present.
Total attendances at professional sports events are poised to hit a record-breaking number - approximately 77.7 million - representing a substantial increase of about 27% over the past decade.
While women's football is gaining momentum rapidly, other sporting events also continue their popularity streaks among spectators. Formula One’s British Grand Prix Sunday race retained its status as one of UK's most attended event with a record crowd presence. Other sports such as netball, darts, swimming, snooker and ice hockey have also seen a significant increase in attendance.
Boost in viewership
In addition to the surge in live attendance, women’s soccer has also seen a considerable boost in viewership. The WSL and Women’s Championship have benefited from increased popularity as more fans tune into matches. The shift of non-televised games to YouTube from the FA Player has been credited for bringing more "eyeballs" to the sport. This move was discussed by Zarah Al-Kudcy, Women’s Professional Game chief revenue officer on an episode of a podcast.
Zarah Al-Kudcy, Women’s Professional Game chief revenue officer, said:
“YouTube has been a great success so far this season, last year, when the WSL was on the FA Player, the best performing match in terms of peak views was Arsenal against Bristol [City] at 78,000. This season, we’ve had a Championship match outperform that. The derby between Sunderland and Newcastle was 81,000 and our best performing WSL game between Leicester [City] and Manchester United has hit about 270,000. So we’re seeing more eyeballs.
“I’m the first to say women’s sport’s got to get away from being measured by eyeballs. That being said, you can’t force an industry to change, so it is good that we’re being able to demonstrate that YouTube is bringing more eyeballs to both of the leagues.”
Furthermore, the WSL's partnership with pay-TV network Sky and free-to-air broadcaster BBC has led to substantial viewership growth. A five-year extension agreement with both partners is reportedly worth about UK£65 million (US$82.8 million). The rise of women's soccer as one of UK's most attended sports is an exciting development for sports fans and betting enthusiasts alike. With increasing live attendances and growing viewership numbers, it seems that this trend will continue well into 2024 and beyond.
