Women’s football doesn’t need to become men’s football to succeed

Women’s football is on a continual gradient of growth. The curve has been getting steeper and steeper each year, each season – more investment, more interest, more sales, more TV airtime. However, the investment into the women’s game and player welfare is growing at a slower rate.But as players get older, they gain more responsibility, and it is not currently feasible for all players to be full-time. Outside of the top clubs players rely on personal sponsorship and branding deals to get by. That may work for players in the WSL but what about players in tiers three and four? How do we bridge the gap between full-time and part-time? We’ve seen plenty of women’s players become social media influencers and content creators, such as Alisha Lehmann and Kelci Rose Bowers. But what businesses could players get themselves into? Our Actonians player Lois Colley has recently started her own events coffee bar business. But I’ve been on a different journey – from being paid to play footbal