WSL secures record ‘£45m’ Barclays title sponsorship renewal
Barclays has signed a three-year renewal to remain as the title sponsor of the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship.
The deal, which is reportedly worth £45m over three years or £15m annually, is the most lucrative in the history of domestic women’s football, according to the official release.
The renewal of the partnership, which first began in 2019, will see the British bank ‘double’ its investment in the women’s game from 2025 to 2028.
Barclays initially came on board as the WSL’s title sponsor in 2019, before agreeing to a three-year renewal from the 2022/23 season which also included sponsorship of the Women’s Championship.
The latest agreement is the first to be signed with Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), the new governing body of the top two tiers of English women’s football, which took over from the Football Association (FA) from the start of the 2024/25 season.
Barclays has additionally renewed its Barclays Girls’ Football School Partnership, with the FA, which now will run until 2028.
The programme, which launched in 2019, aims to make football more accessible for girls in schools, and currently has more than 20,000 participating schools.
“Barclays has been a leading light when it comes to supporting women’s football and they become a founding partner for WPLL as we embark on a transformational journey to grow the game,” said Nikki Doucet, CEO of WPLL.
“This record multi-year investment demonstrates long-term commitment and is important because it provides positive endorsement and increased support for what we are trying to accomplish.”
Tom Corbett, Group Head of Sponsorship at Barclays, added, “I speak for all my colleagues when I say how proud we are to be continuing our sponsorship of football.
“This latest agreement solidifies our long-term commitment to supporting the game at every level and creating opportunities for everyone to benefit from it.”
News of the extension coincides with the start of the new WSL season, which kicked off on Friday 20th September.
Barclays’ expansive sports partnership portfolio includes the Premier League, as well as Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
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