26 January 2024 , 09:26
834
0
Women’s football is set for a seismic shake-up in just six months as NewCo begins its takeover of the top two divisions with aims to set aside “judgement and direct comparison to the men’s game”.
For the last 14 years, the professionalisation and growth of the Women’s Super League – and from 2014, the Women’s Championship – has fallen under the jurisdiction of the Football Association (FA). But at the end of the current domestic season, the newly established 'NewCo', owned by the 24 clubs in the WSL and Championship, will take charge of the top two tiers on a standalone basis.
The decision is a viewed as an essential development for the women's game at a time when revenues, attendance and TV coverage are also increasing rapidly. NewCo's powers will include the ability to make changes to the structure of the league, agree new broadcast deals, invest in new technology and officiate and implement rule changes.
How swiftly changes are implemented has been a major talking point as the deadline approaches. But NewCo chief executive and former Nike director Nikki Doucet emphasised that myriad issues and questions still require attention in order to achieve the ambitions set out by the body's proposals, which has been coined 'Project Moonshoot'.
The structure of the new board is still to be decided, alongside the potential addition of video assistant referees (VAR), 'VAR Lite', and full-time referees. Speaking to media on Thursday, Doucet said that the body is still “working through legal documentation”, thus many changes before next season are unlikely.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
"We have what we believe the structure is, and then it just takes time," said Doucet. "Basically we have put forward a proposal, which I call 'Project Moonshot'. When I worked at Nike, we always talked about 'where the consumer is going next' and to try and imagine what doesn't exist yet. We would call those 'moonshots'.
"It is a proposal that all the clubs agreed to, and right now we're working through the legal transition of coming out of the FA into the independent group. The clubs will own the NewCo - the independent company - and the FA will have a special share within that, as they do with the Premier League."
Doucet underscored the importance of understanding the fanbase and "creating a company that obsesses over that", a venture that will require patience.
The Conti Cup will continue under the NewCo takeover (Photo by Alan Walter - Arsenal FC/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)NewCo’s chief stated that the body agrees with all the recommendations put forth by former England international Karen Carney in her fan-led review. The ex-Birmingham City midfielder claimed domestic women’s football could become a “billion-pound industry” in a decade.
The 126-page report also recommended the full professionalisation of the top two tiers and called for a new regular broadcast slot for women’s football to be made available on television. The broadcast discourse was thrust into the limelight earlier this month as a scheduling oversight saw Arsenal ’s WSL clash with Everton fell into Saturday’s 3pm ‘blackout’. Doucet said NewCo is “exploring” the options.
On claims of a potential billion-pound industry, Doucet refrained from “placing a number on” the ceiling of the game, but she did stress that promotion and relegation will remain integral parts of the game, dashing rumours of a potentially “closed league”.
Next season will see 12 teams in both leagues. When questioned about a potential expansion of the WSL in the future, Doucet said it is "something we'll look at". Doucet also confirmed that the Women’s League Cup (Conti Cup) competition will continue and that negotiations over a new broadcast deal are ongoing.
The current broadcast deal, worth £8 million annually and split between the BBC and Sky Sports, is set to expire at the end of this season. "We're in the market. We're having conversations with the broadcasters now," said Doucet. "When we think about the broadcast [deal], for the fans, we have to make it as easy as possible to watch the league."