An innovative new initiative designed to maximise the sponsorship value of women’s football has attracted the partnership of a dozen elite English and Scottish teams, including Fulham F.C., Reading F.C., and Burnley F.C.
The Women’s Football Collab, launched by global sponsorship and media insights platform Relo Metrics, aims to capitalise on investment in women’s football following the Lionesses’ EURO 2022 triumph, using real-time insights from social media.
Twelve clubs from the Women’s Super League, Scottish Women’s Premier League, Women’s Championship and National League have already signed onto the free collaboration, which gives each participating team access to a full season of social media sponsorship analytics from Relo Metrics, along with a series of curated workshops and in-person events designed to promote greater cooperation amongst all the teams.
“England’s victory at the EUROs last summer was a watershed moment for women’s football – but the challenge now is to keep that momentum going in a way that reaps tangible value for players and the grassroots community. We believe that the value to engaged viewers and sponsors is growing quickly, and we are excited to help tell that story with measurement” says Maya Herm, Customer Success Manager, EMEA at Relo Metrics.
“While visibility has increased, our research shows most women’s teams still don’t have access to their own bespoke data sets. The value of sponsorships is either not measured at all, or it’s bundled wholesale with data from men’s teams. This means there’s a continued risk of undervaluing women’s football, with players missing out on lucrative deals – a reality that we’re determined to change.”
Over 17 million viewers tuned in to watch England beat Germany in last year’s Euros final, making it the most-watched women’s football game in UK TV history. The landmark win was credited with casting a long-overdue spotlight on the sport, inspiring a new generation of young girls alongside high-profile brand endorsement and sponsorship deals.
Yet this progress is just the tip of the iceberg for women’s football, which – like all women’s sports – must overcome a long list of inequalities, including continued underfunding, underpayment, and a lack of media visibility.
“The Women’s Football Collab is designed to build on the legacy set by the Lionesses in a smart and sustainable way,” explains Jay Prasad, CEO at Relo Metrics. “To grow women’s football, we need to measure and demonstrate the value of sponsorships in real time. Our AI-powered social media tech enables each team in the collaboration to own the power of their data, which is key to turbocharging sponsorship value for teams and brands alike. We’re helping teams to zero in on evidence of their worth.
“It’s not just about data, though,” Jay continues. “Our platform is designed to foster the collective spirit of women’s football, to ensure we are all benefiting from it. We’re creating space for regular network events between competing teams, to discuss new ideas for making money and creating value for female players in a broader context.”
Topics that the Women’s Football Collab discuss will include how to optimise social strategy to amplify brand exposure, via powerful moments of behind-scene storytelling and player engagement. This, along with customised data findings, will help to generate more visibility and commercial revenue for the sport, in a way that positively impacts the wider grassroots community.
“The real roar of women’s football comes in our ability to translate our successes on the international stage to schools and clubs across the UK,” says Tim Griffith, Head of Strategy & Insights at Fulham F.C. “By creating the Women’s Football Collab, Relo Metrics is helping to drive a conversation around the true value of women’s football. The more investment we can attract from sponsors and rights holders, the bigger the opportunities will be for generations of girls to come and the future of women’s football.”