Women’s game is looking up

– The Women’s Champions League is beginning to step out of the shadow of its male counterpart with the ultimate aim of being as much of a must-see and commercially-attractive event, a Uefa official said this week.

This season’s final in Budapest will be the first time the showpiece, in its current format, will be held in a different city to the men’s Champions League final.

The decision was taken to allow the pinnacle of women’s club football in Europe to have its own spotlight and not be overshadowed by the men’s edition, which is one of the most viewed annual TV events in the world, surpassing the Super Bowl.

The sponsorship and broadcast rights to the women’s final are currently sold by Uefa, with the previous rounds being managed by the clubs themselves.

However, Kayleigh Grieve, marketing manager for women’s football at European soccer’s governing body, said the ultimate aim was to part-centralise the rights selling process to give the game the platform it deserves. – Reuters

London