Women’s football: US grassroots game outgunned by European money

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The United States enters the 2023 Women’s World Cup as the highest-ranked team. After winning four of the past eight World Cups, the early exit of the star-studded side was a shock. One explanation could be that while the U.S. women’s soccer team is culturally strong, European women’s soccer is catching up economically.

In the United States, soccer is often viewed as a female sport. Nearly 375,000 high school girls will play soccer in the 2021/2022 school year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. This is an increase of almost 40% compared to 22 years ago. In 1971, there were only 700 female participants. The sport has surpassed basketball and softball in popularity.

NWSL is an American professional women’s soccer league featuring many of the world’s top players.

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The 2019 Women’s World Cup was a wake-up call on the money-making potential of women’s football.more than 1.1 billion Spectators watch the game. Since then, investment in the development of women’s football has also increased across Europe.

European football’s governing body UEFA aims to double the number of registered female players from 1.3 million in 2019 2.5 million by 2024.Commercial value of women’s football expected to grow sixfold 686 million euros by 2033.

FIFA has increased significantly bonus Women’s World Cup this year. Each participating football player will receive at least $30,000. Players on the winning team will receive $270,000 each.

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Such amounts are undoubtedly motivating. But a more pressing issue for the U.S. women’s soccer team is what the players will earn when they return home.

sports news site Report The average annual salary of an American female player is about $57,000. This is on par with UK counterparts. However, NWSL salary increases may not be higher than $75,000. Top British female players such as Leah Williamson and Sam Kerr are said to earn between £200,000 and £400,00 ($250,000 to $510,000) a year.

Player salaries reflect wider money flowing into the sport, some of which is used to develop young talent through youth teams. The English and Spanish leagues, which have attracted multimillion-dollar sponsorship and broadcast deals since 2019, will face off in Sunday’s final.

The U.S. women’s soccer team is a grassroots triumph. With less investment, it risks becoming a competition loser.

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