WSL's biggest trailblazers including four Lionesses and Drake's favourite player
From Gucci and Google Pixel to Logan Paul and KSI’s energy drink Prime, the brands wanting to work with women’s footballers are vast and varied.
And the impact on the wider game could be huge as new audience numbers continue to grow. Already this season, Women’s Super League clubs have relished significant gate receipts as fans bid to catch glimpses of their favourite stars in action.
Mirror Football takes you through some of the WSL’s most influential women’s football stars who are growing the game through their marketing enterprises and their growing influence off the pitch.
Alisha Lehmann - Aston Villa
Is there another women’s footballer tapping into the media world off the pitch as aptly as the 24-year-old? From racking up over 15.5million Instagram followers to becoming the first female athlete to sign a marketing deal with Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime energy drink, Lehmann is redefining what it means to be a modern-day women’s football star.
Drake is the latest celebrity to line-up in the DMs of the Aston Villa forward, a not-too-shabby feat for Lehmann who was two years old when the Canadian rapper graced television sets as Jimmy Brooks at Degrassi High School.
Earps reacts to FIFA Best nomination and on season so far with Man Utd
Critics can argue that Lehmann’s influential celebrity only spans as far as an Instagram post. But the Villa forward is expanding the game’s reach to a wider audience. If Drake is wearing an Aston Villa Women’s kit (and tuning into matches where possible), the likelihood is more will follow.
Alisha Lehmann received a message from Drake (Getty Images)Lauren James - Chelsea
English football’s starlet was tipped to be the summer’s biggest breakout. And with advertisements from Nike, Google Pixel, Sure, Barclays and more projecting her face into the living rooms and sports bars around the country, the summer promised to become one indistinguishable James blur.
The 21-year-old showed precisely what makes her women’s football’s most exciting prospect as she single-handedly shaped the Lionesses' World Cup attack into her image.
And while her sending off against Nigeria threatened to leave her major tournament debut with a sour aftertaste, the fanfare around James has only grown as old and new fans alike attempt to get a glimpse of James in action.
Lauren James enjoyed a memorable Women's World Cup (Getty Images)Leah Williamson - Arsenal
The Arsenal and England skipper is known for her composure and assured presence in any defence but Williamson has also fast become a familiar face gracing the covers of Vogue and the windows of Gucci.
Reports suggest that the 26-year-old could have raked in about £4million off the back of her £150,000-a-year contract with Arsenal and a host of sponsorship deals, which also include Nike and Pepsi.
Williamson has not been on the pitch in over six months due to an ACL injury, but her presence on various red carpets and at media events remains prevalent and critical to growing the profile of women’s football.
Leah Williamson suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury and missed the Women's World Cup (PA)Mary Earps - Manchester United
Was there a larger fracas consuming sport this summer than Nike’s Mary Earps debacle? If the England No 1 (and World No 1) wasn’t already a household name, her take on of the American sportswear giant was thrust into every media spotlight.
So far, it’s been game, set and match for Earps, who not only got her goalkeeper shirt on the shelves at Nike but had those shirts sold out within the blink of an eye – all without Nike technically telling anyone, not even Eaprs herself.
Earps is sponsored by Adidas, along with Swedish functional drink ROCCO, Holiday Inn Express and sports equipment manufacturer Reusch, whose gloves the 30-year-old wears in between the sticks. But after her Nike row, Earps has arguably never been bigger - and she promises to only keep growing.
Man Utd boss Skinner sends firm message to Arsenal over Russo contract saga
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Mary Earps is a big player for Manchester United both on and off the pitch (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)Sam Kerr - Chelsea
On its own, Kerr’s uncanny penchant for goalscoring should make the Australian an international sensation, but the striker’s iconic celebratory backflip emblazoned on the cover of FIFA’s premier sports video game certainly amplified the hype, and led to the addition of the Women's Champions League in the game's latest installation.
Kerr has long been one of women’s football’s biggest names, a 13-year partnership with Nike testament to that. But her stardom grew after deals with Mastercard and EA Sports, earning her a reported $3.3million last year, shot her into the highest public sphere.
Go to any Chelsea match and the signs begging for Kerr’s attention are rife. After a World Cup in which her exploits were sparse and rare, the clamour has only grown.
Alessia Russo - Arsenal
The Lioness is often spotted sporting her Beats by Dr Dre and her various Adidas clobber when not donning her new Arsenal strip on the weekends or being photographed for the front cover of magazines.
Russo’s cheeky backheel at Euro2022 shot her into the public stratosphere, making her one of the most exciting new English faces in the game but also landing her a raft of deals with huge brand names.
In fact, upon her move to north London, Russo reportedly became the first WSL player to earn more than £1million-a-year with her various deals and salary, testament to the reach the Lioness touts in today’s game.
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