Lionesses set to make millions from Euro success

England's Lionesses have united the nation in their charge to Sunday's Euro 2022 final.

But will it prove another defining moment for women's football?

When US defender Brandi Chastain scored the winning penalty in the 1999 World Cup, she netted an estimated $2m Nike sponsorship deal.

England players could be set to earn similarly generous sponsorship deals, experts reckon.

Top England wage earner Lucy Bronze makes an estimated £200,000 a year from club football and has signed endorsement deals with brands like Pepsi, EE and Visa.

England captain Leah Williamson has recently agreed a deal with Italian fashion house Gucci, alongside existing agreements with Pepsi and Nike.

That should just be the beginning for the English stars who have the example of Norway's Ada Hegerberg to aim for: Ada recently landed a £1m-plus deal with Nike.

But if the example of rocketing sales of the M&S trouser suit worn at every match by England's head coach Sarina Wiegman is anything to go by, the opportunities are enormous.

Sales of the £80 blazer and trouser combination from one of the Lionesses' sponsors have climbed 140 per cent, a glimpse of the soaring interest and potential of women's sport.

Euro 2022 marked the first time that sponsorship was offered just for the women's tournament, rather than deals being bundled with the men's tournament as in the past. Analysts at Neilsen Sports estimate that decision was a financially astute one.

Attracting big names such as Visa, Heineken, Lego and Pepsi has helped increase organizer Uefa's revenue stream by £25-£33m per year, they say.

Other tournament sponsors include Booking.com, Euronics, Grifols, Hisense, Just Eat Takeaway.com, Volkswagen, Adidas, Hublot, Nike, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pandora, Starling Bank and Gillette Venus.

"We're now seeing the results of the FA and UEFA investing in, and backing, women's football over a number of years, and it's bearing very strong results," said Lynsey Douglas, global lead, women's sports at Neilsen.

That cash should help the women's grassroots game but also help raise the profile of other women's sports.

Women's rugby and cricket will be pushed into the public eye with the launch of the Commonwealth Games this weekend, for instance, offering more interesting sponsorship opportunities for brands.

Increasing numbers of television viewers have helped improve the Lionesses marketability.

The nine million who watched England's dramatic quarter-final win over Spain on TV and streaming was a UK record for women's football.

That was outdone by Tuesday's semi-final victory which recorded 11 million viewers - with Sunday's final set to break records again.

"Viewership normally determines the magnitude of sponsorship and endorsement deals, so this tournament will be a catalyst for a business revolution in the women's game," said marketing expert Andrew Bloch, who has worked with the likes of Nike, Pepsi, Puma, Adidas and EA Games.

With the Lionesses becoming household names, their marketing value will rocket, said Lisa Parfitt, co-founder of sports marketing agency The Space Between.

But women's sport can prove to be a more attractive proposition than men's sports, she said.

"The Lionesses have provided the perfect shop window for brands looking for potential for sponsorship in their marketing campaigns," she said.

It's more affordable than men's sponsorship but the value is different, she pointed out. "Women's football has enormous reach, but women's sport fans are for more likely to be an advocate for a brand's sponsors, and far more likely to buy those brands' products."

In short, she reckons sponsoring women's sport can offer much better value.

Data from Neilsen Fan Insights backs that up by revealing that fans of women's football are more gender balanced and younger than fans men's football, an attractive combination for brands.

"There's been much talk over the years about watershed moments for women's sport, but there is no doubt we are truly experiencing one at the moment," said Annie Panter, who played in Team GB's medal-winning London 2012 hockey team, but is now managing director at sports marketing agency Two Circles.

She said much of the previous sponsorship in women's football has been down to companies wanting to be seen to be doing the right thing to meet corporate social responsibility targets.

The Lionesses' success means "women's football now represents a powerful purpose-led sponsorship platform that generates genuine commercial return on investment for a brand."

Natalie Quail, chief marketing officer at oral cosmetics firm SmileTime said the success has helped persuade brands like hers to engage with women football stars.

"We are now actively interested in sponsoring the sport because ultimately that's where we're seeing an emerging interest trending with our majority female customer base," she said.

She predicted the likes of rapid-growth e-commerce brands such as Gymshark, Pretty Little Thing and ASOS "will be looking to do the same".

"More and more brands - at least the savvy ones - are recognising the commercial value of women's football," said Eric Fulwiler, chief executive of marketing consultancy Rival.

"It's underpriced compared to men's football and the current success of the Lionesses will help start to close the commercial gap with the men."

Alessia Russo's back-heel against Sweden was one of the best goals every seen at a major tournament which has helped women's sport finally getting recognition for the quality of performances.

But the disparity between male and female earnings still has a long way to go.

The Lionesses have been reported to be set for a £55,000 bonus per player if they win the tournament.

That £1.3m handout to the squad would be much lower than the bonus of £5m that England's men had been reported to have received if they had won last summer's Euros.

"One thing's for sure, it doesn't finish on Sunday. The work starts then," said Lisa Parfitt.

"To truly capitalise on this competition's legacy from a commercial investment perspective we need to ensure that we translate audiences to domestic leagues, like the WSL, and to the UEFA Women's Champions League to create sustained growth in fandom," said Annie Panter.