'Women's football should be billion-pound industry - not binbags for curtains'
Women's football could be a £1bn industry if reforms are made, according to a landmark review, ITV News Reporter Baibre Holmes has the latest
A landmark review of women's football in England has called for wide-ranging reform at the elite and grassroots level to unlock its potential for the future.
The review, commissioned by the government last September, argues that with an injection of cash, women's football could become a billion-pound industry in the next decade.
Chaired by former England international Karen Carney, the review calls for an overhaul of both ends of domestic football to fully capitalise on the Lionesses’ Euros success last summer.
Former England player Karen Carney has published her landmark review on the future of women's football
The former Lioness has recommended making the Women's Super League and championship fully professional and creating a dedicated TV slot for women's football.
"People talk to us about binbags for curtains, no heating, which means they're in multiple layers having meetings or can't use certain facilities because the men are a priority so they have to wait until silly o'clock at night", Carney told ITV News.
"I do think we should see women's football as a start-up business that needs an injection of cash. I do think there will be really big rewards at the end of it.
"I do think in the next decade it will be a billion-pound industry."
"Two of my pals are 100-capped Lionesses and both of their kids have come back and said 'girls shouldn't play football'.
"So there's definitely gender bias as well - and it starts at such a young age - and we need to shift that."
The key points from the review
A proportion of men's FA Cup prize money should be redirected to the women's game
The review highlights the prize pot for the men’s knockout competition is £20million, compared to £3m in the women’s game.
It says equalisation of prize money should be the ultimate ambition for the Football Association, but in the meantime “this review sees an opportunity for the FA to redirect some of its men’s prize pot growth into the women’s prize pot in the form of solidarity funding”.
It adds: “This offers a route to quicker growth of the women’s prize pot without taking away large chunks of existing prize money from the men’s competition. Relatively modest increases in distributable income will allow some Women’s Championship clubs to embrace minimum standards uplifts without facing existential risk.”
A dedicated broadcast slot for the women's game
The review suggests the television slot of 3pm on a Saturday. The review acknowledged that the Premier League and EFL would have to support an exemption allowing women's football to be broadcast in the traditional 'blackout' period between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays.
“A clear appointment (time) for fans to watch women’s football has the potential to vastly increase viewership figures,” the review said.
“This will naturally increase the value of any broadcast deal which can deliver this, unlocking a significant revenue stream which is central to football’s business model.”
The backing of an open league structure
The review said it was understood the FA’s Professional Game Working Group, which is overseeing the transition of ownership of the English game’s top two tiers to a ‘NewCo’ for the 2024-25 season, is considering a proposal for a US-style closed format, to give teams more security around investment.
The review rejects this idea.
“An open league structure enables clubs to aspire to reach their highest potential level, and creates dynamism and added value and drama for the commercial product,” it states.
More matches to be played at affiliated stadiums
The review says the FA currently requires women’s teams with an affiliated men’s team to host one match per season in the club’s main stadium. It suggests clubs should produce a ‘stadium strategy’ in future as part of their licensing requirements, aimed at maximising matchday attendance, “with a particular focus on increasing the number of matches played in the main stadia for affiliated teams”.
The ‘NewCo’ should be allowed to self-regulate
The review calls for strong financial regulation in the ‘NewCo’ governing the top two tiers of the women’s game but says it should be given the opportunity to self-regulate rather than move immediately to independent statutory regulation.
Strategic partner to kickstart investment in talent pathway
The review highlights the vast disparity in investment between male and female academies – £88million of central funding from the Premier League on one hand and £3.25m from the FA on the other.
Ultimately the review sees the responsibility for funding the pathway to fall on clubs and the league, but has identified the need for a partner to come in and “kickstart” the process.
It also calls for a lowering of the points requirements for overseas players in the meantime, while the domestic pathway is fixed.
'Salary floor’ in the Women’s Super League (WSL)
The review calls for a minimum wage in the WSL from 2025-26 onwards, citing the current US example, where the minimum is set at around £28,500, for a sense of scale. It also calls for an increase in minimum contact time between clubs and players in the Championship, from the current eight hours a week up to 20 hours a week by 2027-28.
FA to set up new unit researching issues affecting female footballers
The review says it is well-documented female players are three times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than their male counterparts, a situation which must be addressed urgently – to protect current players, to protect the game as a commercial product and to avoid putting off future players.
Creation of a world-leading parental package
Respondents to the review found new parental leave provisions introduced for the 2022-23 season still did not go far enough. The review cites a Rugby Football Union policy introduced earlier this year as “groundbreaking”. It includes 26 weeks of full pay maternity leave, the provision of support to enable players to travel with their infant to match days, and the extension of contracts for no less than 12 months for players who are pregnant or on maternity leave where a deal needs to be renegotiated or extended.
Full union representation in the WSL and Championship
The review calls for the FA to provide ring-fenced funding for the Professional Footballers’ Association towards representation of female players – something the union does not currently receive.
The PFA does currently represent WSL players but those in the Championship do not have any union representation at all, leaving players feeling “vulnerable”.
Once full union support is established, the review says it should lead to a Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee (PFNCC) for the women’s game being set up, to further protect players from changes to their contracts. Full union representation should also then prompt a reform of pension provision.
FA urged to address lack of diversity on and off the pitch
The review highlights that only three of England’s triumphant Euros squad were of black or mixed heritage, described as a “glaring reflection of a wider lack of diversity in both the workforce in women’s football on and off the pitch and in the youth and grassroots women’s game”.
It calls on the FA to compile data on the current football workforce and use that data to develop a new strategy.
Government must deliver on equal access to school sport pledges
The review calls for the Youth Sports Trust to publish annual figures on the number of schools receiving the School Games kitemark for delivering equality of opportunity in PE for girls, the number of schools reaching platinum status and the names of those schools.
Carney said the review’s aim was to introduce minimum standards across all areas of the game, and insisted that even though there were significant cost implications for clubs and the FA in particular, this was not something anyone in the game could afford to ignore.
“I have to have every confidence that these recommendations will be implemented and with urgency,” she said.
“This should never, ever sit on the shelf, it’s got to stand for something.
“Do I want players going on the NHS (to get treatment for injuries)? No. Do I want players to be using bin bags for curtains? No I don’t.
“I understand there is going to be a lot of pushback, people saying that it’s a big investment piece, but that’s what is needed now.
“In 2011 when the WSL was launched, I bet the same conversations happened then (with people saying) ‘it’s a lot of money we’ve got to find’.
“Even I thought that at the time. But that has led us to this point, now we’re further along we need to get to the next point.”
As part of the review, there are calls for players in leagues including the WSL to be funded by the Football Association (FA).
Currently the PFA uses funding from its main pot to help it represent Women’s Super League players, because it does not receive ring-fenced funding for female players from the FA.
Championship players have no union representation, something the review says must change.
Union recognition will also allow for the establishment of a Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee (PFNCC) in the women’s game and give them the same protection from changes to their contracts enjoyed by male players.
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango said: “Karen Carney’s report is a brave, ambitious and detailed plan for the future of women’s game which, crucially, has players at its heart.
“We are proud that WSL players are members of the PFA and have access to the services and independent support we provide.
“The report recommends that union representation for players in the WSL and also the Women’s Championship should now be fully and comprehensively funded by the Football Association, as it would be in other countries where proper Collective Bargaining Agreements are in place between players and governing bodies.
“That’s a major step forward which, alongside the recommendation that the Women’s Championship should become fully professional, will allow us to enhance and expand the services we provide to players.
“We’ve always said that ‘professional’ needs to mean more than just a word on a contract.
“It needs to be reflected in the way players are treated and supported by their clubs and leagues. There are a range of recommendations on issues such as the club’s duty of care, the physical and mental health care, and the standard of training facilities that will be excellent news for players.
“We look forward to working with the FA, stakeholders and, most importantly, the players, on the introduction of these recommendations.”
The Football Association (FA) has also said it will work to "address the challenges" in the game outlined by Karen Carney.
“These are exciting times for the development of the women’s game, and we share Karen’s vision of creating world leading standards for players, fans, and everyone involved in women’s football", a spokesperson said.
“We look forward to working with all stakeholders to address the challenges and opportunities outlined in the report, and to deliver the changes needed to take the women’s professional game to the next level.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...