English women's clubs receive $25m loan from Premier League

As part of an agreement to hasten the commercial growth of elite women’s soccer, the Premier League will invest $25.2 million into the sport.

During a meeting on February 7, clubs from the top two levels of English women’s soccer authorized the funding. They also discussed a comparable debt plan in line with the Football Association (FA).

Starting from the 2024-25 season, a new independent company called “NewCo” will oversee the WSL and the Championship. In addition, the Premier League has agreed to lend them $126 million without interest.

It won’t be repayable until yearly income hits $126 million. As NewCo launches, Sky Sports reports that they will allocate the funds to various purposes. NewCo will now oversee the English women’s professional soccer leagues, the WSL, and the Championship.

The FA has been in charge of it ever since those leagues adopted their present structure in 2010. They founded the Premier League independently at the beginning of the 1992-93 season to maximize revenue.

Why are the Premier League giving English women’s clubs money?

The Premier League’s clubs would “have a seat on the board and provide a whole bunch of services to the game,” according to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters. He also recently spoke before a select committee on the loan and other league-related matters, such as how to financially promote the WSL.

“It still has to be approved by the WSL board, but I hope that is the start of a relationship and the men’s game can help the women’s game in a whole raft of different area”, he said.

There seemed to be some uncertainty about the new business structure for English domestic women’s soccer. In November, most of the Championship teams decided against the planned finance and leadership structure.

They then quickly reversed their course. There have been reports that second-tier teams are currently in a strong position to collect 25 percent of the commercial money from both divisions.

What did NewCo say about new TV deals?

The upcoming domestic television rights negotiations for the WSL have also captured the public’s interest. At the conclusion of this season, the top flight’s present agreement with Sky Sports and the BBC will expire.

Various reports suggest that the deals are worth $10.1 million each season. According to NewCo chief executive Nikki Doucet, the league has joined the market in its pursuit of a new contract.

“Reach and revenue is the thing that we’re trying to figure out. I think, more than anything, it should just be as easy as possible for fans to be able to watch the league or the team or the player that they want to watch. How we can do that is what we’re exploring.”

Despite the British government identifying removing Article 48 as ‘one feasible alternative’ for the women’s game, English clubs are allegedly opposed to the concept. Nevertheless, Doucet thinks that the regulation itself poses the greatest obstacle, not other soccer leagues in the UK.

“The barrier is Article 48, which encompasses all of football,” she said. “That’s the barrier and how everything is governed in this market at the moment.

“We’re exploring. The Karen Carney review said women’s football needs to figure out its own point of view. So we’re exploring what that looks like. We’re trying to explore every possible opportunity and figure out what the market’s willing to do.

“We’re looking at every possibility, understanding that we’re part of a whole football ecosystem.”

Photo credits: IMAGO / PA Images : IMAGO / PA Images