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Those in charge of the WSL believe the topflight of English women’s football could become the first billion pound women’s league in the world.

The chair of the WSL, Dawn Airey, recently stated the intention was to hit the target within the next 10 years and has revealed some of the work that’s been done to reach the milestone.

One of the biggest changes will be the running of the WSL and the Championship, with power slowly shifting from the FA to clubs, as part of the next development stage in English women’s football.

In addition to this new power dynamic, a new company, NewCo, has been set up to run the two leagues independently of the FA with plans for it to take over by the end of 2023 – allowing for the company to settle before the start of the 24/25 season. Distribution of money coming into the league is another factor in the 10-year plan.

Clubs and leadership have agreed on cost controls going forward, in an effort to avoid all incoming funds going solely towards salaries rather than infrastructure and other investments both leagues need to develop.

At the moment, women’s sport globally makes a billion dollars in revenue. In comparison, men’s sport globally makes half a trillion dollars – the difference is stark to the say the least. But as women’s sport around the world is finally starting to receive the attention and investment it’s always deserved – with women’s football at the heart of that change – the financial gap between men’s and women’s sport could become smaller in the coming years.

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