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- ‘NewCo’ would be funded by UK£15m loan and independent from the FA
- Championship clubs have been offered 25% of commercial revenue from both leagues combined
The creation of a new independent company to oversee the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship is in doubt after clubs from the second division reportedly voted to reject its proposed funding and governance structure.
According to Sky News, a majority of Championship teams have voted to oppose the establishment of ‘NewCo’, a new body that would run both leagues independently. It was slated to commence its oversight as early as next season, with Nikki Doucet already chosen as its first chief executive.
The organisation would have been funded by a UK£15 million (US$18.8 million) loan, most likely to be distributed by the Football Association (FA), with the Premier League considered less likely to provide the funding.
However, Sky reports that most Championship clubs voted ‘No’ to the proposed entity, as their voting rights would have been abolished on most issues. The Telegraph adds that the latest proposals would have given Championship clubs an equal vote on governance matters going forward, but a smaller voice on the approval of commercial deals.
The report adds that Championship clubs voted to reject ‘NewCo’ despite being offered 25 per cent of commercial revenue from the two leagues combined. It is thought that talks remain ongoing though, with the proposed company not yet considered dead.
Should an impasse continue, the WSL could choose to push forward and establish the company without the second-tier. The top-flight is currently expected to launch a new broadcast rights tender in the near future, with the sale process expected to begin next year.
The WSL’s current broadcast partners both recorded record viewership for their coverage earlier this month. The BBC said its coverage of Chelsea’s 5-1 victory over Liverpool was watched by an average audience of 796,000 viewers, which sets a new record for the competition.
A peak viewership of 955,000 was also reported for the game, while there was a further 141,000 requests to watch the match on BBC iPlayer.
Meanwhile, Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Manchester United set a new audience record for pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports. An average viewership of 485,000 tuned in to the game, with coverage peaking at 589,000.
The increase in the WSL’s viewership comes as the idea of playing WSL games during the Saturday afternoon blackout continues to gain traction among stakeholders.
Baroness Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, told the Culture, Media and Sport committee in July that various options are being looked at to maximise coverage of the women’s game on the back of the England team’s recent success.
She said one of those is giving consideration to whether the women’s game could be removed from the restriction on live soccer coverage between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on Saturdays under Article 48 of the Uefa statutes, which the FA currently chooses to apply.
Speaking to the same committee this week, Niall Sloane, ITV’s director of sport, publicly backed a trial for women’s soccer to be screened live during the traditional Saturday afternoon blackout.
He said: “I think the three o’clock space is one that should be utilised, because where else can women’s football fit into a weekend?
“It is quite hard to find those slots. If that was preserved for women’s football I don’t think it’s going to impact the Premier League, the EFL. I don’t think it will impact the non-league pyramid (either).”
Asked by committee member Giles Watling if he supported a trial, Sloane replied: “I think so, yes.”
The Premier League and EFL’s scheduling plans for their next broadcast cycles do not include 3pm kick-offs, so the slot remains clear for the foreseeable future if an agreement can be reached to make an exception for women’s soccer.
Sloane’s counterpart at the BBC, Barbara Slater, told the committee: “One thing that is really important is scheduling and giving women’s sports some space.
“At the moment it’s a very congested football schedule. So it’s whether football can come together to find a solution to give a window, an appointment to view, for women’s football.”
She insisted it did not have to be Saturday afternoon, but that there was “a lot of logic” to scheduling matches then.
Jonathan Licht, the managing director of Sky Sports, sounded a slightly more cautious note.
“A couple of things to think about, as well as scheduling, is facilities,” he said.
“A lot of clubs are ground-sharing, so that has to be considered. I understand and can see the perspective on three o’clock because as it stands, it’s the only one at the moment where clearly no other football is being broadcast so I can see why you would naturally fall to a conclusion that that would be attractive.
“I do think it may not be so clear-cut though, because it’s the time when more people are attending football than any other time.
“I’m not saying it’s not going to work. I’m just saying I think let’s not necessarily put all our eggs in that basket and that it’s going to be a great ‘unlock’.”
PA Media contributed to this report
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