Ever wondered what the operating budgets look like a bit further down the English women’s football pyramid 🤔❓ Say, in Tiers 3 and 4 where Leeds and Nottingham Forest play against clubs like Gwalia United? Read on for some little-known figures.
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Women's Players in Tiers 3 & 4 in England are a mix of semi-professional and amateur; most hold down full or part-time jobs or studies and train once or twice a week. Attendances, revenues and costs at these levels tend to be significantly lower than in the WSL and Women's Championship.
According to data from England's FA, the average budget for a Tier 3 side in the Women's National League is around £𝟯𝟳𝟯𝗸, with the upper, middle and lower averages being £𝟳𝟯𝟴𝗸, £𝟮𝟴𝟲𝗸 and £𝟵𝟳𝗸.
Many clubs at these levels don’t receive meaningful support from owners or affiliated men’s teams (if any), so they rely mainly on ticket sales, food & beverage sales, local sponsorships, and (if eligible) small grants from the FA, to balance the budget.
These relatively minuscule operating budgets make it difficult for them to improve their squads and compete for promotion. And even newly promoted sides often find it difficult to survive without additional deficit funding from an owner or affiliated men’s teams.
As the WSL and Championship gain more and more exposure over the coming years, will more money trickle down to the lower tiers of the pyramid to allow it to put down firmer roots and provide a better platform for growth?
Perhaps. But that will certainly be a slow journey.
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It's impressive that they're able to run a team with those figures, and carries some lessons for clubs elsewhere.
Perhaps. But that will certainly be a slow journey.