The FA is "pressuring England shirt sponsor Nike to make a football kit that is different for girls" as it seeks to turn the women's game into "big business," according to Matthew Chapman of MARKETING MAGAZINE. FA CEO Martin Glenn revealed how Sue Campbell, the new head of women’s football at the FA who developed sports in schools under the Tony Blair government, has "berated" Nike. Glenn said, "She is a formidable person and was with Nike the other day and was berating them and saying, ‘Why haven’t you designed a football kit that is different for girls.'" Glenn believes football kits that are suitable for females is one of the "soft factors" that will help women’s football push on. He added, "It does not have to be the stupid Sepp Blatter thing of making them wear really tight shorts." The England’s women team does already play in kit that is "specifically designed for women athletes" and Nike produces a range of women’s kits "that are available to the grassroots game." Clubs are beginning to recognize "the savvy investment opportunity even though none of the teams in the Women’s Super League are currently in profit." Attendances at the Women’s Super League are up 20% year-on-year and the FA "is seeking to increasingly get behind the sport." Glenn: "We are not just going to let nature take its course, we are intervening and over-investing. Every pound I invest in the women’s game will give me a far better return on participation" (MARKETING MAGAZINE, 4/22).
