Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
Women's football in England - statistics & facts
England is generally understood as being the home of modern-day football, with the sport originating there in the late 19th century. Yet for a long time, women were excluded from the sport, and women’s football was overlooked, underfunded, and even outright banned for decades. Today, women’s football continues to grow and develop; since 2017 the number of women’s football teams in England has doubled. Not only that, but the number of women playing football in England during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was also significant. Whilst improvements have been made, English women’s football still faces a number of challenges, with a large share of adults considering sexism to be a serious problem in professional football in Great Britain.
How much do footballers in the Women’s Super League earn?
The FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) was founded in 2010, replacing the old Premier League National Division. It sees 12 clubs, such as Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal, competing for the title over nine months. As of 2022, salaries in the FA WSL varied greatly, although when looking at how many female footballers have the sport as their primary source of income in Europe, the league ranks highly. Women’s Super League sides also participate in the Women’s FA Cup. The competition remains popular with English football fans, yet the disparity in FA Cup prize money between the women and men’s competitions has been criticized.The Lionesses: Bringing football home in 2022
England has a strong national football team, which ranked 4th in FIFA’s ranking of women’s football teams. The team, nicknamed the Lionesses, played its first international in 1972 and has had many iconic players feature for it over the years, including Ellen White and Fara Williams. England was the host nation for the UEFA women’s EURO in 2022, and the team broke several records during its historic campaign. The tournament concluded with the Lionesses winning their first EURO title, beating the country with the most women’s EURO titles, Germany, 2-1 in the final.
