- Women’s World Cup boost
- WSL growing and competitive
- Calendar challenges for players
On Sunday, up to 95 players who traveled to Australia and New Zealand to compete in the Women’s World Cup will begin the new season of the Women’s Super League with the hope of bringing you along.
The World Cup was an unprecedented opportunity for the world’s leagues and their athletes to attract attention. It became the first Women’s World Cup to break even, generating $570m (£465m) in revenue thanks to the attendance of 1,978,274 fans and record-breaking viewing figures, which included a combined 13.3m in the UK watching the final.
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But it was the stories of the teams and players that stole the show as much as the football did, not least Spain’s canter to a first major trophy despite their dispute with the federation and manager Jorge Vilda, that would be so brutally exposed in the aftermath of their historic victory. Where else besides Spain can these champions be observed on and off the pitch? Laia Codina and Irene Guerrero joined Arsenal and Manchester United respectively this summer, making the WSL the third league to feature any of Spain’s World Cup victors, after Spain (obviously) and Mexico, where Jenni Hermoso plays as a forward.
Twenty of the 23 Lionesses who reached their first World Cup final, losing to Spain 2-1, compete in the WSL. Kyra Cooney-Cross has joined Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley at Arsenal, bringing the total number of Australian semi-finalists in England to 11. This season, three of the tournament’s top five goal-scorers, including Golden Boot victor Hinata Miyazawa, who joined Manchester United, will be playing here.
The WSL is the league where athletes want to be. Why? Because it is one of the most rapidly developing leagues in the world, with investments flooding in and increasingly professional and secure environments available.
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Bristol City will welcome Leicester at Ashton Gate, Aston Villa will host Manchester United at Villa Park, Chelsea will play Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, and Liverpool will play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Last season, the Gunners led the way, playing Tottenham in front of a WSL record audience of 47,367, Manchester United in front of 40,604, and a Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000. They have sold over 53,000 tickets for their curtain-raiser.
The WSL offers accessible football, giving fans the opportunity to enter the main stadiums and giving die-hard club supporters another outlet for their fervor.
The product is also the best it has ever been, thanks to investments that allow players to concentrate on their performance on the pitch rather than their future or how to supplement their income. Also, be tolerant with them. Players have not trained for three games per week and elite football from five to eight like most men. This sport is still developing.
Alessia Russo, Lotte Wubben-Moy, and Codina, the World Cup finalists for Arsenal, had only 17 days between the final and their first Champions League qualifying match.
There were 18 days between the Australian trio’s participation in the third-place match and their meeting with Swedish side Linkoping. An international break for the first Women’s Nations League began less than a week before the WSL season, interrupting pre-seasons for all World Cup competitors. The brutality of the calendar has taken its toll.
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the Lionesses will defend their European Championship in 2025. This will be the fifth main competition in the past five years. When you observe players gasping for air on the first day of the season or going down injured after one minute too many, or when you wonder where long-term injured Vivianne Miedema, Leah Williamson, or recently injured Emma Watson are, it is important to comprehend this context.
The spectacle will continue, and football will continue to amaze. Arsenal will be hoping to deny Chelsea the title after failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage, Manchester United too will be wanting to go one step further after finishing second last season, Aston Villa hoping their additions will help them break into the top four, Manchester City seeking consistency with a settled squad, and newly promoted Bristol City playing as if they have nothing to lose.
If you’re searching for a new sporting thrill, buckle up and join the ride; you won’t regret it.
