Research: Women’s football

Research summary

Our research examines the development of women’s football worldwide and the increasingly higher profile role of women in football locally, nationally and internationally.

While more and more girls and women are playing the sport and there is growing media coverage of elite women’s football, there remains a significant gulf with the men’s game.

We compare women’s and men’s football, examining how professional clubs provide organisational support, integrate the squads at different levels and attempt to enhance gender equality and gender equity.

Our research also investigates the promotion and sustainability of women’s football as a commercial product, including what influences fan demand.

We consider fans of women’s football - how they can be categorised and understood in groups.

And we examine aspects of elite performance - what determines international performance in women’s football, and what factors affect competitive balance and competitive intensity.

Individual projects are investigating:

• the impact of women’s super-clubs on competitive balance, using the UEFA Women’s Champions League as a case study
• competitive balance and intensity in European men’s and women’s football, using the UEFA Champions League as a case study
• younger generations of fans of women’s football
• the impacts of diversity initiatives on gender equality in professional football workplaces
• cross-country comparative analysis of policies to support the development of women’s football

Research outputs

Journal articles

• Scelles, N (2021) Policy, political and economic determinants of the evolution of competitive balance in the FIFA women’s football World Cups. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics
• Valenti, M, Peng, Q and Rocha, C (2021) Integration between women’s and men’s football clubs: a comparison between Brazil, China and Italy. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics,
• Valenti, M, Scelles, N and Morrow, S (2020) Elite sport policies and international sporting success: A panel data analysis of European women’s national football team performance. European Sport Management Quarterly, 20(3), 300-320
• Valenti, M, Scelles, N and Morrow, S (2020) The determinants of stadium attendance in elite women’s football: Evidence from the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Sport Management Review, 23(3), 509-520
• Valenti, M, Scelles, N and Morrow, S (2018) Women’s football studies: An integrative review. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 8(5), 511-528.

News

• Scelles, N (2019). Women’s World Cup: The science of what makes a good football game for fans. The Conversation UK