Introduction to Women’s Football
The UEFA women’s champions league is set to begin on October 7th, but it will be without the most expensive player in the game, France midfielder Grace Geyoro. Geyoro was signed in September by the London Lion, owned by wealthy businesswoman Michelle Kang, for a record-breaking transfer fee. This move is the fifth to break the world transfer record in 2025, with each player moving to either the NWSL in the USA or the WSL in England.
The Rise of Transfer Fees
According to Jasmina Covic, a football agent for women, "It’s a very good sign. The plate is broken every few months. It is good for the ecosystem. If I look back for 10 years, there were only a few transfers with fees, now you will see it all the time." Short-term contracts and a lack of investments in women’s football meant that transfer fees for players were very rare until recently and very small compared to men’s football. The top fee for a player was €235,000, a record that stood since 2002, until Pernille Harder moved from Wolfsburg to Chelsea for €280,000 in 2019.
Increasing Transfer Fees and Its Effects
The success of recent international tournaments and the increasing marketability of women’s football have led to higher transfer fees and wages. A report by Nielsen Sports, in cooperation with Pepsico, claims that women’s football will be one of the top five most watched sports in the world by 2030, with over 800 million people watching. However, the rapid growth of the sport also poses a danger, as smaller clubs may be left behind. Shona Young from the global sports marketing agency Sportfive notes, "When you start bringing in these enormous transfer fees, you will remove so many of the clubs from these different leagues around the world that these players cannot afford, and then make this gap much bigger."
The Gap Between Leagues
The gap between the top leagues and smaller leagues is already a problem in women’s football. No club outside of England, France, Germany, or Spain has won the women’s champions league in Europe, while domestic titles are often won by the same team again and again. Although leagues are growing quickly in Mexico, Brazil, and other parts of the world, there is little doubt that the leagues in England and the USA want to attract the best players.
The German Bundesliga’s Struggles
The German Bundesliga is facing a challenge in competing with the top leagues. According to Covic, "The German market is still very interesting, it is a very competitive league and further investments will be made. But obviously, you can’t compare it with England and the USA where there is a lot more money." The record fee for a player in the Bundesliga is €450,000, much less than a third of the Geyoro price. The top flight in Germany receives €5.2 million a year from broadcasting income and €5.5 million from its title sponsor, compared to the WSL’s €15 million from broadcasting and €17 million from its title sponsor.
Women’s Football Fans
Women’s football fans tend to follow players rather than clubs. Young notes, "What we have found in women’s football is that the fans want to follow the players before they follow a club. So they really stick to these national team players and really support, find out in which club they play and then get up to support this club." The most popular player in Germany, Giulia Gwinn, had 632,000 Instagram followers compared to 1.1 million for the English captain Leah Williamson and 9.9 million for Alex Morgan from Team USA.
The Future of Women’s Football
The growth of women’s football has changed rapidly in the past decade, but there is a real danger that other leagues, countries, and clubs will be left behind by the elite. Moving a high transfer fee is another option for players to attract fans and thus finance their clubs. While the expenses for transfers and wages are not the only way to success, it certainly helps. The future of women’s football will depend on finding a balance between the growth of the sport and the ability of smaller clubs to compete with the top leagues.
