Banned to Billion-Pound Industry: Welcome to the New Era of Women’s Sport
A century ago, women’s sport was dismissed and restricted. Today, it fills stadiums, commands global audiences, and drives record revenues. From historic crowds at Goodison Park to billion-pound forecasts across football, rugby, cricket and beyond, the evidence is clear: women’s sport has entered a new era of scale, value and recognition.
In 1920, 53,000 people crammed into Goodison Park to watch the Dick, Kerr Ladies beat St Helens 4-0. Another 10,000 were locked outside. Gate receipts of £3,100 went to injured ex-servicemen. It was the biggest crowd women’s football had ever seen - proof of the game’s pulling power. A year later, unsettled by the sport’s popularity and claiming it “unsuitable for females,” the FA banned women from its grounds. The ban lasted 50 years.
A century on, the audience is back, the stage is global, and the game is celebrated.
The 2022 Women’s Euros sold more than 600,000 tickets. The final drew 16 million UK viewers across broadcasters. Prize money doubled to £34 million. UEFA expects tournament revenues of €128 million, up 32 times on 2005. At club level, Women’s Super League attendances rose 227% in a year. FIFA reported 3.2 billion digital views during the 2023 World Cup.
Demand is visible in the saleroom. At our June auction, Mary Earps’ issued shirt for the 2022 Euros final sold for £1,400 - against a £150 estimate.
Our Head of Sporting Memorabilia, David Convery, says: “Shirts from the Lionesses’ 2025 final in Basel would command between £700 and £2,500 should they surface at auction.
“Leading the estimates is goalkeeper Hannah Hampton at £1,500-2,500, her two penalty saves and player-of-the-match performance cementing her as a standout in the final. Alessia Russo, who levelled the game, and Chloe Kelly, who scored in the shootout, would sit around £1,500-2,000.
Ella Toone’s return adds weight to her value. Collectors would also chase Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway and Leah Williamson, while Michelle Agyemang - UEFA’s Young Player of the Tournament - is already attracting international attention.”
And this growth extends beyond football.
Global revenues in women’s sport are forecast to reach £1.88 billion by 2025, a 240% rise in four years. Rugby’s 2024 Women’s Six Nations reached 8.1 million viewers, up 33% year-on-year, with nearly half the audience female. Ticket sales for the 2025 Rugby World Cup already exceed 300,000, with a near sell-out expected at Twickenham.
Cricket’s 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup drew 91,000 fans and 192 million viewing hours. The Women’s Hundred passed 320,000 attendees. In tennis, WTA coverage surpassed 1 billion global viewers in 2023 and climbed again to 1.1 billion last year.
Women’s sport has moved past potential. The numbers show demand, recognition, and audiences at scale. This is now part of the fabric of the sporting economy - and it is only accelerating.
