Winning the World Cup could be “a game changer” for the Lionesses financially because they “offer something alternative to the men’s game,” experts said on Thursday.
Alessia Russo, who scored the third goal on Wednesday confirming England’s place in Sunday’s final, is already set to become the first women’s footballer earning more than £1 million a year and analysts expect several of her teammates to follow.
Academic Kieran Maguire, author of The Price of Football, said the team’s success in Australia would allow them to “further extend” their personal brands. He said: “They’re personable, they’re articulate, they appeal to a different demographic which means from a point of view of a commercial partner or sponsor they offer something alternative to the men’s game.
“People want their brands alongside success, so win the World Cup and you’re going to be endorsing products.”
Among the stars who have emerged from the England camp are goalkeeper Mary Earps, who made headlines criticising Nike when it failed to produce replica versions of her shirt — prompting more than 40,000 people to sign a petition backing her.
Semi-final scorer Ella Toone has also seen her profile soar after she was restored to the starting 11 when Lauren James was suspended following her red card against Nigeria. Mr Maguire added: “What if England win on penalties and Mary Earps saves the winning penalty? And that feeds back into the story of the shirts, which I think is a fascinating one.”
Branding expert Emily M Austen, who runs the PR agency Emerge, said the Lionesses were “fast becoming the most famous faces in British sport” and a World Cup win would do “phenomenal things” for their earning potential.
She said: “Qualifying for the final is hugely exciting, and although exposure is increased by competing at that level, winning the World Cup is a game changer. There will no doubt be opportunities commercially for the team as a whole, but there will be individual winners in terms of brand deals.
“Likely seven figures for the highest profile players with large tech companies, global banks and luxury brands.
“Scoring and saving goals helps with screen time and brands will be running social listening and analysis to look at who are the team favourites.” Sports agent Laura Doyle, head of women’s football at CAA Stellar, agreed that the team’s performances had enhanced their commercial appeal.
She said: “If you go on the social media pages of Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone, Alessia Russo, Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway, all of them are now these incredible role models, and their commercial value will have shot up from this time last week.
“It would already have been high but it will have shot up, but the thing that is exciting is finally we have strong women role models.
“This isn’t about how they look, it’s about how strong they are, how skilful they are, the technique. These are the role models you want.”
