The victory of the Spanish team in the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand put an end to the rhetoric of the future of women’s football. Women’s sport is a reality that attracts investors and attention; It is a generational change encouraged by the heroes themselves calling for big changes from different teams. More than 7.38 million viewers watched the finale at one point More than 30,000 people took part in the celebration of the champions on the streets of Madrid. The problem is clear.
Now comes the biggest challenge. The current European champion is far superior to the fight to overthrow England. The next day will determine what the real and daily impact of the first star of the Spanish team was. The transformation cannot be stopped, but women’s football’s next challenge is financial sustainability. At the start of the F League, which will start the 2023/2024 season with the Sevilla – Granadilla de Tenerife match on Friday, September 8, many of the 23 protagonists will join their teams with almost no rest.
Minimum salary 16,500 euro
The course will begin with a few key topics on the table. “Spain women’s football is facing huge challenges very urgently, Collective bargaining negotiations professionally protecting them all to the point of ‘no progress’Sara Rojas, director of WOT, a marketing, communications and representation agency for female athletes, analyzes for this newspaper, “It’s essential for the deal to thrive and reach the level of professionals that exist in our league today.”
The 2022/2023 season was the first season in the F League and laid the foundations for professionalization. However, the new collective agreement, which is necessary for the health of competition and women’s football, is still on hold. The current agreement is for four years and set the minimum salary at 16,000 euros; this is 80% less than determined in the last men framework.
In May, the five unions at the negotiating table (FUTPRO, AFE, Futbolistas ON, CCOO and UGT) condemned the situation. “The offer of the F League consists of increasing the salary to 16,500 euros for the 2022/2023 season, 17,500 euros for the 2023/2024 season and 19,000 euros for the 2024/2025 season. There is an increase of 500 euros for this season” The purchasing power of football players who have earned 16 thousand euros since 2019 is decreasing“, they claimed.
Private sponsors of women’s football
It was stated that the minimum wage proposal brought forward by the unions from the F League would “mean”: more than 70 million volumes globally over the next five years”, hence, “this means that almost all of the projected commercial and audiovisual revenue is allocated on the unrealistic assumption that all football players earn only the minimum wage.” Resolving this conflict is crucial to creating a sustainable ecosystem.
DAZN paid $35 million for the rights to five seasons of the F League. The British platform has a goal of becoming the “home of women’s football”. In this context, it acquired the Ata Futbol platform, where France’s Division 1 Féminine and Italy’s Serie A matches are broadcast in markets such as the United States and England. As with men’s football, the granting of television rights is also important.
Inequality is still the most important element of Spanish football. Barça on one side and other teams on the other. Even Real Madrid, which has made obvious progress lately. However, in terms of turnover, the volume of the Barcelona division is much higher than the others. This is thanks to sustained investments over time. This is where the balance between spending, returns and expanding the business model comes into play.
“There is a great interest in women’s football, something that has been seen in recent seasons both in terms of participation in stadiums and audience share. Institutions that are influential in the football sector in our country, to provide facilities to provide a more accessible way for the public to watch regular league matches “To increase the visibility of our competition,” says Rojas from WOT, representing world champions Claudia Zornoza and Rocío Gálvez.
“Footballers are great ambassadors”
The World Cup figures leave no doubt about the ‘participation’ provided by women’s football, even in an unfavorable time environment, as suggested by Australia and New Zealand. Fifteen sponsors of the women’s team have benefited, as well as thirty official FIFA partners.. Some of these, such as Xero and Visa, are exclusive sponsors of the event. Obtaining independent and solid support is a preferred challenge.
We should not forget one more crisis that the F League experienced in its first and difficult year. went with Good jobmain sponsor of the competition. Alicante’s ‘teleco’, which is also in contact with the RFEF, assured that it has signed only one contract. “agreement of intent” It expired on 30 November 2022. Although the F League advocated a deal “in action” for three seasons, mention of the company was lost on the competition’s official website. The same thing happened with the actions promoted on the Finetwork social networks regarding the F League..
But the organizers of the women’s professional tournament are having peace of mind, thanks to the deal that has made LaLiga the only commercial representative to attract new sponsors. For 42 million in 5 years. At the federation level, Iberdrola is the main trading partner. Some teams are far from structures in which players are devoted only to their work. During FC Barcelona’s budget is around 12 million and according to the ‘2PlayBook’ data, the business figures for most of the sets that are at breakeven are as follows: 850,000 to 1.5 million euros.
Spain’s goal: 2031 World Cup
“I think without a doubt one of the most important points is the great visibility that has been achieved, a lot of people and therefore brands are focused on this industry and its players. Footballers are great ambassadors and prescribers; their data and the return they bring to brands are unmatched. Many brands have opted for them in recent years and we hope to achieve even more from this milestone”, predicts WOT director Sara Rojas.
According to data from Stock Consulting, Sponsorship deals in Liga F increased by 11.3% last season Compared to the previous one, 168 contracts were signed and 141 brands were included. According to the Sports Habits Survey prepared by the Supreme Sports Council, 14.4% of the Spanish population consumed women’s football through audio-visual media in 2022. A percentage to be folded if the World Cup final is taken into account Reached 70% screen share.
“Huge strides have been made in the women’s football industry in recent years, but we must continue to work so that this does not stop and the successes of our sport continue,” says WOT director Rojas. In this context of continued growth, Spain has the opportunity to play a key role both in consolidating victories on the field and in organizing events. 2031 World Cup, Yolanda Díaz’s wish, Acting Second Deputy Head of Government. Although voices in women’s sports claim that this attractive effect affects all disciplines such as basketball or athletics, we can give two examples of recent success.