The government’s choice to approve every suggestion from the prominent Karen Carney-led evaluation of women’s soccer is deserving of praise. This comes just six days after Women’s Super League and Championship teams agreed to move forward with a new independent company (NewCo) taking over the management of the top two divisions starting next season. The response is crucial at this point in time.
The government’s approval of the review serves as a reminder of the key components that should be considered in the development of women’s sports. This is especially important now as certain groups, particularly clubs with Premier League men’s teams, may have conflicting interests that could pose a threat. The main point of contention that caused delays among Championship clubs in fully backing the launch of NewCo was the issue of voting power. Some clubs were against it while others only offered conditional support.
The Football Association has formed the Professional Game Working Group to create a new organization, NewCo. This group proposes a distribution of revenue between the leagues, with 75% going to the WSL and 25% to the Championship. This allocation is significantly higher than the amount given by the Premier League to the English Football League. Consequently, WSL clubs are advocating for Championship clubs to have limited involvement in commercial decision-making. This is mainly due to the fact that top-tier clubs are responsible for generating the majority of revenue across all leagues, and the 25% share allotted to the Championship serves as a demonstration of their commitment to maintaining the league pyramid structure.
The success and sustainability of WSL clubs is not something that has been seen in the past. It is a recent occurrence and, although the financial stability of Championship clubs varies, there is potential for them to reach a relatively attainable level of commercial success in the near future.
It is understood that the NewCo board will be mandated to represent the interests of both leagues, and so will have the power to give the Championship clubs votes on all the key issues that affect them. But there are a number of unknowns, such as the makeup of the board itself and how Premier League-backed WSL clubs’ interests and pressures will be managed against the overall good of the leagues.
After a group of Championship teams protested against the removal of their voting rights on various matters, all 24 clubs from both leagues agreed to the proposal. They were in a difficult position as they had to choose between the lesser of two evils – either being excluded from NewCo or accepting the changes.
The government’s reply to the review led by Carney is in agreement with the Championship clubs on this matter. It states that the priority should be a one-board principle between the leagues, which would allow for equal representation of clubs. The government also emphasizes the importance of independent decision-making to promote good governance and prevent selfish motives from influencing the game. It sees the establishment of NewCo as a chance to implement this approach and urges them not to overlook it.
The government supports the review’s recommendation to not have an independent regulator for women’s football at this time. NewCo has the opportunity to implement financial regulation and planning from the beginning. This serves as a reminder of the significance of democratic decision-making among clubs at this point.
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One of the notable suggestions in the review is for all WSL and Championship players to be fully unionized by the Professional Footballers Association. This is a contentious topic, as the PFA does not receive designated funding for WSL player membership, but still chooses to support them while advocating for funding. The organization is unable to do the same for Championship players due to the league not being fully professional, which the FA claims it is in response to the government’s inquiry. The issues raised in the Carney-led review highlight the urgent need for players to have proper representation, and this impasse must be resolved for players to feel comfortable speaking out when minimum standards are not being met.
The Carney-led review has achieved another major victory with the government’s endorsement of ending the Saturday 3pm broadcast blackout for women’s football. In a crowded football schedule, the women’s game desperately requires a dedicated time slot. This has proven to be effective in increasing attendance and viewership in other leagues, such as the highly successful Mexican women’s league, which has its own Monday night slot. The statement in the government’s response to the review, acknowledging that there may be a need to compensate the women’s game for missed revenue if a slot cannot be secured, is a significant recognition of the long-standing issue of lack of support and recognition for women’s football.
NewCo is facing numerous decisions and a significant workload within a limited timeframe. The response from the government to the review may aid in refocusing the ongoing discussions.
Source: theguardian.com
