Women’s Football Boss Says Investors Need to Think in Decades, Not Years

Nikki Doucet’s ambition to build professional women’s football in England into a powerhouse of the game has hit some turbulence.

After taking charge of the Women’s Super League in late 2023 as chief executive officer, a victory by England’s national team at the 2025 European championships raised expectations. But after growing steadily since the Covid pandemic, game attendance stumbled last season, dropping almost 10% to around 6,600. So far this season, the crowds have been more or less flat.