When the FA cut funding to women's football in '13, three years after the founding of the Women's Super League, it "seemed as though hope for the future of the women's game was ending almost as soon as it had begun," according to Rebecca Myers of the SUNDAY TIMES. Lower-level clubs spoke of feeling "worthless" and protesters warned of the "death knell" for many top clubs, as it "seemed the FA themselves were uncertain of what they wanted to achieve in the women's game." As the WSL season draws to a close, "attendance is expected to be very healthy." The bronze medal won by England's women at this year's World Cup, the FA cup final at Wembley and a "much-needed" cash injection of £3.7M ($5.6M) to "support all levels of the game" have revolutionized the future of the women's game. FA Dir of the National Game & Women's Football Kelly Simmons said, "England won the bronze medal and worked so hard. They have also worked so incredibly hard off the pitch to become such fantastic role models. They took it to heart and just elevated the profile of women's football to another level." TV viewing figures, as well as attendance statistics, have "hit record highs, with hopes that BT might expand coverage next year." Match attendance "is up 41% on 2014, with a 24% increase as a direct result of the World Cup." A key strategy for the WSL was its identity as a summer league, "so that the women were not going head to head with the men's game for attention" (SUNDAY TIMES, 10/3).
