into footballs boots sports. In an era where so many people invest in sport teams you would expect the profile of all sport to be rising but sport is a business and there is no way to avoid that. The top four players on each team are paid an annual salary in excess of £20,000 in the WSL. Whereas in men’s football, premier league club Chelsea, pays each player on average £68,946 per week. Ref’s view: I still think £20000 is too little for the women. There male counterparts make more than that in one day. But it is a starting point. Wimbledon now provides equal pay (in terms of prize money) so perhaps with sponsorship and further enhancements the female players will begin to earn higher remuneration. For rugby, perhaps £25-£30k would be ideal but there is no money to support that. The FA and ESPN agreed an exclusive four year broadcast rights deal for television coverage of the WSL. Five live matches will be shown in addition to a weekly highlights package. Media coverage of women’s rugby is unquestionably
one of the biggest issues in it turning professional. Ref’s view: Women’s rugby had most of its recent Six Nations broadcast and the World Cup was broadcast in full. The game will continue to grow and this will attract better publicity and coverage. With the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 and the Rugby Sevens tournaments at the 2016 Olympic Games women’s rugby is demanding a lot of commitment from the English players. Women’s rugby is in danger of putting too much pressure on the unprofessional players who also have careers. Ref’s view: It would take a lot of pressure off the players if it went professional and they would have greater access to support and critically more time to train and prepare for major tournaments. It would also help to attract more players.
THE LIONESS
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