Lionesses set to make millions from Euro success

England’s Lionesses united the nation in their attack on Sunday’s Euro 2022 final.

But will it be another defining moment for women’s football?

When US defender Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty at the 1999 World Cup, she netted an estimated Nike sponsorship deal worth $2 million.

England’s players could get similarly generous sponsorship deals, experts say.

England top earner Lucy Bronze earns an estimated £200,000 a year from club football and has signed endorsement deals with brands including Pepsi, EE and Visa.

England captain Leah Williamson has recently signed a deal with Italian fashion house Gucci, in addition to existing deals with Pepsi and Nike.

This should be just the start for the England stars, who are embracing the example of Norway’s Ada Hegerberg: Ada recently landed a £1million deal with Nike.

But if you look at the example of the rapid sales of the M&S pantsuit that England head coach Sarina Wiegman wears to every game, the odds are huge.

Sales of the £80 blazer and trousers combo from one of the Lionesses’ sponsors are up 140 per cent, a taste of the rising interest and potential in women’s sport.

Euro 2022 marked the first time that sponsorship was only offered for the women’s tournament, rather than being bundled with the men’s tournament as in the past. Analysts at Neilsen Sports believe the decision was financially wise.

Attracting big names like Visa, Heineken, Lego and Pepsi has helped promote organizer Uefa’s revenue by £25m-33m a year, they say.

Other tournament sponsors include Booking.com, Euronics, Grifols, Hisense, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Volkswagen, Adidas, Hublot, Nike, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pandora, Starling Bank and Gillette Venus.

“We are now seeing the results of the FA and UEFA who have been investing in and supporting women’s football for a number of years and that is producing very strong results,” said Lynsey Douglas, Global Lead, Women’s Sports at Neilsen.

This money should help women’s grassroots football, but also help raise the profile of other women’s sports.

Women’s rugby and cricket, for example, will come into the limelight with the start of the Commonwealth Games this weekend and offer other exciting sponsorship opportunities for brands.

An increasing number of television viewers has helped improve the Lionesses’ marketability.

The nine million who watched England’s dramatic quarter-final win over Spain on television and streamed it was a British record for women’s football.

That was surpassed by Tuesday’s semi-final win, which drew 11 million viewers – with Sunday’s final set to break records again.

“Viewership usually determines the size of sponsorship and endorsement deals, so this tournament will be a catalyst for a business revolution in women’s football,” said marketer Andrew Bloch, who has worked with the likes of Nike, Pepsi, Puma, Adidas and others EA games.

As the Lionesses become household names, their marketing value will skyrocket, said Lisa Parfitt, co-founder of sports marketing agency The Space Between.

But women’s sport may prove more attractive than men’s sport, she said.

“The Lionesses have provided the perfect showcase for brands looking for potential sponsorships in their marketing campaigns,” she said.

It’s more affordable than male sponsorships, but the value is different, she stressed. “Women’s football has tremendous reach, but women’s sports fans are more likely to support a brand’s sponsors and are more likely to buy those brands’ products.”

In short, she believes that sponsoring women’s sports can offer much better value.

Data from Neilsen Fan Insights backs this up by showing that women’s football fans are more gender balanced and younger than men’s football fans, an attractive combination for brands.

“There’s been a lot of talk about turning points for women’s sport over the years, but there’s no doubt we’re really witnessing one at the moment,” said Annie Panter, who played at London 2012, Team GB’s medal-winning ice hockey team, but is now Managing Director of sports marketing agency Two Circles.

She said much of the past sponsorship in women’s football came from companies wanting to be seen as doing the right thing to meet corporate social responsibility goals.

The Lionesses’ success means that “women’s football now represents a powerful, targeted sponsorship platform that generates real commercial returns for a brand.”

Oral cosmetics company SmileTime chief marketing officer Natalie Quail said the success helped persuade brands like hers to work with female soccer stars.

“We’re now actively interested in sponsoring the sport because we’re ultimately seeing an emerging interest there, which is trending with our mostly female client base,” she said.

She predicted that fast-growing e-commerce brands like Gymshark, Pretty Little Thing and ASOS will “try the same thing”.

“More and more brands – at least the savvy ones – are recognizing the commercial value of women’s football,” said Eric Fulwiler, managing director of marketing consultancy Rival.

“It’s undervalued compared to men’s football and the Lionesses’ current success will help close the commercial gap with men.”

Alessia Russo’s back-heel against Sweden was one of the finest goals ever seen in a major tournament and helped women’s sport finally get recognition for the quality of its performance.

But the inequality between male and female incomes still has a long way to go.

It has been reported that the Lionesses will receive a bonus of £55,000 per player if they win the tournament.

That £1.3million to the squad would be much lower than the £5million bonus England’s men were reported to have received if they had won last summer’s Euros.

“One thing is certain, Sunday is far from over. Then the work begins,” says Lisa Parfitt.

“To really capitalize on the legacy of this competition from a commercial investment perspective, we need to ensure that we bring crowds to domestic leagues such as the WSL and the UEFA Women’s Champions League to create sustainable fanbase growth,” said Annie Panter.