Women’s Super League Football (WSL Football), the organisation that oversees the top two tiers of women's soccer in England, has revealed an operating loss of £8.2 million ($11.3 million) in its first set of financial results.
The company has published accounts relating to its first year as a standalone organisation – covering the season ending 31 July 2025.
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WSL Football explained that the loss “was fully anticipated as an early-stage organisation committed to protecting and supporting as many clubs as possible during this growth stage.”
The reported loss came off revenue of £17.4 million, but the body stated that this was “anticipated for a new entity focused on protecting and supporting as many clubs as possible.”
The independent company, which is owned by clubs, was set up in August 2024 and controls the top-flight Women's Super League and second-tier Women's Championship.
Of its revenue, £8.4 million came from broadcasting, £8.5 million from sponsorship and licensing, and £128,000 from other income including League Cup ticket sales.
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By GlobalDataWhile not reflected in this year's financial statements, WSL Football claims it has tripled its revenue since taking over and expects to see a significant revenue uplift in this year’s accounts thanks to several major commercial and broadcast deals.
WSL Football stated that “increased rights fees from Barclays, Sky Sports and the BBC plus new deals with Nike, British Gas, Apple and Mercedes Benz-UK will be reflected in the 2025-26 accounts.”
Nikki Doucet, CEO of WSL Football, added: “We are at the beginning of a long‑term growth journey, underpinned by a clear strategic vision and increased commercial platform.
“What we have achieved in a short space of time is remarkable and our prospects for the future are positive.
“We have established our foundation, and we are committed to continued investment into the game and our member clubs.”
Doucet was named as chief executive when the club-owned organization was formed in 2023 and assumed control of the leagues from the Football Association (FA).
WSL Football has responsibility for the 12-team WSL and WSL 2 and is fully operationally independent of the FA (although the body does retain a special share in the organization, giving it rights to a portion of eventual revenue).
The entity is supported by the men’s top-tier Premier League, through a cooperation and funding deal that includes an interest-free loan of £20 million.
The new governance structure comprises an independent board, with the clubs serving as shareholders, akin to the Premier League model. The FA also has a seat on the board, as does the Premier League, for the duration of the loan term.
As well as Doucet, the WSL Football senior leadership team, an all-female group, includes chair Dawn Airey, chief operating officer Holly Murdoch, chief revenue officer Zarah Al Kudcy and chief marketing officer Ruth Hooper.
Read: WSL enters new era as nascent governance takes shape
