Women’s Professional Leagues Limited takeover: new horizons for the women’s game
Back in December, we wrote about the planned takeover of the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship (WC) from the start of the 24/25 season. Today, the FA announced that the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) has completed this takeover, and is now responsible for running the WSL and WC.
The basic structure of the WPLL is similar to that of the Premier League – each of the clubs in the WSL and WC will be a shareholder in the WPLL and will therefore have influence in how it is run. WPLL is headed up by Nikki Doucet as CEO, whose varied CV boasts roles in finance and in women’s sport as a director at Nike.
Until now, it’s not been clear how the WPLL will initially be funded, but today’s announcement confirms that the Premier League has entered into a funding and cooperation agreement with the WPLL, under which it will provide a £20m interest-free loan to the WPLL and provide support for the development of the game, including in areas such as broadcasting, commercial avenues and operations.
The hope is that this move will allow the women’s game to unlock its potential both on and off the field and to secure its financial stability, for players and those who work in the game, for fans, and for the next generation of young footballers. WPLL wants to become the world leader in women’s football.
This growth will rely on increased commercial investment to develop the game and its profile. Broadcast deals with continue to play an important role in both the game’s financial development and profile raising. Increased professionalisation and profitability will hopefully result in more opportunities for promising young girls to develop their talent from grassroots level. Improved financial stability should feed into an increase in renumeration for players, many of whom currently earn very little (especially in the WC). It could also lead to a positive trickle down effect in the lower tiers of women’s football, which, alongside the emerging talent centres established under the FA’s revamped player pathway, could play a central role in both player development and increasing the opportunities for access to the game to girls across the country. In the long term, if WPLL’s mission is a success, it could additionally incentivise other nations to review their own infrastructure and look for ways to improve, and perhaps encourage greater equality in the pay structure for women’s football across the board (see here to read more about the disparities in pay and prize money in women’s football in the UK and globally).
With such a breadth of clubs with entirely different structures and financial positions (from Durham to Arsenal, Charlton to Manchester City) and some apparent friction, predominantly from WC clubs, in the process to the clubs agreeing the takeover (as we wrote about in December) it will be interesting to see how smooth progress is and whether the clubs are aligned on the direction of the game.
As the women’s game becomes increasingly professionalised and commercialised, the opportunities and the stakes rise. At Irwin Mitchell, we have a full sports offering. We can provide tailored advice on a breadth of commercial, regulatory and corporate matters, from negotiating commercial sponsorship agreements with brands and dealing with commercial disputes, to providing assistance on regulatory and safeguarding issues, and advising on company restructuring. Read more about our sports team here or get in touch with Tom Barnard or Martha Kent to find out more or see how we might be able to help you.
The hope is that this move will allow the women’s game to unlock its potential both on and off the field and to secure its financial stability, for players and those who work in the game, for fans, and for the next generation of young footballers.”
