New TV deal will raise women’s game – Mel
Women’s Super League’s new £24million television deal will raise playing standards throughout the women’s football pyramid, according to London City Lionesses head coach Melissa Phillips.
The ground-breaking three-yeardealwithSkySports and the BBC to broadcast WSL matches is understood to be wortharound£8mperseason.
Seventy-five per cent of the income will go to the 12 WSL clubs and 25 per cent will be shared among the Lionesses and 10 other clubs in the FA Women’s Championship.
“We’re grateful for the support in any capacity and regardless of how the money is allotted, it grows the game and that’s the most important thing,” said Phillips. “We want to provide a more professional space and more opportunities for females in the professional game.Ithinkthenewdealdoes just that.
“The exposure creates accessibility, which creates role modelsandthat’sforusaswell. So it gives our players the opportunity to watch girls in the WSL, who are playing week in andweekoutandbeabletoemulate, learn from them. It will help develop our league, so I think it’s super exciting.”
TheLionesseswereformed in the summer of 2019 following a breakaway from Millwall Lionesses.
American Phillips joined the club from the University of Pennsylvania coaching programme, initially as Lisa Fallon’s assistant before being appointed head coach in October last year.
When the new TV deal was announced by the Football Association,directorofthewomen’s professional game Kelly Simmons said the WSL would become “the most-watched women’s sport league in the world”.