WSL Football Limited (WSLF) have announced an £8.2 million operating loss in its inaugural year, on the back of £17.4m revenues.
The WSLF which oversees the top two tiers in English women’s football was set up in 2024 to drive growth in the women’s game and provide its own dedicated governance structure.
The first set of financial results have been published on Companies House for the year ending July 31st, 2025.
WSL Football announces operating loss
WSL Football announced an operating loss of £8.2m but said that this was “fully anticipated”.
The figures revealed that £9.41m was paid to member clubs last year.
A WSLF statement said: :”Before we formed, club distributions were supported by additional funding grants for Barclays WSL2, which is no longer the case, and we did not want that to decrease.
“The result is an operating loss of £8.2m, which was fully anticipated as an early-stage organisation committed to protecting and supporting as many clubs as possible during this growth stage.
“Our commitment to our member clubs means that currently, we are distributing as much to Barclays WSL2 clubs as we are to Barclays WSL clubs, providing everyone with the opportunity to grow.”
Revenue for last year was £17.4m, which was made up by £8.4m in broadcasting, £8.5m in sponsorship and licensing and £128,000, which incorporated ticket sales for the League Cup.
The WSLF said that it was not included in the financial report that they have tripled their revenue since taking over. It was also added that increased rights fees from Barclays, Sky Sports and BBC, as well as new deals with Nike, British Gas, Apple and Mercedes-Benz UK will be included in the 2025-26 accounts.
Nikki Doucet, CEO of WSL Football said: “We are at the beginning of a long‑term growth journey, underpinned by a clear strategic vision and increased commercial platform.
“What we have achieved in a short space of time is remarkable and our prospects for the future are positive. We have established our foundation, and we are committed to continued investment into the game and our member clubs.”
WSL expects increased revenues this season
Revenue numbers are expected to grow for the 2025-26 season, with current figures not including the WSL’s improved broadcast rights deal with BBC and Sky Sports.
Sky Sports signed a record deal, allowing them to broadcast 118 matches this season, three times more than the previous contract allowed.
The Athletic report that broadcasting revenue is set to rise from £8.4m to £13m this season. WSL title sponsor Barclays also signed a £15m-a-year deal back in September 2024
Sky Sports could broadcast 50 more games with the WSL’s expansion to 14 teams next season, meaning those numbers could improve further in the future.
