Lionesses now worth millions in sponsorship, say PR experts

theguardian.com:

The Lionesses are poised to increase their sponsorship value tenfold after their win on Sunday, PR experts have predicted, with individual players likely to secure lucrative brand deals and endorsements worth millions of pounds.

But there were calls on Monday to ensure that the inevitable spike in interest, and funding, also cascades down to grassroots level, including making sure that women’s teams don’t continue to be lumped with unsociable pitch hours or remote places with poor access to public transport.

A record-breaking 17 million viewers watched England’s 2-1 victory over Germany, making it the most-watched women’s football game in UK television history and the most-watched TV event of the year. Another 87,192 fans saw them live at Wembley stadium.

James Herring, an expert in consumer brands and PR, and co-founder of the agency Taylor Herring, said those figures matter. “If you’re a big brand and you’re thinking of investing millions in sports sponsorship, you need to know there will be a return to your investment from bums in seats and eyes on matches and this tournament has done that … They’ve smashed it. It’s been brilliant,” he said.

The squad will reportedly receive a bonus of £55,000 each, totalling £1.3m, for winning the tournament under a deal with the Football Association (FA). This is in addition to a reported £2,000 a match in appearance fees.

Brands have already flocked to the squad, with right-back Lucy Bronze striking deals with Pepsi and Visa, for example, but this is expected to be only the start. “I think the sponsorship values for the Lionesses will increase tenfold from what they can expect to be banking from commercial values,” Herring said.

He estimates that the team’s sponsorship value will have