Business

After World Cup Success, Women’s Soccer Aims for the Big Leagues

Pro teams have high hopes for boosting player salaries.

The U.S. women’s soccer team in New York City after winning the World Cup.
Photographer: Seth Wenig/AP Photo

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By David Hellier and Angelina Rascouet

September 10, 2019 at 4:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

This article is part of the September 16, 2019 issue of businessweek.

When Manchester City and Manchester United kicked off the English women’s soccer season on Sept. 7, the crosstown rivals took the field before a crowd of 31,000. That afternoon, Bristol City traveled to Brighton for a match in the 27,000-seat Ashton Gate Stadium, and the next day Chelsea took on Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in London, where more than 24,000 fans showed up, a DJ spun tunes, and brunch was served to those who paid an extra £60 ($74).

But this coming weekend, the teams will return to the more modest digs where they play the bulk of their matches—many tickets for opening day were given away for free—and they’ll be lucky to get more than a few thousand spectators.