England's Euro 2022 success suggested all was well in the English women's game - but look beneath the surface and there are serious issues
Every club has to have one physio as stipulated by the licence criteria. But that is to look after a squad of 24 players and, what is more, there is no minimum level of expertise required.
Concerns about medical provision are juxtaposed with the glamour of commercial deals. Off the back of the Euros, every brand was queuing up “just wanting a Lioness,” according to Bouchier, representative for England internationals Lucy Bronze, Lauren Hemp and Esme Morgan. A range of brands realised the England team appealed to a wide market audience outside of sport.
Now, in-demand clients can expect to be paid well over six figures to represent brands for a year. According to Nielsen Influence Scope, each of Williamson’s Instagram posts could deliver an average of $38,708 media value to brands, $17,871 for Lauren James, $17,855 for Russo and $7,291 for Hemp. In return, according to one agency, a social media post and in-person appearance would pay at least £20,000.
“I don’t feel any resentment from the Euros,” says one player from a mid-to-bottom WSL club, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect her relationships. “More exposure for the women’s game is a positive — it’s just making sure it does not go too fast and is unsustainable. “The wages are increasing at an astronomical rate,” says Whelan. “Across the WSL, player salaries for the majority and for the non-Lionesses need to be better. There are definitely gains to be had in the women’s game, but it seems like a lot of the gains are for the top-end, elite Lionesses who earn well in excess of £100,000 per year.”
The government review recommends a salary floor for WSL players as part of licensing requirements for the 2025-26 season and for it to be introduced in the WC once revenues render it sustainable.and a larger share of the FA’s commercial deals if they have benefited so much. The players feel it is not all about money but principle. They are paving the way for future Lionesses.
In February 2022, there were some major improvements regarding maternity provision, injury and illness and the termination of contracts due to long-term injury. For example, if a player had ruptured their anterior cruciate ligament, usually at least nine months out, the club had the right to a three-month notice of termination. Now, that has been extended to 18 months before a contract can be cancelled, the same as for a Premier League player.
Players have reported increased anxiety levels as they live their life from year to year. At the end of every season, they approach the last couple of months of their contract uncertain if it will be renewed. “It is at the discretion of clubs, who directly employ the players, if they choose to go above and beyond the regulations set out within our policy,” said an FA spokesperson.
Players in the top two tiers have cited being treated “like second-class citizens” by their clubs as “everything revolves around the schedules of the men’s teams”, according to the government review. “Despite the fact it’s a fully professional league and one of the best leagues in the world it still has to pander to the men’s game in terms of finances and third-party stadiums,” says one source with knowledge of the situation who was speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships.
“I’ve seen Championship clubs that are training at awful facilities, pitches that have barely any grass, you go into the changing rooms and there are men’s urinals, the showers are dirty, they don’t have women’s-fit kits. That’s what I mean by the term ‘professional’. Would we offer those same standards to a men’s Championship team or to a men’s Premier League team? No. Professional is a standard that we’re working in on a day-to-day basis.
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