Following the news that former Premier League title sponsor Barclays will renew its partnership with England’s top women’s soccer competition;

Patrick Kinch, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, a leading analytics and data company, offers his view:

“Barclays’ renewed partnership shows that commercial interest in women’s soccer remains strong. First signed in 2019 for $13.27 million, the deal was a landmark partnership for the women’s game. Interest from such an iconic sponsoring brand like Barclays is a win for any sport, and the renewal will only add to this growing momentum.

“The league has a growing fanbase and has recently secured more lucrative broadcast deals, enjoying for the first time this season a deal with pay TV broadcaster Sky Sports for 44 matches a season — worth $11.09 million annually, with this partnership set to run until 2024. BBC will broadcast 22 games a year over the same period.

“With growing attendances and broadcast deals, the agreement with Barclays is likely to double in value — if not more — as the league grows in popularity and online engagement. Barclays is sure to see the PR value in being one of the early partners for a league which only recently turned fully professional.”