After talks of the Women’s Super League (WSL) potentially removing relegation from the league, it could lead to the league renegotiating its broadcast deal with Sky Sports and BBC.
Last month, WSL clubs proposed a pause on relegation and expanded the league to 16 teams for the 2026/27 season. This was raised in a bid to maximise investment, which may pertain to its current broadcast rights deal.
The WSL agreed a five-year £65m broadcast deal with Sky Sports and BBC last October. The deal begins at the start of the 2025/26 season, with Sky Sports showing 118 matches per season and BBC 21 games.
Despite only agreeing a new broadcast deal a few months back, the proposals to expand the league and scrap relegation will almost certainly lead to the league renegotiating with its partners.
The Guardian revealed that the current deal stipulates that it can only be altered, or renegotiated, if all clubs agree to. This is due to more games becoming available for each broadcaster, thus, WSL officials will be seeking for more money as a result.
Investment and more eyes on the WSL has been the main priorities for the Women’s Professional League Ltd. (WPLL) since it took over as the controlling operational entity last August.
Since its arrival, the WPLL secured the five-year current broadcast deal, as well as inking a lucrative sponsorship agreement with Barclays worth £45m.
However, removing relegation from women’s football is not only a heavily criticised idea which sport stakeholders observed over similar proposals to the collapsed 2021 European Super League, it isn’t the first radical proposal the WSL has entertained.
In September, prior to the Sky Sports and BBC deal, the WPLL was exploring the likelihood of removing the 3pm blackout for WSL games, a rule that has been in place across English football since the 1960s.
While WPLL Chief Executive, Nikki Doucet, quickly dispelled the notion of a 3pm blackout removal, those who raised the option in the Karen Carney-led review of women’s football argued that it would be a major visibility boost for the women’s game during a time where there is no men’s football broadcast.
Scrapping relegation, but like the removal of the 3pm blackout rule, are heavily sensitive topics for football fans in England as they are traditional staples of the game in the country.
Those within the women’s game have criticised the proposed expanded WSL league, but it has also been backed too, with it welcomed as an alternative from men’s football and a good opportunity for investment growth.
