Hearing the news about the huge deal that Sky Sports have signed with women’s football in England is fantastic news for the game and in my view it is about time. The deal worth £8 million is set to be the biggest deal for women’s football anywhere in the world and will certainly help the clubs develop as a brand. I do have some major regrets as to why it’s taken so long as other clubs who helped develop the game in the UK will no longer benefit. I’m talking about the likes of Doncaster Belles, who are an iconic name in the game which stretches back many decades, and Notts County who helped lay foundation for women’s football in the East Midlands. Plus who can forget Sunderland who have developed so many international players over the years including England internationals, Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze, and Lucy Staniforth.
Don’t get me wrong it’s excellent news for the development of the game and an opportunity for female athletes to do football as a full-time profession, I’m just disappointed that it’s taken so long to spot the potential that the women’s game has. I’ve said previously that you could have developed the game by having one team per region which not only would it give every aspiring teenage girl access to a professional club it would’ve meant for exciting and equal competition. However, the current make up of the league is heavily weighted with North-West and London based teams, which mirrors that of the men’s Premier League. Whilst I’m sure that the league will thrive one can see similarities between this deal with Sky Sports and the men’s deal with Sky Sports in 1992 in terms of it being the exact same teams who will benefit pretty much. It just leaves a bitter taste that smaller clubs helped develop the game only for some of the bigger men’s sides (who created a women’s team in the last three years) to come along and score a tap in at the far post. A case of right place, right time indeed.
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