To be professional, any league needs a business model and economic sustainability. In June 2021, under the presidency of Irene Lozano in the Superior Council of Sport, the professionalization of women’s football in Spain was approved. The decision was mainly political and, to a certain extent, a feminist demand, with very positive effects. Professionalization, together with the international success of the national team or FC Barcelona, has given a huge boost to women’s football, multiplied references and contributed to greater visibility of women in sport, on the benches and in offices. Furthermore, it has inspired new generations to dedicate themselves to disciplines that were previously considered exclusively male, transforming the country’s sporting culture.
This professionalization lacked an ambitious, achievable and measurable strategic plan to follow, and therefore women’s football’s current great challenge continues to be its economic sustainability. The growth in notoriety and media recognition is indisputable: the successes of the national team, the following of great personalities and the large number of shirts of our footballers that both girls and boys buy! They show a profound cultural change. But this change is not yet reflected in income. The average attendance in stadiums last season was 1,618 people and of the 398,000 present that season, 100,000 attended Barça’s home matches. Women’s football lacks greater competitive balance, as well as greater commercial income, match day and television. According to CSD data, last season only 3 out of 16 clubs had a surplus. The rest depends on the financial support of its men’s sections, public aid or the assets of its owners. The State, through the CSD, has invested almost 40 million euros since 2022 to accompany this process; This year, when there will be no more help, the competition will have to fly on its own.
In contrast, it should be clarified that the economic success of men’s football represents rather an exception to the norm. And if we look at Europe, only the English Women’s Super League could be considered economically viable. So what is the way forward? Formal professionalization or social enthusiasm are not enough. According to Nadine Kessler, FIFA Best Player in 2014 and current head of UEFA women’s football, the opportunities are enormous: 29 of the 31 matches of the last Women’s European Championship were sold out and 50% of the participants were women (three times more than at the men’s European Championship), which shows that women’s football attracts a new audience. The great current challenge, according to Kessler, lies in strengthening the national championships. We need a joint strategy between the Federation, Lega F, clubs, sponsors and public administrations, which outlines a realistic path in the medium term, with clear objectives in attendance, revenue, audience, season ticket holders and participation. Each club must have its own plan which, integrated into the collective strategy, allows for sustained growth. It would be appropriate to better align the calendar of men’s and women’s football matches, and also to reconsider the repeated refusals to play in Saudi Arabia or the United States, which in addition to generating immediate revenue, internationalize our football and increase its notoriety. National sports journalism, so critical, should perhaps reflect on this, as well as increasing the audience and coverage of women’s football, which is still much lower than that of the English women’s championship.
The talent of the Spanish footballers has placed our team in first place in the FIFA rankings, and this generates an asset of enormous value that must be valorised, transforming that capital into an economic engine for the benefit of the entire structure. Professionalization was, without a doubt, a political and cultural milestone. But now is the time to turn it into a viable economic project. As Sun Tzu recalled The art of war“Inventing a plan does not guarantee success; it is its implementation that makes it a reality”. The time has come to move from muses to business.
Marian Otamendi is CEO of the World Football Summit
