Growth isn’t the same as progress in women’s football
TL;DR: Women’s football in England is growing fast: with record crowds, bigger broadcast deals, and expanding professionalism. But growth does not automatically equal progress. Progress in women’s football requires financial security, consistent infrastructure, and stronger welfare protections, alongside increased visibility.
Women’s football is more visible than ever. Stadiums are fuller, television audiences are larger, and sponsorship deals are more prominent. In England, record-breaking crowds and prime-time coverage suggest a sport that has finally arrived. But visibility and growth don’t automatically equal progress. The numbers tell part of the story, but not the whole story.
Progress in sport is not measured only by how many people watch it. It is measured by the security of players’ careers, the strength of the infrastructure around them, and the protection of their welfare. Growth describes expansion: more fans, more coverage, more attention. Progress implies something deeper: stability, safety, and long-term foundations.
What growth looks like
The recent growth in women’s football has been phenomenal. More players are signing professional contracts, clubs are attracting bigger sponsors, broadcasters are showing more matches, and major tournaments keep breaking attendance records. Compared with even a decade ago, the game occupies far more physical and cultural space. These developments represent opportunity, visibility, and validation.
Visibility itself can be uneven. Broadcast deals bring money and legitimacy, but they can also put matches behind paywalls and push kick-off times into slots that don’t work for many supporters. More coverage does not always mean more accessibility. And accessibility is part of what progress should look like.
What progress in women’s football should include
Security
Progress, however, also requires security. At the very top of the game, a growing number of players now train full-time. But across the wider pyramid, many players still juggle football with full-time work, and clubs rely heavily on the financial health — and shifting priorities — of affiliated men’s teams. A single relegation, restructuring, or ownership shift can destabilise entire squads. We have even seen clubs cut women’s teams as part of wider cost-saving decisions. Growth may bring bigger crowds, but it doesn’t automatically create economic stability.
Infrastructure
Progress also depends on infrastructure. While some elite clubs now invest in dedicated training grounds, sports science teams, and performance analysis, standards remain uneven across the game. Facilities, pitch quality, and staffing depth can vary significantly between clubs (and even more so between tiers). Many women’s teams share pitches and facilities with men’s sides, and the women’s teams are rarely prioritised when resources are stretched. Support staff are often thinner on the ground, and teams still play on surfaces that would be unacceptable in the men’s game. Increased visibility has raised expectations, but infrastructure has not always expanded at the same pace. Progress would mean standards that are consistently comparable with the men’s game.
Welfare
Progress must also be measured in how well the game protects its players. The rapid professionalisation of women’s football has increased training intensity and compressed match calendars, often without the decades of structural development that underpinned the men’s game. At the same time, serious injuries — particularly ACL ruptures — have become a major concern across women’s football. While researchers continue to examine the causes, it is clear that the science and support systems around female athletes are still catching up. Medical research into women’s sport has historically lagged behind that of men’s sport, and preventative strategies are still evolving. Growth has accelerated exposure and expectation; progress would mean building the medical knowledge, scheduling safeguards, and welfare protections to match it.
Conclusion
Growth in women’s football is real and exciting. But progress demands more than expansion. It requires financial security, consistent infrastructure, and systems that protect players and make the game accessible for fans. Women’s football in England has momentum. The question now is whether the structures around it can catch up.