Data-driven sports agency Two Circles has released a report highlighting the ongoing growth of women’s football across Europe’s top leagues.
The report found that average attendance across the top four European leagues – Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, England’s WSL, Spain’s Liga F, and France’s D1 – grew by 24% in the 2023-24 season.
Women’s football in England has seen consistent growth, with both participation and attendance on the rise. In the 2023/24 season, the WSL experienced a 41% increase in attendance.
In France, D1 Féminine followed closely with a 38% rise, making significant strides and narrowing the gap with Spain’s Liga F, which saw an 11% growth, and Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga, which experienced a 6% increase in average attendance.
Growth in the Frauen-Bundesliga slowed to 6% last season, a dip compared to previous years’ stronger increases. Despite this, there are positive signs in the attendance patterns. For instance, the number of games with fewer than 1,000 attendees has dropped by 10%, while matches with attendance between 1,000 and 5,000 spectators have become more common.
Importantly, this growth is spread across a range of clubs in the league, rather than being concentrated in the top two or three teams, as has often been the case in both women’s and men’s leagues in the past.
Two Circles highlighted that a major factor driving the increase in attendance is clubs’ use of larger stadiums, often owned by their male counterparts. The agency pointed to Arsenal’s attendance at Emirates Stadium, which reached 52,000, while their usual venue, Meadow Park in Boreham Wood, hosted just 3,595 spectators.
In May, the club announced that the Emirates Stadium is set to become the main home of the women’s team this season (2024/25), including eight WSL games and three UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) matches.
It isn’t just clubs that are benefiting from increased attendance, however. In September, Mastercard released a report that proved the local economy was benefiting from Arsenal’s women’s team playing at Emirates Stadium.
Reasons for growth
Following on from looking at the attendance figures, Two Circles looked at what is causing the growth of the sport. The agency highlighted the effects of major tournaments.
Next year, Switzerland will host WEURO 2025. In a LinkedIn post by Bettina Baer, the author of this report and Client Service Director at Two Circles, she shared: “The AXA Women’s Super League has already seen significant growth in the lead-up to WEURO 2025, attracting three times more fans per game when comparing the 2022/23 season to 2023/24.”
This trend was also observed in England after the country hosted the WEUROs in 2022. Analysing the impact of the tournament, average attendance rose to 6,636 in the first half of the season, before dropping to 5,222 in the second half.
The geographical location of major tournaments plays a crucial role in driving growth. Following the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia, growth across Europe was slower. However, in Australia, the A-League Women saw a remarkable 92% surge in average attendance after hosting the competition.
Making the most of these opportunities
While women’s football has undergone a positive transformation over the years, many still view it as a quick turnaround. However, the real challenge lies in turning these new fans into lifelong supporters and fully realising the sport’s commercial potential.
Two Circles highlights the commercial opportunities these attendance figures offer but notes that not all clubs and leagues have the structure to fully capitalise on them.
Earlier this year, Chelsea Women unveiled a restructure of their operations and announced a long-term strategic plan. The standout feature of this plan was to reposition the Chelsea Women to sit alongside the men’s club rather than below it.
In February, Insider Sport spoke to Queenie Porter, VP of West Ham Women, who highlighted the commercial opportunities in women’s football, noting that it offers more potential compared to the men’s game.
Porter urged brands to get involved “now,” explaining that the sport is growing rapidly and it’s more beneficial to be part of it early before it becomes more established and competitive for businesses.
