Ahead of the 2025/26 Barclays Women’s Super League season opening clash between Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women on September 5th, Women’s Sport Trust (WST) highlights key areas shaping the women’s game.
A new era for broadcast and a chance to build on the success of the Lionesses
There is a significant opportunity for the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) to capitalise on the momentum created by the Lionesses’ victory in Switzerland in July. This moment has brought women’s football into the spotlight, and the viewing figures show just how big that spotlight has become.
The Women’s EURO final alone drew a UK television peak of 16.2 million viewers across BBC and ITV – the most watched TV moment of the year – alongside 4.2 million streams on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. History shows that success at major tournaments can bring in new audiences and drive longer-term audience growth. WST research found that 53% of people who watched the 2022 Women’s EURO and were new to women’s sport went on to watch more women’s sport afterwards.
Now, the challenge is to build on this interest. This season, broadcast visibility will be greater than ever. Sky will broadcast 118 WSL matches per season, more than three times the current number, with 78 games shown exclusively. The output of this should be that there will be a significant rise in live viewing hours and three-minute reach – 23.9 million and 12.3m respectively in the 2024-25 season – although average audiences per match are likely to fall, a common impact when more live games are made available.
Public broadcasters remain key to wider reach. The BBC will continue to show 14 live games and seven shared matches on digital platforms. Importantly, from a visibility perspective, for the first time, digital clips from every fixture will be available on the BBC Sport website, app and social media. Visibility is further boosted by the BBC Women’s Football TikTok channel, which generated 55 million video views in July 2025 alone, according to data from Tubular Labs.
Away from TV, the league’s own platforms are also growing rapidly. In its first season (2024/25), the Barclays WSL YouTube channel attracted 42.5 million views, which Tubular data reveals is second only to the WTA Tour among dedicated women’s sport league/competition channels. With around two-thirds of those views coming from outside the UK, live coverage available in some overseas markets, highlights rights retained, and WSL2 matches also streamed, the channel is expected to expand further despite more domestic matches moving exclusively to Sky.
Building on that momentum, Sky has announced the launch of its own dedicated WSL YouTube channel, offering instant highlights, player-led content, behind-the-scenes coverage, and live match streams. YouTube brings a particularly engaged female audience. WST worked with Tubular to discover that last season, women who watched the WSL channel spent more time viewing than those watching the Premier League’s channel. That presents a clear opportunity to grow audiences next season by combining live matches with shoulder content.
WSL clubs are now among the world’s leading digital brands in sport
WST research published in June showed that during the 2024/25 season, WSL clubs recorded a 154% year-on-year rise in TikTok views (via Tubular). This surge saw them overtake EFL Championship clubs, despite having only half as many teams, to become the second most viewed domestic league on TikTok in England behind the Premier League.
Chelsea Women have been central to this growth. In 2024, they were the most viewed women’s club team on TikTok worldwide with a dedicated women’s account. Tubular data shows that from August 2024 to July 2025 they generated 271m views, second only to Juventus Women (289m), who benefit from a commercial partnership with TikTok. Chelsea still ranked ahead of every WNBA team (Indiana Fever led with 263m, Dallas Wings second with 77.1m) and had almost ten times the views of any NWSL side (San Diego Wave topped the league with 28m).
But it isn’t just women’s sport that Chelsea Women are leading in views – they rank alongside some of the biggest names in men’s sport. In the same 12-month period, Tubular data highlights that only seven men’s Premier League clubs had more TikTok views. For global comparison, only the Brooklyn Nets (NBA, 495m), LA Dodgers (MLB, 372m), and three NFL teams (Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Chargers) had more TikTok views in that timeframe. This level of visibility helps explain why they have been so attractive to American investors.
The club’s success stems from near-equal resource in men’s and women’s content output. Between August 2024 and July 2025, Chelsea Men (1,064 posts) and Chelsea Women (920 posts) ranked among the top four teams across F1, MLB, NBA, NFL, NWSL, Premier League, WNBA and WSL for TikTok publishing frequency (per Tubular).
On Instagram, other WSL clubs have also led the way. Tubular showcases that in the same time period, Arsenal Women amassed 317 million views, second only to Indiana Fever (334 million) among women’s domestic teams with dedicated accounts, ahead of Manchester City Women (231 million) and Chelsea Women (150 million). Narrowing the window to January–July 2025, Arsenal (255 million views) actually had more views than any other women’s club team globally.
What is interesting is that different clubs perform well on different platforms, with Chelsea Women in fifth place for Instagram views in 2025 alone (January-July) amongst WSL clubs, behind Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs women’s teams.
With domestic broadcast rights secured for the next five years, the challenge now for WSL clubs is to translate this digital engagement into commercial return. By building innovative club partnerships that leverage their ability to engage young female audiences online, clubs can drive visibility and unlock new revenue streams, including through international broadcast rights.
Can the WSL and its clubs convert visibility into commercial revenue growth?
This season marks the start of a new title sponsorship deal with Barclays, reportedly worth £45 million over three years – the most lucrative agreement in the history of domestic women’s football. It highlights the potential for huge growth in the sponsorship space.
As Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance shows, commercial revenue is the biggest income stream for WSL clubs, representing 40% of their total revenue at present.
Consumer research published in July by WST showed that 46% of UK adults (24.7 million) are familiar with at least one women’s football sponsorship. Of these, 10.7 million say they would be more likely to consider the brand as a result. The effect is strongest among younger fans: 62% of 18–34s who are aware of a sponsorship are more likely to consider the brand, compared with 43% of the wider public.
This season will reveal which brands choose to invest and activate in women’s football – whether established sponsors of sport or new entrants using the game as a gateway into sports sponsorship.
Can players continue to build their personal brands to drive fandom and attract sponsors?
WST visibility research has highlighted that WSL players have yet to fully capitalise on the potential of their personal platforms.
For example, in the 2024/25 season, Millie Turner recorded 31.6m TikTok views, the highest of any WSL player, but this figure pales in comparison to global women’s sports stars over the same period, such as Ilona Maher (1.5bn), Simone Biles (735m) and Sunisa Lee (543m) – all according to data from Tubular Labs.
The Lionesses also saw gains during the Women’s Euros, with Chloe Kelly adding 384,000 Instagram followers and 142,000 TikTok followers in July, but few players are publishing consistently across their channels.
Building strong personal brands positions players to attract partnerships and drive both greater visibility and commercial revenue. For example, WST consumer research found that 76% of people familiar with Rexona’s partnership with Lucy Bronze felt more positive about the brand as a result – showing the power of authentic player-led partnerships.
To support players in increasing posting frequency and reach, for the first time WSL and WSL2 athletes now have the rights to use match clips on their own channels. This will need to be complemented by self-shot, off-field content that allows fans to truly connect with players.
However, visibility must be balanced with protection. The Women’s EURO also underlined the risks, with Jess Carter subjected to racist abuse and, more recently, Kilmarnock’s Skye Stout targeted over her appearance. Safeguards are essential to ensure players feel comfortable growing their presence online.
Revamped competition structures and new events create additional areas of interest
The WSL’s planned expansion to 14 teams in the 2026/27 season means up to three clubs could be promoted from WSL2 this year (two through automatic promotion and the third placed team in a play-off against the bottom team in the WSL). This format is set to generate compelling storylines throughout the campaign.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League also debuts a new league format structure this year, with two English clubs guaranteed group stage places for the first time. There are also new broadcast partners, including Disney+ in Europe, and the potential for unprecedented digital reach. The UEFA Women’s Football account, covering both national and club competitions, has already outperformed all other dedicated women’s sport league or competition accounts this year on TikTok (January–July), generating 422m views compared with 277m for the second-placed WNBA (according to Tubular).
The inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, featuring six continental club champions including Arsenal as UEFA Women’s Champions League winners, will launch in January/February 2026. The tournament has the potential to create another big moment to draw in main eventer TV audiences, given the number of Lionesses in the squad, including Chloe Kelly, currently the bookies’ favourite for BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December. If successful, Kelly would mark the fifth consecutive female winner of the award.
Also, UEFA has introduced a new women’s club competition, the Europa Cup, although there will be no English representation in its first season.
A crucial year for attendance in the women’s game
There has been much discussion around WSL attendances falling by 10% in the 2024/25 season, averaging 6,661 per game compared with 7,371 the previous season.
In a move that will address this issue and create an ‘appointment to view,’ Sky announced a dedicated 12pm broadcast slot, while Sunday evening fixtures have been removed. Data from the 2024/25 season from Expected Goals showed Sunday lunchtime kick-offs averaged 9,996 spectators across the WSL, compared with 5,371 for Sunday evening games, suggesting a likely boost to crowds. However, much will still depend on how clubs activate marketing strategies to convert Women’s EURO-inspired interest into stadium attendance.
This season, 14 teams across the WSL and WSL2 will take part in an extended trial allowing supporters to consume alcohol in the stands, including Arsenal, who will host all WSL games at the Emirates Stadium for the first time. It will be interesting to see how this shapes the matchday experience and drives additional revenue from food and beverage sales.
In fact, WSL2, which saw average attendances increase 108% during the 2024/25 season to 2,086 per game, including a record crowd of 38,502 for the Newcastle-Sunderland game, could be a league to watch, especially with the added incentive of additional promotional spots, a number of ambitious clubs and the arrival of Nottingham Forest Women into the League.
The season ahead: opportunity and challenge
The 2025/26 season presents an important moment for women’s domestic football in England. With unprecedented broadcast exposure, record-breaking digital engagement, growing sponsorship potential, and an expanding league structure, the foundations are in place for significant growth.
Success will depend on the ability of clubs, players, sponsors and broadcasters to convert visibility into sustained fan engagement, both online and in stadiums, while balancing player welfare and safeguarding. The combination of elite performance, innovative broadcast and digital strategies, and creative commercial partnerships could see the WSL and WSL2 not only capitalise on the Lionesses’ success but further establish women’s domestic football in England as a compelling, commercially viable, and globally recognised sport.