海角大神

Women鈥檚 sports are winning big in England, on and off the field

It鈥檚 a warm Sunday afternoon, and the Chelsea Women鈥檚 soccer team is playing the London City Lionesses, whose jerseys boast 鈥淓veryone Watches Women鈥檚 Sports鈥� in large letters across the front.

And it鈥檚 true. The crowd is a perfect microcosm of London itself. There are men and women, old folks and young, sports fanatics and casual attendees enjoying a fall afternoon. Dads hold kids on their laps. A couple hoots and hollers. A young girl surrounded by giddy friends wears a glittering crown that reads, 鈥淚t鈥檚 my birthday!鈥�

Here at the stadium, the mood is energetic yet laid back 鈥� a departure from the rowdier atmosphere at men鈥檚 games. There鈥檚 no jostling or fighting. Team chants ripple through the crowd of 10,441, and when Chelsea scores its , the stadium erupts in singing and high-fiving.

鈥淓veryone here can have a good time,鈥� says Laura Daboo, a primary school teacher attending the game with her partner, Ray Lynham, who sports a Chelsea scarf and jersey with defender Ellie Carpenter鈥檚 name and number. 鈥淨uite a lot of kids come along to these games, which is really nice,鈥� Mr. Lynham adds.

This joyful, inclusive atmosphere is one of the factors experts and fans point to when trying to parse the stunning rise of women鈥檚 sports in the United Kingdom. In the past six years, since the 2019 FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup in France and the 2022 UEFA European Women鈥檚 Football Championship, women鈥檚 sports have started to take coveted spots on newspaper headlines, drawn massive crowds at stadiums and pubs, broken viewership records, and even increased girls鈥� sports participation across the country.

This past summer, that shift was on full display. England鈥檚 national soccer team, the Lionesses, became in July, beating Spain on penalty kicks. Two months later, the national rugby team, the Red Roses, . Across the U.K., people watched 鈥� and celebrated.

鈥淭he progress was really slow, but suddenly there鈥檚 been traction,鈥� says Elizabeth Pike, a professor of sport, health, and exercise, and head of the Institute of Sport at the University of Hertfordshire.

The evidence is everywhere. It鈥檚 in viewership data, which shows on BBC platforms, making it the most watched television moment of 2025 across all TV broadcasters. It鈥檚 in the fact that rugby match attendance has , and yearly funding for girls鈥� and women鈥檚 rugby . Barbie has made of Red Roses fullback Ellie Kildunne, who incidentally was at Wembley Stadium.

And while soccer reigns supreme in England as the national sport, this wave is carrying other sports along with it. In their latest report, U.K.-based charity Women鈥檚 Sport Trust found cricket, netball, and tennis 鈥渁re all actually doing brilliantly and all progressing,鈥� says Tammy Parlour, the trust鈥檚 CEO and co-founder.

Changing the narrative

A clear narrative shift 鈥� which, in turn, has shaped the environment and vibe surrounding women鈥檚 sports 鈥� has been key. Specifically, there鈥檚 been a strategic attempt to set itself apart from the men鈥檚 game, Dr. Pike says. There鈥檚 no 鈥渇ootball hooliganism鈥� 鈥� drunken, violent, and rowdy behavior 鈥� at women鈥檚 games. 鈥淚ts strength is in doing it differently,鈥� Dr. Pike says. 鈥淭hat shift in thinking has been pivotal.鈥�

The women鈥檚 game also feels more authentic for some fans who are tired of how melodramatic and overpaid the men鈥檚 game is. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all just become so distorted,鈥� says Stephanie Hilborne, CEO of the charity Women in Sport, that a lot of people actually 鈥減refer the women鈥檚 game because it felt real, more relatable.鈥�

It helps that the culture around women鈥檚 sports is changing, too. 鈥淔ans, especially young women, want to see people like themselves represented and are engaging more and more, particularly across digital and social channels,鈥� says Ms. Parlour.

A major bump in women鈥檚 sports visibility has been largely the result of social media and groundbreaking broadcast deals that brought games into homes across the U.K.

It started small: The 2016 Olympics sparked excitement around gold medal-winning heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, followed by . Then, in 2019, BBC Sport started airing select women鈥檚 football games and called #ChangeTheGame to, in the outlet鈥檚 words, 鈥渟howcase female athletes in a way they never have been before.鈥� And in 2021, the BBC and Sky Sports announced with the Women鈥檚 Super League, the top competitive tier in English women鈥檚 soccer.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 actually happened, particularly in the last five years, is they鈥檝e let us see brilliant women鈥檚 team sport,鈥� says Ms. Hilborne. And the impact is apparent.

Women鈥檚 Sport Trust has worked hard to collect data that shows the strides women鈥檚 sports have made. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing more people watching. We鈥檙e seeing they鈥檙e watching for longer, and we鈥檙e seeing they鈥檙e coming back as well, which is all fantastic,鈥� says Ms. Parlour.

More spectators means more interest from companies willing to become a sponsor. That investment helps boost the level of play and visibility, which brings in more fans and money. 鈥淚t becomes that virtuous circle,鈥� says Dr. Pike.

Investing in the future

As it turns out, if you tweak the narrative and funnel money into player development, gear, facilities, and broadcast deals, you can transform an industry.

In recent years, investors like Barclays, CVC Capital Partners, and billionaire Michele Kang have started to realize there鈥檚 massive potential in the untapped market of women鈥檚 sports. In March, global revenues in women鈥檚 elite sports would reach at least $2.35 billion in 2025. 鈥淔ive years ago, we were constantly having to convince people why it was important, why they should be getting involved,鈥� says Ms. Parlour. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to do that anymore. [...] Everybody wants to be involved.鈥�

Instead of 鈥淲hy should we think about women鈥檚 sport?鈥� the question has become, 鈥淲hy aren鈥檛 we?鈥� says Dr. Pike.

There are clear benefits to sponsoring women鈥檚 sports, too. Namely, alignment with company values. And women鈥檚 sports 鈥� seen as more wholesome 鈥� provide a unique opportunity. Plus, 鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to invest in men鈥檚 sport, particularly men鈥檚 football, you鈥檙e talking about millions and millions [of pounds],鈥� Dr. Pike points out. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to invest that amount in women鈥檚 sport, and the return on the investment is better.鈥�

From Dr. Pike鈥檚 point of view, the British government has 鈥渕ade a massive difference鈥� in boosting women鈥檚 sports by hosting tournaments and funding programs. The U.K. is set to host the FIFA Women鈥檚 World Cup in 2035, and the government has to address barriers to equal access, ensure 鈥渂est in class facilities,鈥� and support players and audiences.

Ms. Hilborne, for her part, thinks the change everyone is seeing rides more on the shoulders of decades-long, grassroots, women-led efforts. 鈥淚t was the likes of us banging the drums back in the day. ... It was brilliant women writing letters to the newspapers, letters to BBC,鈥� she says, and people who supported female players and coaches.

Next year, women鈥檚 sports have another chance to take center stage as England and Wales host cricket鈥檚 ICC Women鈥檚 T20 World Cup. Ms. Parlour鈥檚 request is quite simple. 鈥淜eep going. Keep showing up. Watch it, share, comment, attend, talk about it,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hose individual actions make such a difference. Visibility is power.鈥�