The BackPage Weekly | Top 5 Takeaways: Raising the bar – reframing the opportunity in women’s football

In July 2023, the 126-page government Review of women’s football was published, chaired by former Lioness and pundit Karen Carney MBE.

The Review provides recommendations for elevating minimum standards, and in turn increasing investment, across the women’s game, especially in four core areas: corporate structures, the professional environment, fan experience and grassroots. It is made up of ten strategic recommendations for the development of the game across the entire women’s football pyramid.

We outline our top 5 takeaways from Raising the bar – reframing the opportunity in women’s football.

1.    The Virtuous Circle of Investment

The virtuous circle of investment starts and ends with confidence: players must be confident in the professional standards designed to guard and uplift them, thus attracting and retaining talent; owners, sponsors and broadcasters must be confident in their investment in the women’s game; and fans must be confident in the ownership and governance of their club. The Review proposes that this is the bedrock upon which the Professional Game Working Group, made up of representatives 10 WSL and WC clubs, and senior FA officials, should develop the business plan for the future of the women’s game prior to the launch of the NewCo ahead of the 24/25 season.

2.    NewCo and Financial Regulation

The FA intend to transfer the top two leagues in domestic women’s football, the FA Women’s Super League, and the Women’s Championship, to a fully independent club-owned entity - a NewCo. The Review suggests stringent financial regulation by the NewCo is required, so that ‘financial issues present within other elite sports are not mirrored.’

The 2021 Fan Led Review of Football Governance, provided a cautionary tale to the women’s game, detailing fragile finances, poor club governance and unnecessary risk-taking in men’s football. Consequently, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, published ‘A Sustainable Future – Reforming Football Club Governance’ (February 2023), which we discussed in our previous article #5 Football & the (New) Independent Regulator.

The White Paper detailed the government’s plans to introduce an independent regulator for the top five tiers of English football. This Review makes the case that rather than the women’s game being subject to ‘immediate independent statutory regulation’, as the men’s game is set to be, it should be given the opportunity, at least initially, to self-regulate:

“  …the women’s game should be given the opportunity to incentivise investment with a greater focus on financial sustainability in a model that sits between the financial recklessness of other sports and immediate independent regulation, particularly while governance structure of NewCo are yet to be defined.”

3.    Home Grown Talent & GBE Requirements

The Review explains that

“Clubs should be allowed to access an increased pool of international talent while the domestic pathway is fixed.”

At present, the Home Grown Player (HGP) quota in the WSL mirrors the men’s game, whereby a maximum of 25 players may be registered to play for a club in competitions during a playing season, of which a minimum of 8 must be Home Grown. Where a club wants to buy an overseas player, now including European players, they must be granted a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE). See #22 Changes to English Football’s Work Permit Rules where we explore The FA’s relaxation of GBE rules relating to transfers for overseas male players in the Premier League and the EFL.

The Review recommends that the FA lowers the current GBE points requirements (24 points), for a probationary period of three years, to promote a balance of overseas and domestic talent, outlining the dual problem in the WC specifically:

“The current GBE requirements, coupled with homegrown talents requirements are a particular problem for Women’s Championship clubs; they cannot afford international players whose costs become prohibitive due to the current high points bar, whilst the lack of investment in the academy system means that not enough quality home grown talent is being produced.”

4.    Maternity Provisions

Though enhancements to the maternity provisions were introduced for the 22/23 season, the consensus amongst players that contributed to the Review is that it does not go far enough. Despite players being paid their weekly wage for the first 14 weeks of maternity leave, plus any other remuneration and benefits, before the applicable statutory rate is applied, the Review heard that players would quite rightly look for further assistance so they don’t have to choose between football and motherhood. Examples of pelvic floor coaches being made available and the importance of maternity care were highlighted.

Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir in May 2022, then midfielder at Olympique Lyonnais became the first player to win a claim against a club through the FIFA Maternity Regulations. The regulations were introduced in January 2021 following pressure from FIFPRO and entitled the player to full payment throughout her pregnancy and until the commencement of her maternity leave.

The Review also highlighted the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Player’s Association trailblazing new maternity, pregnant parent and adoption leave policy for contracted England Women’s players. The Review points to this as a leading example for the FA to consider.

5.    A Bespoke Broadcast Schedule

The Review explains how:

“Broadcast revenue is central to the development of the sustainable business model for all sports, and women’s football is no different. It is shared across clubs and gives them the basis to invest in their team’s elite performance capability and welfare, further increasing the pipeline of talent and overall quality of the leagues and, as a result, the value of broadcasting women’s football. This is a central part of the virtuous circle of investment, and it is therefore important that we get it right.”

One obstacle women’s football faces is an already crowded broadcast schedule (mainly due to TV scheduling on the Men’s side). The Review recommends a designated broadcast allocation for women’s football, separate to any men’s football broadcast. One option is to exempt women’s football from the 3pm blackout rule. The rule was introduced to protect against competing coverage and encourage fans to attend games, especially in the lower leagues. During this window (2:45pm – 5:15pm) no Premier League, EFL or FA Cup match may be broadcast. The legality and value of such blackouts has been widely debated.  

The blackout rule was introduced in the 1960s, and the FA announced the lifting of the imposed ban on women’s football in 1971, so it is fair to say the women’s game was not a consideration at the time of the rule’s application. For the blackout window to be a viable option for increasing visibility and regularity in the women’s football schedule, buy-in from the Premier League and EFL will be essential.