The Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) is elated to announce yet another milestone achieved during its remarkable journey as a premier women’s sports league. The live broadcast of this past Saturday’s WFA PRO National Championship Game on ESPN2 garnered an extraordinary viewership, leaving an indelible mark on the sports broadcasting landscape.
With an impressive 174,000 live viewers, the 2023 National Championship Game surpassed all expectations. Not only was it the most-watched event of the day on ESPN2, it outperformed the average Saturday ESPN2 viewership by an astonishing 33%. For perspective the WFA National Championship viewership exceeded previous major televised women’s sporting events including the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) National Championship and almost doubled the viewership numbers for the 2022 National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), The Isobel Cup.
Lisa King, the Commissioner of WFA, expressed her excitement at the remarkable success of the National Championship broadcast, remarking, “To be ahead of where the NWSL was a few years ago in terms of Championship viewership is a promising feat, especially considering the 2023 NWSL National Championship reached over 900,000 viewers, a 450% increase in 4 years. The growth and impact of women’s football on the television viewership landscape are awe-inspiring, and it showcases the immense potential and enthusiasm of our ever-expanding fan base.”
Women’s sports broadcasting has witnessed an unprecedented surge in viewership, with projections estimating a staggering 2 billion viewers tuning in for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The WFA takes great pride in being part of this transformative movement that continues to captivate audiences worldwide and elevate the status of women’s sports to new heights.
From a media standpoint, the WFA’s 2023 Season achieved nothing short of a resounding success, with record-breaking attention from renowned news outlets. The league was featured prominently across MSN, Sports Illustrated, NFL Network, Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports, Boston Globe, CBS News, and a myriad of local news outlets. The comprehensive media coverage amassed an astounding potential reach of over 2.3 billion, with 1200 media outlets actively covering the league. Leading up to the National Championship, the WFA brand garnered an impressive potential reach of 414 million from 114 publications, further magnifying the league’s growing impact on the world stage.
The WFA remains committed to its mission of empowering women in sports, and these remarkable achievements are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and unwavering support from fans, players, and partners alike. As the league continues to soar to new heights, it is with immense pride that we share these groundbreaking accomplishments and thank everyone who has contributed to making women’s football a resounding success.
