How will ladies football survive?

If you look at the attendance of some ladies football matches you would certainly conclude that ladies football has never had it so good. Though there is no denying the well being of ladies football, there is also another side to the story. The interest being shown by the fans in ladies football has a lot to do with the ladies version of the FA Cup and the World Cup that was held recently in China. These are events that in any case will draw huge crowds, but what about the ‘bread and butter’ ladies football games? You don’t see twenty thousand fans showing up for a league fixture as they do when an FA Cup final is being played.

The real picture may be somewhat less than rosy because it would be wrong to equate the crowds and public interest shown in ladies football fixtures such as the FA Cup with the interest shown in weekly league fixtures. However, on the flip side there are now more ladies footballers, more ladies football clubs and there are also more ladies football leagues than ever before. With boundaries being broken, the ladies game is becoming more accessible and its acceptability is growing.

Ladies football is becoming more popular. Yet, a typical crowd at a ladies football match would not exceed two hundred spectators who pay a couple of quid to get in. Gate receipts are therefore not going to generate much income for the clubs.

To sustain ladies football into the future it has been left up to individual clubs and sponsors to keep alive their own ladies football teams.