FIFA has released the second edition of Setting the Pace, a benchmarking report that provides a comprehensive analysis of the elite women’s football landscape globally. The first edition was released in May 2021. The new report, compiled with the support of Deloitte, reveals further growth and development in several areas. Contributions came from all six FIFA Confederations, the governing body said.
The study found that 90 percent of leagues had a written strategy in 2022, up from 79 percent in 2021. Clubs with written strategies tend to perform better both on and off the pitch, according to the report, which found that 78 percent of clubs that won their league in the past three seasons had a written strategy indeed, compared to 65 percent for those that did not.
In 2022, clubs recorded year-on-year commercial revenues growth of 33 percent, while leagues experienced a 24 percent growth. Also, 7 percent of all clubs generated greater than $1 million in revenues from matchday, broadcast, commercial, and prize money sources. These trends “clearly highlight the improved commercialization and ability to attract sponsors despite the global pandemic and uncertain global economy,” stressed the report.
Among the other highlights, the number of leagues with a title sponsor has grown to 77 percent, up from 66 percent in 2021. Ten leagues secured broadcast revenues in 2021, up from nine in 2020. Of the leagues that receive broadcast revenues, 90 percent have a club licensing system. Finally, international transfer fees in professional women’s soccer will reach a new record of $2.1 million in 2021, a 73 percent increase over 2020. The five largest transfers accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total spending.
The report analyses data from 30 of the top women’s football leagues and 294 clubs. Its release has followed nine months of project planning, data collection, validation, and analysis, said FIFA. The organization launched its FIFA Women’s Football Strategy in 2018.
