It's the little things

“I will have gratitude for the little things, while I wait for the big things to fall into place.” --- Morgan Harper Nichols

Now I’d say we’ve had a lot of great things happen but now it feels like a lot of little things are all coming together in the women’s game while we wait for all the big things coming, like the Women World Cup this summer and the bigger and better NWSL.

On November 5th bids went in for expansion teams in the NWSL and rumors are swirling that the entry fee will be upwards of? $50 million. What if Chicago sells for less? How do you identify the worth of Portland when they are connected to the men’s team? Is it a pyramid scheme? Where does the bid money go? The earlier you get in the more money you will get? These are the questions swirling around the women’s league currently.?

The new commissioner Jessica Berman has said that thanks to new expansion clubs like San Diego Wave FC and Angel city FC ticket revenue has increased 125% from 2021. That’s not the only thing growing, viewership rose 29% YoY on Paramount+ and the sponsorship revenue soared to almost 90%. This proves that the buy in amounts have business validity to them.

Even in the midst of the controversy of the Yates report there has been no limit to bidders. @SportsPro Media stated there are 82 bidders in the mix but that only? 5-10 are realistic. Berman has stated that the league is only looking to expand from 12 to 14 teams and one of the two spots is most likely already taken by the Utah Royals. Earlier this year when David Blitzer and Ryan Smith bought the MLS team Real Salt Lake and in?their deal it included an NWSL expansion team. That leaves one more coveted spot. But who will get it?

It’s not just in the US that women’s soccer has people talking. Amidst the break in La Liga, both Valencia CF and Athletic Bilbao took the opportunity to open their main stadium for their Femenino teams’ derbies against Levante and Real Sociedad, respectively.

Interestingly, the two clubs took different strategies from a ticketing perspective. Athletic followed the precedent set by Barcelona Femeni last year , offering tickets to their men’s teams?season ticket holders for free, whilst selling the remainder of the tickets sold for 10€ for adults and 5€ for children. Valencia CF chose a different strategy by charging their men’s teams season ticket holders between 7€ - 12€ and other patrons between 14€ - 24€. Unsurprisingly, this saw 23k people at San Mames (Athletic Bilbao) and just under 8k at Mestalla (Valencia CF).?

FIFA recently released the second benchmarking report of Women’s Elite Football . Demonstrating that commercial revenue, on average, represents the largest portion of revenue for women’s teams. Yet, by Valencia CF charging relatively high prices and not allowing their men’s teams season ticket holders complimentary access, they missed the opportunity to build a large CRM to (1) target in the future and (2) market to potential commercial partners, sabotaging the impact this event could have had on future commercial revenue. There is also the potential to sell in stadium concessions and women’s teams apparel.

Not to mention the fan experience that happens when teams play in major stadiums and fans have an opportunity to get closer to the action. I believe this is an important strategic lesson for clubs considering opening their men's stadium to the women’s team.?

There are two contrary ideas here and I’ve explored both with many people around the game. Do we still need to be giving women’s tickets away or is the amazing spectacle on the field enough to bring fans to the stadium? Some say that by “giving’ tickets away you are not putting a value on the women’s team. But I would argue that allowing fans of a club to use their season tickets to enter both the men’s and women’s games is a positive thing. This allows clubs to have a one club mentality and show that the jersey is the same, it just comes in different sizes.?

What do you think is the right strategy? Should clubs give complimentary access to their men’s season ticket holders or should every ticket be bought to watch women’s football? Please share your responses and let’s keep Propelling Women’s Football Forward!

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THE LATEST

NWSL: Onwards and upwards

SOURCE: MEG OLIPHANT/GETTY IMAGES

The GIST: A new NWSL champion will be crowned tomorrow, but the league is celebrating some important wins today. This week, commissioner Jessica Berman revealed in an interview that the NWSL earned multiple business victories during a year of record-high engagement with women’s sports.

The numbers: Berman said ticket revenue increased 125% from 2021, fueled by the arrival of popular expansion clubs San Diego Wave FC and Angel City FC. Regular season viewership on Paramount+ grew 29% YoY, while sponsorship revenue jumped nearly 90%.

• Sponsorship inventory still remains available for clubs across the league, so attendance growth is particularly important. For example, championship contenders Kansas City Current attributes 35% of its revenue to ticket sales.

The next phase: And now, the expansion race is ready to kick into high gear. The deadline for interested parties to submit entries is a week from today, and Berman expects five to 10 “meaningful bids.” Two new teams are expected to begin play in 2024, with the winners announced early next year.

• The list of possible expansion markets is lengthy. Utah is the favorite to land one of the berths , while nine other cities are reportedly in the mix. A record expansion fee is expected — it could rise as high as $50 million. Let the games begin.

Zooming out: This season served as a turning point for the NWSL, especially in the wake of the Yates report on league-wide abuse. Berman said no sponsors or expansion candidates walked away after its release, demonstrating their desire to score business wins and contribute to meaningful growth by building a new culture of player support .

• The league’s ability to rid itself of bad actors and structures will be mandatory for lasting success. All eyes are on the incoming findings of the NWSL and Players Association’s joint investigation, which will hopefully precede corrective action.