Nine in ten UK fans want dedicated TV slot for women's soccer ...

A survey from the Football Supporters Association (FSA) has found that 90.7 per cent of fans want a dedicated television slot for women’s soccer.

Confirmed: 79.7 per cent of fans believe broadcasters have too much influence over kick-off times for women’s soccer games Nine per cent of supporters said they were unaware of the creation of NewCo, the company tasked with overseeing the Women’s Super League (WSL) and WSL Championship The FSA found that 61.4 per cent of fans are concerned about the potential for power to be concentrated among the top WSL teams On the idea of whether women’s teams should be independent from their male equivalent, 36.1 per cent of fans were in favour, while 36.7 per cent of fans were opposed 84.1 per cent of fans believe more money should be redistributed from the men’s game to support the growth of women’s soccer Context:

The idea of carving out a dedicated broadcast slot for women’s soccer on Saturday afternoons was borne out of a review led by former England international Karen Carney. Despite the UK government lending its own support for the recommendation, plans to lift the 3pm Saturday blackout for WSL matches reportedly face strong opposition from other English soccer leagues such as the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL).

The FSA’s survey, which polled 3,474 fans, found that only 31.6 per cent of supporters believe there is sufficient coverage of women’s soccer in mainstream national media/television. While 63 per cent of respondents reported that they were watching more women’s soccer than before, 53 per cent believe they are being priced out and are missing out on live WSL games shown behind Sky Sports’ paywall, up from 45.3 per cent from the same poll done in 2022.

The poll also revealed that 16.6 per cent of fans only supported their favourite women’s team, while 19.7 per cent said they didn’t follow the men’s game, an increase from the 12.6 per cent recorded during the FSA’s previous survey. 71.6 per cent of fans also said their club does a good job to attract fans to games, while travel costs and distance was cited as the greatest barrier to attendance.

As for what NewCo should prioritise, 85.1 per cent of fans want clubs to be run sustainably, while 81.2 per cent support the need for revenue sharing from the WSL downwards to the third-tier National League. 76.2 per cent of respondents also called for Championship teams to have an equal say in decision-making alongside WSL outfits.

Comment:

“Our survey results provide us with a vital insight into the views of fans, and we will use the findings to support our work in advocating for supporters across all levels of the women’s game as we work with NewCo, the FA, government and other stakeholders in the game, to ensure their views are heard,” said Deborah Dilworth, the FSA’s head of women’s football.

Coming next:

Speaking at SportsPro Live last month, Nikki Doucet, the chief executive of NewCo, cited her pillars for unlocking greater commercial growth for women’s soccer going forward, such as through marketing the game differently and creating equitable opportunities.

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