England’s women footballers could be in receipt of lucrative endorsement offers on the back of their successful World Cup exploits, according to the FA’s director of women’s football.
England’s football team finished third in the World Cup held in Canada, an achievement which received significant media coverage in the U.K., bestowing newfound fame on the likes of Laura Bassett and Fara Williams.
FA Dir Kelly Simmons believes the footballers will now attract the attention of brands that want to be associated with the current momentum behind women’s sport, particularly football.
Simmons: "I think this is something that will increasingly come in now that the England players are becoming household names." She added that the U.S. players “are significantly ahead of everyone else in the world” when it comes to personal endorsements.
U.S. player Alex Morgan earns up to $3M a year, the bulk coming from endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.
U.S. players like Morgan became much more marketable after the U.S. won the World Cup in '91 and '99, as they did in '15.
By comparison, top English players earn around $92,000 a year, mainly from an FA central contract and club salary, with a limited amount coming from endorsement deals.
Sport sponsorship experts believe that the women’s success in the World Cup will add fresh impetus to a sport which is increasingly gathering momentum.
MEDIA COVERGE 'VITAL': This, they say, could lead to new individual endorsement deals and brands wanting to be associated with women’s football. Tim Crow, CEO of sport sponsorship company Synergy, said, "There is definitely some momentum behind women’s sport generally. There were two big things that came out of London 2012, in terms of sports and areas which had big momentum. One was the Paralympics and the other was women’s sport. Crucially, I think that the fact that you have three broadcasters in particular -- the BBC, Sky and BT -- all trying to out-behave each other when it comes to being seen as a champion of women’s sport, I think, is really helping. Because media coverage is vital."
Crow said other brands would follow the example of utility company SSE, which recently signed a four-year deal to sponsor the women’s FA Cup.
Other sponsors of women’s football include Nike, Vauxhall and broadcast partner BT.
Simmons believes the fruits of England’s performance in Canada will filter down to the domestic game, pointing to the record attendance of 2,102 which turned out to watch the Man City Women’s team -- which included five members of the England team -- play Birmingham City Ladies on July 12.
Simmons also believes it will help when it comes to renewing sponsorship deals.
She said, “If we can get a bigger fan base that is going to help us when we value and sell those rights.”
John Reynolds is a writer in London.
