The transfer of ownership for the top two tiers of women’s soccer in England, taking them out of the hands of the Football Association (FA), has now been completed.
The newly-created Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) organization – with that name unveiled today – has now taken responsibility for the 12-team Women’s Super League (WSL) as well as for the second-tier Women’s Championship, from the FA.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Each club active in the two leagues will become a shareholder in WPLL, which was created under the guise of NewCo last November and is now fully operationally independent of the FA (although that body does retain a special share in the organization, giving it rights to a portion of eventual revenue).
Nikki Doucet – a former senior executive at sportswear giant NIKE – was installed as chief executive when NewCo was launched.
WPLL will be supported by the men’s top-tier Premier League, through a cooperation and funding deal that includes an interest-free loan of £20 million ($25.7 million).
A WPLL statement has said the Premier League will also offer “extensive support and knowledge-sharing in a wide range of areas, including broadcasting, commercial and football operations.”
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThe WPLL senior leadership team, an all-female group, has now also been unveiled, with Dawn Airey (a UK broadcast industry veteran) as chair, Holly Murdoch as chief operating officer, Ruth Hooper as interim chief marketing officer, Mirelle Van Rijbroek as chief football officer, and Zarah Al Kudcy (a hiring reported in June) as chief revenue officer.
The FA and Premier League both have a seat on the WPLL board at present, although the Premier League’s presence will only last until the £20 million loan is eventually repaid. Airey is also on the board, as are three independent, non-executive directors – Sean Cornwell, Maria Raga Frances, and Malcolm Kpedekpo.
As for the name, Women’s Professional Leagues Limited will not be so-called for too long, the body has said, with a change to “take place in the near future.”
The FA ran the 12-team WSL since the league first launched 13 years ago, but a takeover had been in the works for some time now – the FA unveiled in 2018 that it did not want to run the WSL as a long-term commitment and that it would welcome proposals as to the creation of an alternative governance structure. It had run the Women’s Championship since 2014.
Now that it has full operational control, WPLL can make changes to such elements as the structure of the two leagues, the on and off-field rules, and the technology involved.
English women’s soccer has boomed in terms of in-stadia attendance, broadcast viewership, and commercial success in recent years. The national team won the European Championship on home soil in 2021 and reached the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year, while its club sides are now becoming more competitive in the pan-continental UEFA Women's Champions League.
The WSL's title sponsor, in a deal running through 2025, is UK bank Barclays.
Its domestic broadcast partners, meanwhile, are the public-service BBC and pay-TV heavyweight Sky Sports – one key component of WPLL’s initial work will be to sort out new deals past 2024-25, at which point the BBC and Sky tie-ups expire. Youtube will also cover games this coming campaign.
Doucet said: “The next successful era of the women’s professional game will be built on the foundations of collaboration, and we are excited to work together with all stakeholders to drive transformational and sustainable growth across our leagues by leveraging the distinctive qualities, values, and principles which exist in the women’s game.”
Airey, who has chaired the women’s professional leagues section of the FA since 2019, added: “We are excited to harness the full potential of women’s football. We know that with a unified vision and collaborative effort, we can shape an exhilarating future for women’s football, inspiring and delighting both the current and next generation of players and fans.”
WPLL has set out the following principles as ones that “define the new company’s identity and operations” – a dedication to the women’s game, building the foundation for growth, developing a progressive company culture, and collaborating with stakeholders.
The 2024-25 WSL will kick off on September 20 and come to a close in mid-May.
