WSL breaks revenue record with 60% increase in 2021-22 season

Revenues for Women’s Super League clubs rose by 60% in a record-breaking 2021-22 season, according to new figures published by Deloitte. Clubs brought in combined revenues of £32m, up from £20m in the previous season, with the increases driven by new commercial and broadcast deals.

The higher revenues helped clubs to bring down their aggregate wages-to-revenue ratio from 92% to 78% despite wages rising to a combined total of £25m, up 37% on the previous campaign.

Clubs made an aggregate pre-tax loss of £14m, according to Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance, which will be released in full on Thursday.

From the start of last season, WSL and Women’s Championship clubs enjoyed the fruits of the largest broadcast deal of any professional women’s football league, worth a reported £8m per season.

WSL clubs took a 75% share and Championship clubs 25%, with an equal fixed amount per club, plus a share based on league position.

Deloitte noted that revenues should continue to rise. A new title sponsorship deal which began this season includes a £30m investment into the WSL and Women’s Championship from 2022-25, while clubs are also benefitting from increased attendance.

Matchday revenues accounted for nearly 10% of WSL clubs’ combined revenues during 2021-22 with an average league attendance of 1,923, but with crowds up by nearly 200% to 5,616 per match in the season just finished those numbers should increase considerably.

Zoe Burton, director in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “The women’s game achieved significant leaps in revenue in the 2021-22 season.

“The Lionesses’ success at the Uefa Women’s Euros is pinned as an inflexion point for the popularity of women’s football, so it’s telling that even before this