Women's sports are here and part of the mainstream. They are not a novelty or charitable contribution. Fans are flocking to watch live, on screens, and are actively participating the discussions on social media. Attendance records are broken weekly across nearly every women's sport and viewership continues raise the bar for what is "normal". The desire to get in on the ground floors of an industry on the cusp of boom is apparent in the headlines every day.
Investment is now bringing the opportunity create infrastructure and get step away from a shared model for stadiums, training grounds, and other facilities. Two great examples from the world of global football show two unique ways that organizations continue to step up the investment in women's sport.
The KC Current will open the world's first stadium built specifically for women's sports later in 2024 when they kick off the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) campaign. CPKC has purchased the naming rights to the 11,500 capacity venue.
Sports Business lesson - - What are the revenue streams associated with owning your own stadium? What are the advantages of being the primary occupant of a venue? What are the risks involved? What are the expenses? How can the KC Current use this stadium to ultimately improve the team and build their brand in the NWSL and globally?
Manchester City Football Club is investing in some new infrastructure for their Women's side. Manchester City Women are currently not lacking when it comes to elite facilities. They train on the daily at the $250M City Football Academy and on that campus is a purpose built 7K stadium, which is the first of its kind in the Women's Super League. Now they have announced a $12M 17K sq ft building that will be built to both mirror the high performance center enjoyed by the men's side and bring in unique features driven by the female athlete's needs. The building will be constructed to be expanded as the team grows to be able to one day accommodate reserve sides and youth teams.
Sports Business Lesson - - Why are training facilities important to organizations? What does investment in these "details" say to players, staff, fans, and the world? Are there potential revenue streams in this additional facility?
Finally, why is it so important for teams, especially Women's Teams in this moment in time, to have their own infrastructure, to be primary residents in facilities, to control certain revenue streams?
Comments