- Deloitte also reportedly being lined up
- WSL Football says it is working with clubs to “explore long-term growth strategies”
The Women’s Super League (WSL) is reportedly close to hiring banking giant Goldman Sachs to evaluate opportunities for raising new funding.
According to Sky News, the process is at a very early stage and it remains unclear what route England’s elite women’s soccer league will take.
One potential option on the table is selling a stake in the WSL and second tier WSL2, something that has been explored in the past.
Sky News adds that Deloitte, which was recently involved in the sale of stakes in The Hundred cricket franchises, is also being lined up to work with WSL Football, the organising body for the top two tiers of English women’s soccer.
Research from Deloitte in June revealed that aggregate revenues recorded by WSL clubs rose by 34 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to UK£65 million (US$87.3 million) during the 2023/24 season.
“Like any responsible business with ambition, WSL Football is working in collaboration with member clubs to explore long-term growth strategies that can accelerate the positive momentum within the women’s game,” a WSL Football spokesman told Sky News.
WSL Football was established in November 2023 under the provisional name NewCo, when the WSL and WSL2 (then known as the Women’s Championship) agreed to break away from the Football Association (FA). The company was renamed Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) for the 2024/25 season, before rebranding as WSL Football ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Led by chief executive Nikki Doucet, WSL Football has signed several major sponsorship and media deals over the past 12 months. New partners include British Gas, while Nike has extended its partnership and will provide players with free boots. The current title sponsorship agreement with Barclays is reportedly worth around £45 million (US$60.4 million).
On the broadcast side, the WSL’s domestic deal with Sky Sports and the BBC is said to be worth approximately £65 million. Last month, the league confirmed 13 new international media rights agreements for this season.
The prospect of selling a stake in the WSL follows recent moves by several clubs to sell stakes in their women’s teams to their parent companies, including Chelsea, Aston Villa and Everton.
Selling their women’s team to BlueCo at a UK£200 million (US$269 million) valuation helped Chelsea report a profit of UK£129.6 million (US$174.1 million) for the 2023/24 financial year. It was their first profit under the ownership of Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium and was a Premier League record.
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Source: sportspro.com
