Europe is investing in women’s sport like never before as investors are increasingly recognising the industry’s value. This article outlines some of the new key investment schemes into women’s sport (particularly football) being implemented by governments and sporting bodies across Europe. In particular, we highlight the UK Government’s Women’s Sport Investment Accelerator Scheme 2024-2025, UEFA’s Women’s Football Strategy 2024-2030, and investments being made in Denmark and Spain into women’s football. These strategies and schemes aim to enhance the infrastructure, professionalisation and commercial viability of women’s sport, thereby seeking to ensure sustained growth and development.

These developments continue the trend of rising investment in women’s sport seen over recent years. Research indicates that the women’s sport industry could be worth over £1 billion a year by 2030, with two-thirds of UK sports fans already following women's sports, and half having attended events featuring female athletes. 

Women’s Sport Investment Accelerator Scheme 2024-2025

On 23 October 2024, the UK government launched the 2024-2025 Women’s Sport Investment Accelerator scheme, an initiative designed to attract more private investment in women’s sport in the UK. The UK government has emphasised that the scheme will prioritise development, commercial growth and financial sustainability, and that sponsorship and investment are key to increasing visibility and inspiring young female athletes to ensure greater talent pathways are created and that they can develop careers in sport. 

Rightsholders of any UK-based women’s sports leagues, team, competition or event are entitled to apply for the scheme each year, and for the 2024-2025 cycle, 20 women’s sports rightsholders are set to benefit across nine different sports: football, cricket, rugby union, rugby league, tennis, golf, netball, volleyball and cycling. The UK government aims to drive investment by connecting these rightsholders with institutional investors. 

To enhance their attractiveness to potential institutional backers, Deloitte has been enlisted to provide expert-led seminars and market insights, helping teams refine their strategies and secure sustainable financial backing. Similar sessions will also be held for competition and events rightsholders, providing insights on how to grow broadcast revenues, unlock new audiences and best practice for working with investors. 

UEFA’s Women’s Football Strategy 2024 - 2030

Earlier this year UEFA launched ‘Unstoppable’, a six-year strategy towards a sustainable ecosystem for women’s football, designed to keep up momentum following record breaking attendances and increased visibility across the sport over recent years. For instance, in 2023, the Women's Champions League final drew 5.1 million viewers, marking a remarkable 96% increase compared to 2020. 

Key investment strategies of UEFA’s ‘Unstoppable’ include:

• Direct monetary investment: 
  • UEFA has pledged to invest EUR 1 billion (£830 million) in women’s football over the next six years, aiming to make it the most played team sport by women in Europe.
  • As part of its 1 billion EUR investment, UEFA is doubling its investment in women’s football development via the UEFA HatTrick programme to EUR 66 million for the 2024 – 28 cycle. The HatTrick programme redistributes more than half of the net revenue from the men’s UEFA European Championships to each of its member associations for reinvestment in long-term football development projects, and between 2024-2030, a greater proportion of those funds are going to the women’s game.
• Creation of a second women’s European club competition: 
  • UEFA will introduce a second-tier women’s club competition in order to provide clubs from lower-ranked leagues and regions with the opportunity to compete in Europe. It is intended to offer a higher level of competition for clubs that are not yet at the Women's Champions League level but still have the potential to succeed in European football.
• Greater investment into grassroot programmes:
  • UEFA will work to ensure universal access to football by:
    • supporting its national associations to conduct research and insights, retaining participants in grassroots programmes on the national level;
    • increasing the number of pitches available to girls and supporting national governments to provide greater access to football for girls in school; and 
    • the development of a programme to address access and infrastructure challenges in grassroots clubs, making them more inclusive and diverse. 
    • UEFA will also expand its existing pan-European grassroots programme, the UEFA Playmakers programme, to ensure accessibility to a wider audience.

• UEFA will further strive to create ‘football pathways’ for players, coaches and referees in all 55 national associations. For players, UEFA will launch a Europe-wide talent identification programme through the national associations to ensure that the best talent is supported. For coaches, UEFA will deliver coach recruitment platforms, events and other incentives to ensure clubs are offering coaching opportunities and internships. 

• Like coaches, the barriers for female referees are high (both in professional men’s and women’s football) and UEFA is working towards increasing the number of professional opportunities for referees. UEFA member associations are being encouraged to prepare for the next generation of referees through the implementation of key programmes, such as mentorship for aspiring referees and dedicated initiatives to identify top talent.

The FA’s 2024-2028 strategy for the women’s game: “Reaching Higher” 

On 30 October 2024, the Football Association (FA) unveiled its new Women’s and Girls’ Football Strategy, “Reaching Higher,” a comprehensive initiative targeting growth and sustainability across all levels of the women’s game. Central to the strategy is a commitment to investing in elite and grassroots football, fostering participation, and enhancing visibility. The FA has also emphasised the need to attract external funding, stating that the FA aims to encourage "significant investment" in women's football following the establishment of the Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) and £21 million investment from the Premier League between 2022-2025. 

The strategy also outlines ambitious goals, including doubling participation in schools by providing football opportunities for girls across 75% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools by 2028. This initiative, combined with new programmes targeting grassroots accessibility, demonstrates the FA’s holistic approach to ensuring that women’s football thrives both on and off the pitch.

Further strategic investment in women’s football across Europe

Denmark

The Danish government is similarly continuing to invest in its domestic women’s sports scene through the inauguration of the Danish Football Association strategy to develop girls and women’s football from 2022-2027. As part of this strategy, the government has set aside DKK 11 million (£1.2 million) for the implementation of the plan. The investment in women's football in Denmark focuses on the following key areas:

• Infrastructure and coaching: 
  • The investment aims to improve facilities, develop training programmes, and provide resources for local clubs and associations. A significant portion of the DKK 11 million will enhance coaching standards with new training specifically for women's football.
• Elite player development: 
  • The plan aims to enhance the talent pipeline at the elite level by improving scouting, development programs, and support systems, particularly for the national team. This includes access to top training and medical staff and expanding opportunities in Denmark's top leagues.
• Promotion and visibility: 
  • The Danish Football Association recognises the importance of visibility and media attention. Part of the funding will go towards marketing efforts to boost the profile of women's football in Denmark, including media coverage, sponsorships, and high-profile events showcasing female talent.

Spain 

Following its women’s football success in recent years, Spain has continued to invest in the women’s game on many levels.

• Strategic decisions
  • Over the past few years, the Spanish Football Association has made strategic decisions to ensure there is a clear career path for female professional footballers in Spain by (1) granting professional status to the top two tiers of Spanish women’s league football, and (2) establishing a national minimum salary for women playing in Spain’s top league.
• Generating revenue and reinvestment into grassroot programmes 
  • In efforts to increase the visibility of women’s football both domestically and internationally, in 2022, Spain’s football governing body, La Liga Nacional de Fútbol Professional, entered into an exclusive agreement with DAZN to broadcast every women’s football match in Spain for the 2022 – 2028 seasons. This partnership is expected to generate approximately EUR 42 million in revenue over its term, with the cash derived from lucrative broadcasting deals being reinvested into grassroots programmes.

Investment is also occurring across the pond, with the most recent development being Michele Kang’s historic investment of USD 30 million over five years into US soccer and women’s sport. With more attention and cash afforded to women’s sports than ever before, we will definitely be keeping an eye on these developments. Watch this space!