According to reports, a number of Premier League teams have expressed plans to put forward a private equity-style proposal to invest in the Women’s Super League (WSL).
Rather than paying for the competition, Bloomberg has reported that a ‘small number’ of Premier League clubs are instead looking into a commercial investment into WSL’s operations.
A source from the Football Association (FA) confirmed for the media outlet that “a number of options have been looked at”, adding that the governing body which currently oversees the best of English women’s football will “pursue the options we feel are in the best interests of the sustainable development and growth of the game”.
This comes amid FA’s plans to introduce an independent company to manage the WSL and the second-highest division Women’s Championship. The new company NewCo is expected to be launched towards the end of this year with a £15m loan from the FA to handle the running of the two leagues.
There are also currently talks in place to secure funding from the Premier League, which is what the number of PL clubs are reportedly trying to discuss by instead proposing the private equity option that would create a more financially sustainable women’s league structure instead of the “perceived excess” of the men’s division, as the Bloomberg source puts it.
The Daily Mail reported earlier in September that the FA had put out a request to PL teams for an investment of around £25m to strengthen the WSL for its 2024/25 season, with the majority of clubs taking a long time to consider.
