WSL set for record ‘UK£9m per year’ Barclays sponsorship deal: Three-year extension for English women’s soccer’s top two tiers worth around double existing contract.
English soccer’s Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship are close to securing a record sponsorship extension with Barclays, according to The Telegraph.
The bank is reportedly on the verge of signing a new three-year deal worth roughly UK£9 million (US$11.4 million) for the title sponsorship rights alone, which is around twice as much as Barclays is paying for its existing agreement running from 2022 to 2025.
Barclays has been the title sponsor of the top-tier WSL since 2019, with the new contract set to be worth more than four times the fee the company originally paid between 2019 and 2022.
The bank’s current pact spanning from 2022 to 2025, which also covers title sponsorship of the Women’s Championship, includes a commitment to invest more than UK£30 million (US$37.9 million) in women’s and girls’ soccer. At the time, the Football Association (FA) said it was a new record for investment in UK women’s sport.
In addition to the WSL and Women’s Championship, Barclays has been a sponsor of the men’s Premier League since the 2001/02 campaign, with its latest contract running until the end of 2024/25.
SportsPro says…
When Barclays first sponsored the WSL five years ago it believed it was investing in potential. Now the bank is enjoying the rewards of its commitment.
The WSL is one of the fastest-growing soccer leagues in the world, with England’s win at Uefa Women’s Euro 2022 sparking record interest in the top flight and further down the domestic pyramid. Last month saw the WSL break its cumulative attendance record with six rounds of games still to play.
This reported three-year deal is a major win for NewCo, which will take over from the FA in overseeing plans for the WSL and Women’s Championship from next season. NewCo wants to make both divisions commercially sustainable, and the Barclays extension is a big milestone on that journey.
WSL set for record ‘UK£9m per year’ Barclays sponsorship deal: Attention will now turn to securing a sizeable increase for the WSL’s next domestic media rights deal. The league’s current tie-up with Sky Sports and the BBC, worth a reported UK£8 million (US$10.1 million) per season, expires at the end of 2023/24.