WSL Football Financial Results 

WSL Football’s first set of financial results have today been published on Companies House.

The accounts represent our first year of standalone operations and cover last season, ending 31 July 2025.

WSL Football has been operating as an independent company for less than two years.

A key element of our first year as a standalone company was understanding our operational expenses and establishing the essential systems, structures and capabilities required for long‑term success.

Our situation is unique when compared to others around the world - we run two leagues, the League Cup and a PGA competition.

Additionally, we inherited a business which was structured differently and where more money was distributed to clubs than was made.

The priority right now is to support and help our clubs grow, and we committed from the outset not to reduce them.

In year one, we have built the foundation of our standalone business. We have achieved what we wanted operationally, and we understand the costs associated with operating.

Financials

Our revenue last year was £17.4m.

That turnover accounts for Broadcasting (£8.4m), Sponsorship and licensing (£8.5m) and Other income (£128k) – this incorporates ticket sales for the League Cup.

This demonstrates strong commercial return for year one.

Although it is not reported in this year’s financials, we have tripled our revenue since we took over, underscoring market confidence in our direction of travel.

The 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.

Before we formed, club distributions were supported by additional funding grants for Barclays WSL2 which is no longer the case, and we did not want that to decrease.

The result is an operating loss of £8.2m which was fully anticipated as an early-stage organisation committed to protecting and supporting as many clubs as possible during this growth stage.

Our commitment to our member clubs means that currently, we are distributing as much to Barclays WSL2 clubs as we are to Barclays WSL clubs providing everyone with the opportunity to grow.

Secondary factors that contribute are the natural result of increased operating overheads as we transitioned away from FA support.

These costs are tied directly to the necessary investment associated with building independent systems, teams and processes.

If we had not made that investment, we would not have achieved the significant progress we delivered in year one.

We were independently audited and they identified no material uncertainties and no doubt about our ability to continue operation.