Watching Women’s Sports

Sales of licensed products tied to women’s pro sports have always been a fraction of what men’s leagues, teams, players associations, and events bring in. That remains true today. But there have been signals over the past couple of years that this still-small sector may be poised for expansion:

• In November, the NFL Players Association, the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (which represents athletes on women’s soccer teams), and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (which represents WNBA athletes) co-founded REP Worldwide. The new agency handles female pro athletes’ group licensing, content, and endorsement activities. The NFLPA is the majority shareholder and brings to the table the marketing and content services and other resources it has developed for its NFL athletes.
• The Union of European Football Associations signed Brappz in 2017 as the licensee for customizable bracelets for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017, a global football/soccer tournament. The bracelets featured charms tied to the 16 teams in the tournament, as well as the event itself. This comparatively small deal is a still-uncommon instance in which a women’s pro event, league, or team has been licensed individually, rather than as an add-on to a deal that focuses mainly on men’s sports.
• The Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA), which has overseen a licensing program over the years, has been refreshing and expanding its efforts since the hiring of a new agent, The Brand Liaison, in 2015. Some of the initiatives it has introduced since then have included apparel, accessories, and a flagship store in Korea with MK Trend; golf club headcovers with Just4Golf, tied to the LPGA and LPGA-USGA Girls’ Golf brands; golf apparel with Sport Haley (co-branded under the licensee’s Sport Haley and Bette and Court brands); and socks and hosiery with Best Legwear.
• The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament, which took place in Canada, generated merchandise sales about four times the level of the previous event in 2011, according to FIFA. Some of the reasons cited for the growth included the organization having recently taken its licensing operations in-house and a boost in e-commerce initiatives to support the Cup. Increased fan interest in women’s soccer also likely contributed. Among the licensees were Fan Ink for apparel, accessories, and novelties; Wincraft for stationery, home goods, and accessories; Carlton Books for published products; and Kayford for toys, including plush.

As noted, many women’s sports products have come to fruition as part of broader agreements involving several properties, primarily related to men’s sports. NBA Properties often licenses the WNBA and its teams in such group deals, for example. This was the case when it authorized Discovery Education to use game footage and statistics from both the NBA and WNBA in a math curriculum, and when it licensed New Era to create headwear for the WNBA along with the NBA and its developmental league (now known as the G League).

Similarly, when the Euro 2020 organizing committee kicked off its search last year for a master licensee for its flagship European Football Championship, the mandate encompassed a range of other UEFA events too, including the next UEFA European Women’s Championship, as well as the UEFA Nations League Finals, UEFA Futsal Euro, and UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Each takes place in one of the years from 2019 through 2022.