Opinion piece: Women’s football has spent years arguing that it deserves more money. Now that the money is finally arriving, it is worth asking where it comes from – and what women’s football is willing to sacrifice to get it.
A professional football contract used to be relatively easy to define. Salary. Contract length. Bonuses. Transfer provisions. Termination. Women’s football is making that picture considerably more complicated.
Alexia Putellas’ WSL debut, a sold-out stadium and a squad packed with some of the biggest names in the game. The 2026–27 season could hardly begin under a brighter spotlight for London City Lionesses.
For some football fans, watching a match means grabbing a ticket, heading to the stadium and going home when the final whistle blows. For the dedicated others, it means booking a flight, finding a hotel and planning an entire weekend (or longer!) around the game.
For more than two years, Tottenham Hotspur’s proposed Women’s and Girls’ Training Centre at Whitewebbs Park has represented one of the most significant legal disputes at the intersection of women’s football, planning law and environmental protection.