Women’s football continues to grow more and more as the days pass, and now, in England, it could have a high boost after Barclays, the Premier League’s major sponsor, and who now has become the lead sponsor of Women in Football (WiF), the professional network for women working in the football industry (No; not this one. He, he).
Anyway, Barclays, which’s also the sponsor of the Barclays FA Women’s Super League, has had a good partnership with WiF, but they finally agreed on signing a new 3-year deal to expand that relationship.
It’ll run until October 2022 and it will see Barclays help the footballing network to grow its reach, expand its leadership course and help to deliver the message of women’s football across England. Clearly, something that will increase even more the interest and engagement on the people, especially now that the WSL is gathering such great attendance numbers this 2019/20 season.
On one side, Jane Purdon, CEO, Women in Football, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for everyone involved in the football industry. “They have made an unprecedented commitment to football as a whole, men’s and women’s, and we’re delighted to have this opportunity to work with them for the next three years.”
On the other side, Tom Corbett, Barclays’ Head of Group Sponsorship, added:
“Women and Football have come a long way since it was established over ten years ago, and I am proud that we have been a partner for most of that time. However, they’re now growing rapidly and playing an increasingly important role in football and it is right that we increase our involvement to reflect this.
“In the last six months, we have also sponsored the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and the FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships, which aims to give girls greater access to football in schools.
“Inspired by the Women in Football #WhatIf campaign launched in 2018, to encourage businesses, celebrities and members of the public to identify one way that they could take action to contribute to an improvement for women and girls within the football industry, we are delighted that FA committed to making sure all girls had access to football by 2024, something we were only too pleased to support.
“Together with our long-term partnership with the Premier League, this all helps us deliver on our ambition to create opportunities with football,” he ended.
Ultimately, these kinds of collaborations are great to see, even if they don’t seem very relevant, as they give a big boost to women’s football, inside and outside the pitch.
Women’s football continues to increase in popularity and global appearance, so I hope these collaborations continue to happen more often, flourishing women’s football, in England, but also all around the globe.
WOMEN IN FOOTBALL: THE GLASS CEILING 