A week of tube lines, sell outs and the ‘Taylor Effect’

It’s been quite the week for women’s sport with new viewership records, landmark deals, and the power of pop culture transforming female sports fandom.

This weekend marked the first time the Emirates hosted a sold out women’s football game. The stadium is the home of the Arsenal men’s team, but on Saturday it was home to more history for the women’s game.

A new WSL attendance record of 60,160 was reported for the anticipated clash between Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal came out on top with a ruthless 3-1 victory, boosting their chances in the title race alongside the league’s top two, Cheslea and Manchester City.

The WSL is also hoping for a new rights deal which would see all 132 matches broadcasted live next season. Currently, only 35 matches are shown on Sky and 22 on the BBC, with the rest available to stream on the FA’s website.

In a new deal worth between £15m and £20m, broadcasters such as Sky, the BBC, TNT Sport and DAZN are all thought to be interested, providing greater access to women’s football on our television screens.  

Likewise, another groundbreaking deal was announced last week between the Netball Super League (NSL) and major broadcasters, Sky Sports and the BBC. Saturday saw the return of the NSL and for the first time ever, fans can now watch matches live throughout the season.

The new deal is a milestone for the sport, showcasing the game to a new and exciting audience, supporting netballs journey towards professionalisation.  

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All aboard the Lioness line.

To mark their triumphant success, Transport for London have honoured the Lionesses by naming a new Overground line after them.

The line will run from Euston to Watford Junction, and through Wembley – home to where the girls became European Championships. The new name was given to commemorate the remarkable achievements of the England women’s national football team over the recent years.

This 'Lioness Effect' has also been celebrated this week, following new data published by the BBC. The findings show that the number of women’s and girl’s football teams in England has doubled in the past seven years.

The surge of registered women’s teams saw its biggest increase during 2022-23, the season that followed the Lionesses momentous victory at the Euros – with nearly 1,500 new teams registering.

There is now a total of 12,150 women’s and girl’s teams registered in England, an incredible jump from the 5,632 recorded in the 2016-17 season.

The growing success of women’s sport has also been reflected in figures released by the Women’s Sport Trust. They revealed a record breaking 46.7 million viewers in the UK tuned in to watch women’s sport last year, with last summer’s World Cup final between England and Spain driving the rise in viewership.

The nail-biting match was 2023’s most watched women’s sport event on TV, with 38.4 million viewing hours.

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Finally, the unforeseen influence of pop sensation, Taylor Swift, on female sports fandom could not go unmentioned.

The National Football League (NFL) has always been a male dominated competition, but recently the sport is welcoming a whole new global audience all through the help of one person - Miss Taylor Swift.

Ever since the love story between Taylor and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the NFL’s viewership has sky rocketed. According to data from Nielsen, the number of girls aged 12-17 watching the NFL has increased by 53% and this spike is due to Swift’s incredible influence.

She has created a buzz.

This month’s 58th instalment of the Super Bowl witnessed the so-called ‘Taylor Effect’ in action.

The iconic game attracted nearly 4 million women aged between 18 to 24, 24% more than last year’s figures. Also showing up were girls aged 12-17, with an 11% increase of viewers in this age group compared to 2023.

Data from Sportico also revealed that women accounted for 47.5% of the total Super Bowl audience, narrowing the gap again between male and female viewers.

However this buzz hasn’t come without unwanted noise. Many NFL fans have criticised and expressed their frustration towards Swift’s impact on the sport, claiming she is ruining football.

But how can you slam Swift’s presence at these matches when she is influencing people to tune in and talk about the sport? She is providing an entry way for non-traditional fans.

We need to move away from the outdated opinion that there is a rule book people must follow to be considered a ‘fan’ – sport is for anyone and everyone.

Swift is boosting ratings and more importantly, drawing in a new wave of female sports fans.

She is a marketer’s dream - that’s the simple power of pop culture.