The European Championship is returning with a huge appetite in 2022 and UEFA is banking on this enthusiasm to increase the popularity of women’s soccer, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s report, ‘UEFA Womens European Championships Business, Case Studies, Tourism Impact, Sponsorship and Media Landscape, 2022’, the Euro’s broke attendance records in the Netherlands in 2017 to attract 240,045 fans across all matches, marking a 10.68% rise from the 216,888 fans that watched the action in Sweden. This record is due to be smashed again, with over 525,000 tickets already bought to this summer’s tournament.

Jake Kemp, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The wave of enthusiasm and growing interest has been highlighted on several occasions, but the most visibility has been in Spain during the 2021-22 season when FC Barcelona were twice able to attract over 90,000 fans. The Spanish giant made a real concentrated effort within its marketing team to create incredible atmospheres at these games, and soccer fans did not hesitate to get involved.”

UEFA understands the need to grow the women’s game over the next decade and has a clear strategy towards doing so. Its biggest international and club level tournaments have all been moved onto the free-to-air market this year, as it looks to maximize the number of potential fans its content can reach.

Kemp continues: “The Women’s Champions League for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons are accessible in all international markets (except MENA and China) for free via DAZN and its YouTube channel. The same approach has been taken in Europe for this summer’s international action, with all major markets signed to a free-to-air broadcaster. Such initiatives will undoubtedly see its cumulative TV audience break records again in 2022, having achieved a 42.24% increase in numbers between its 2013 and 2017 competitions.”

In offering easy access to potential audiences, UEFA is eyeing up the long-term benefits which include raising the standards of the game, increasing the talent pool of players at all levels, and building committed fan bases.

Kemp adds: “It is a necessary step to build on the positive steps women’s soccer has taken in recent years. However, more needs to be done to bridge the gap to the men’s game.”

Areas for sustained focus includes building greater emotional connection between fans and their favorite players and teams.

Kemp concludes: “Women’s soccer does not boast the same level of ‘sporting superstars’ compared to tennis, for example, to create a lasting impact on the game. Therefore, the game needs to build the marketability of its biggest stars to inspire younger generations to engage with the sport from an early age.”