Minimum wage introduced for the top tiers of English women’s football

Minimum wage introduced for the top tiers of English women’s football

WSL Football has announced the introduction of a minimum salary for players in the top two tiers of English women’s football for the first time in the forthcoming season.

The body that oversees the development of England’s professional women’s leagues said that while figures will not be released until later in the season, they would represent a “full-time wage”. This addresses the issue of players having to take on part-time jobs to supplement their club salaries.

We feel that's a really positive move. We have so many players who have had to juggle part-time roles while playing football. Being able to ensure all our players can earn a full-time wage from football is very, very important. I would say it's the start as it's a framework we can develop on. We have worked really closely with the PFA on what those thresholds should look like. We will be reviewing that constantly.

Holly Murdoch, WSL Football’s chief operating officer (speaking to the BBC)

While there is no indication as yet as to what those minimum levels will be, but for comparison, the premier US women’s soccer league, the NWSL, set a floor of $48,500 (£36,200) for the 2025 season. That will rise to $82,500 (£61,600) by 2030.

This move on the part of WSL Football, another key step in the development of the women’s game in England, came alongside two other important announcements.

The governing body revealed what it described as “a pioneering safeguarding partnership with Kyniska Advocacy, aimed to evolve new standards for safeguarding and athlete wellbeing in professional football.”

Kyniska Advocacy is the UK’s only athlete- and survivor-led safe sport organisation dedicated to protecting women in sport from harm, creating safer sporting environments, and supporting the wellbeing of athletes. They will “co-deliver in-depth club visits and deliver tailored safe sport education to all athletes and staff across Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) and Barclays Women’s Super League 2 (BWSL2) clubs.”

Simultaneously a multi-year deal was announced between WSL Football and Nike for the sportswear brand to become and official partner of the BWSL, BWSL2, and the Subway Women’s League Cup.

A key element of the partnership is that Nike will provide football boots and goalkeeper gloves to all players in the BWSL and BWSL2 who do not currently hold a personal endorsement deal. This ensures that every athlete, regardless of contract status, has access to high-performance innovation to compete at their best.

We listened to feedback from our players, regarding the boots and gloves, and Nike responded. It is symbolic of our new partnership, which goes above and beyond being the leagues’ ball supplier. Together, we’re striving for a future where every player across our leagues can thrive.

Zarah Al-Kudcy, Chief Revenue Office, WSL Football

Nike is also launching the first ever league-branded lifestyle merchandise in collaboration with WSL Football. The line which includes pre-match tops, t-shirts and hoodies featuring league branding, will go on sale via Nike.com in September. Nike will also explore other avenues with WSL Football to innovate, elevate and create opportunities to drive the women’s game forward and provide more visibility on and off the pitch.