Euro Final Kicks Interest in Women’s Soccer Up a Notch

Women’s soccer has been steadily gaining popularity, but Sunday’s UEFA Women’s Euro title match between England and Germany has taken fan interest to a new level.

England’s 2-1 victory drew more than 17 million viewers on BBC One. An Ipsos poll found that 44% of British people and 64% of British soccer fans are more interested in women’s soccer in the wake of the contest.

• Companies are already showing heightened interest in investment, according to a Financial Times report.
• UEFA expects to raise $60.9 million in sponsorship money from the Women’s Euro tournament, but that number is expected to rise in future years. The men’s tournament raised $1.9 billion.
• An October match at Wembley Stadium between the England and U.S. women’s teams sold out all its general admission tickets in record time, with only hospitality packages remaining.

UEFA ran a loss on the tournament as a whole, saying it is happy to make a long-term investment in the sport.

The Swoosh Bounce

The surging interest in women’s soccer could pay dividends for Nike, which has made substantial investments in the sport. The company sponsors 12 of the 23 players on England’s team.

Nike doubled its investment in women’s products over the past two years, seeking to close the gap of $8.3 billion to $18.8 billion in women’s and men’s respective product sales for the 12 months ending May 31.