“Game changer” is such an abused phrase, it has little currency left. Like bitcoin it is long on hype and short on delivery. But sometimes we see change happen and realise we are in the thick of it. That’s how it felt to me , a 60 year old man, on the balcony of the National Gallery, taking this photo.
There’s still some corporatism in the photo, notice those “Home” flags, have Nike logos. But this crowd, who assembled at a few hours notice were not paying to get to see the Lionesses. This was as pure an expression of relaxed joy as I can remember, brilliantly put on by The Mayor of London and the London Assembly, free to fans prepared to queue up to get in. I reckon there were as many outside as in the fan zone.
Raucous but not reckless, this wasn’t about alcohol and diving into the fountains. Instead we had the players explaining how they felt, what they wanted and expressing their gratitude to the fans and to the backroom staff who had supported them through the tournament. In return the fans gave them their voices in roars of approval and sweet singing of Sweet Caroline, Coming Home and joining with Rachel Daly in “River Deep, Mountain High”. It was quite different from any Trafalgar Square event I have witnessed, indeed it seemed the game had changed.
What’s still to change?
A lot needs to change too. More girls playing football at school: money security (like what is a typical player’s contract?). Money again (why were the qualifying games played where they were ? ) Lots more. But terrific final and great England team.
— andrew young (@glesgabrighton) July 31, 2022
We wait to see if the dynamics of football finance will change but the signs are good.
Research from Ipsos suggested that in the wake of the tournament 44 per cent of British people are now more interested in watching women’s football in the future. That figure rises to 64 per cent for self-identified football fans.
What we do not need is for women’s football to exploit its fans in the way men’s football has. Right now you can stand and watch a Woman’s Professional game for less than a tenner. A friend of mine has tickets for (women’s) Arsenal v Tottenham for a senior, adult and two children and has shelled out less than £30. This is how football used to be priced – before hooliganism and then corporatism turned the men’s game into what it has become.
What needs to happen , is that money from the men’s game is diverted into the women’s game at all levels. We don’t need woman’s football to be an “elite product”, we want it to be what it is today – fun. That said, we want our top women to be rewarded properly – right now that isn’t happening.
According to BBC analysis, the average Women’s Super League player earns £47,000 a year, compared to the average £8.2m of a Premier League male player.
That’s based on available published results from seven of the 12 teams in the women’s league for the salary bill for players and associated staff including managers, and data published by Deloitte relating to nine of the 20 men’s team.
These huge (male) wages have seen players become isolated by their own riches, the targets of everyone from thieves to online thuggery. The standards of behavior they show on the pitch are appalling, not so much role models as “roll models” as mock agony is used to solicit penalties and get other players carded.
What we saw from our players in this tournament, made us proud not just of their results, but of their conduct. Giving women multi-million pound contracts is not the answer. Giving these women (and their manager) popular recognition, as happened yesterday, is the answer. The woman’s game should be allowed to grow at its own pace and not be flooded with cash from media rights.
The amount of money clubs bring in is the key factor in governing how much they can pay players.
Take the example of Manchester City. The men’s team is current Premier League Champions and reported £571m in turnover for the 2020-21 season.
The club spent 62% of that revenue on players’ wages, according to Deloitte, which works out as £354m. With a squad of 30, that equals an average £11.8m per player.
Compare that to Manchester City’s Women’s Super League team. Its accounts reveal £2.9m in turnover for 2020-21 while its wage bill is reported at £3.3m. That works out across its 44-strong squad and staff as an average of around £75,000 per player per year.
No one is going to begrudge women more pay, better contracts and most of all the opportunity to play football at school and in their own leagues.
But it’s worrying when the FT reports
“There’s nothing but upside here,” said Tim Crow, a consultant who advises on sponsorship and broadcast deals. “It could and probably will be a breakthrough moment. You’ve got a unique set of circumstances here and the numbers speak for themselves. We’ve gone from very small numbers of people to giant numbers of people engaging with this team.”
I can see potential downside. Simply replicating what has happened in the men’s game is not going to keep the magic that we have seen over the past few weeks. Broadcasting and sponsorship deals could kill the golden goose.
And isolating a group of elite woman on million pound contacts could mean that events like Sunday’s and yesterday’s will be lost to sponsors and TV companies who will strangle such spontaneity.
Restraint and responsible planning are needed. Conversations with the money men need to come after a strategic plan is agreed, otherwise we will end up with an inverted pyramid with little supporting the elite clubs and players – and the national team.
An example of what we want and need!
Football , at the grass roots can create a strong base for what goes on above. In the woman’s game, the grass roots and the professional game still have much in common. But the trickle down in the men’s game – is pretty feable. Clubs like min (Yeovil Town) struggle.
The women can show us how to keep the game grounded in the experience of ordinary people, that will change the game of football for all. The men’s game could learn from that.
Talking of grounded – here’s a happy conclusion to this blog!
I’m really proud of my youngest brother Albert, for organising a day at Addlestone when anybody who wanted to find out about lawn bowls could do so.
Watch the video to see how sport can bring everyone together without money being the key driver.
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