Revenues in elite women’s sports are growing significantly faster than previously predicted and are forecast to reach at least $2.35bn (£1.82bn) globally in 2025, according to new Deloitte research.
Leaping ahead of women’s football, women’s basketball is now projected to generate more than $1bn of revenue alone in 2025, up 44%. In 2023, Deloitte reported that all women’s sports combined would generate more than $1bn for the first time throughout 2024 and the true figure by the end of 2024 was far higher than anticipated, reaching $1.88m, after a 240% increase in the space of just four years.
However, the release of this latest research comes fewer than 24 hours after the publication of a separate report by world football’s governing body, Fifa, which has highlighted the stark reality of the financial challenges many women’s football clubs and leagues still face. After surveying 669 clubs from 101 different territories around the world, Fifa found the average salary for players worldwide is $10,900 (£8,420).
Fifa also found that, for leagues, average operating expenses are 71.1% higher than average operating revenue across the 24 territories considered by Fifa to be the highest ranked, and it found that only four leagues had title-sponsorship deals worth more than $1m a year.
On average, year-on-year losses are being made at 67% of the top clubs which Fifa categorised as “tier one” clubs, and Fifa’s report states that the sport is in the “start-up business” phase of development. Match-day revenues remain low, owing to average attendances globally of 1,713 and an average ticket price of $9.30 for adults and $4.60 for concessions, with only 20% of women’s football clubs offering season tickets.
Nonetheless, Deloitte’s projections show rapid increases in financial backing at the elite end of women’s sport more widely, and Jennifer Haskel, the knowledge and insight lead in the Deloitte Sports Business Group, says they are seeing “immense growth across the global women’s sports market” which is “exceeding expectations”. Speaking to the Guardian prior to the publication of Deloitte’s newest data, Haskel said: “Commercially, there’s so much opportunity for growth because we know the women athletes are more likely to engage with fans on their social posts, for example.
“We’re also seeing new brands enter women’s sport, from markets that don’t necessarily have a sporting background when it comes to their sponsorship, but that are recognising the leverage that a lot of women’s sports organisations have.”
Commercial revenues far outweigh broadcast incomes in Deloitte’s projections, on which Haskel added: “We’re seeing commercial being the growth-lever for women’s sports, at least in the next few years to come, which is a little bit different than men’s sport, which is heavily driven by broadcast.
“In the long-term, I think women’s football will retake women’s basketball, because of the sheer amount of assets but also because the professionalisation journey that women’s football is on globally will support that revenue growth that we’re already starting to see. In basketball we’re starting to see that star-power really take hold, athletes with their own major commercial deals and with merchandising increasing quite heavily.”
after newsletter promotion
Global women’s football revenues are predicted to rise from $740m in 2024 to $820m in 2025, while women’s basketball revenues are projected to jump from $710m to $1.03bn.
But Fifa’s report also highlights the relatively low number of women getting managers’ jobs at women’s clubs. Only 22% of head coach roles are filled by women globally. Fifa’s chief football officer, Jill Ellis, said: “While we cannot improve this figure overnight, by unearthing and analysing the data we can understand where we need to continue to invest, implement and perhaps even evolve our women’s coach development programmes to unlock more opportunities for women and empower everyone working in women’s football.”
