UK Law and Practice Contributed by: Alistair McHenry, Sofia Antipatis and Rebecca Dods, Tyr
Structural Investment and Participation The FA, Sport England, the ECB and UK Sport have driven development largely through: • youth and talent pathways – expanded coaching, performance structures and facilities for girls and women; • participation campaigns – initiatives like “This Girl Can” have helped break down barriers and normal - ise women’s involvement in sport; and • professionalism – enhanced standards in elite envi - ronments have improved access, resources and performance quality. Rising Public and Commercial Interest Visibility and competitive success have strengthened public engagement: • international achievements have boosted the profile of women’s football, cricket and rugby, sup - porting domestic talent pipelines; • broadcasters and sponsors increasingly view women’s sport as a standalone, commercially valu - able product; and • athlete appeal is rising, with brands drawn to the authenticity and cultural relevance of female ath - letes. Key Trends and Market Developments Unbundling of rights Women’s sport is increasingly commercialised inde - pendently. Rights-holders now negotiate standalone media and sponsorship agreements, supported by record engagement figures – 397 million viewing hours and over 10,000 hours of televised coverage in 2025, both all-time highs. New competitions and expanded calendars Major sports have expanded significantly: • Football – there is continued professionalisation of the WSL and new long-term broadcast agree - ments, with Sky Sports delivering a 30% rise in viewing hours for the first half of the 2025/26 season. English clubs also benefit from financial expenditure protections for investments into their women’s teams.
• Cricket – there has been growth in centrally organised contracts in women’s cricket and rising crossover audiences, with 87% of Women’s Hun - dred viewers also watching the men’s competition, indicating an embedded fan base. • Rugby – investment ahead of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup delivered record outcomes, including 81,885 fans at Twickenham and 12 mil - lion UK TV views across the tournament. Further expansion through European and cross-bor - Women’s sport has reached new mainstream heights. When women’s teams play in their club’s main stadi - um, such as Arsenal at the Emirates, they are frequent - ly setting attendance records. The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final was the most-watched UK broadcast of the year, peaking at 16.2 million viewers. The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final drew an audience of 5.8 million, the highest ever for women’s rugby in the UK. Overall, 48 million UK viewers watched women’s sport in 2025, up from 45.2 million in 2024. Media rights and sponsorship Commercial maturity is accelerating: der formats is anticipated. Attendance and viewership • Women’s sport accounted for 13% of prime-time sports viewer hours despite making up only 8% of coverage in 2025. • Digital engagement is accelerating, with women’s leagues driving +105% TikTok and +84% YouTube growth in early 2025. Brands increasingly recognise women’s sport as a high-value, high-engagement platform, driving con - tinued investment across media, sponsorship and production. 8.2 Organisations and Initiatives to Promote Women’s Sport One of the most significant recent developments in UK women’s sport is the Women’s Sport Investment Accelerator, launched by the Department for Business and Trade in 2024. The programme provides commer - cial guidance, investor access and strategic support to over 20 women’s leagues and teams across nine
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