Increased Interest in Betting on Women’s Football
Betting on women’s football has become increasingly popular since England won the European Championships last year. There was even more interest in the Women’s World Cup that was held last month.
That wasn’t just because of England’s run to the final. Women’s football has been on the rise for a fair while now with more attention also being paid to domestic football. Betting on the Women’s Super League in England and the Champions League has continued to increase.
While it was disappointing to see England lose in the Women’s World Cup final on August 20th, it was a match that grabbed the attention of the nation and that included those who love to bet on football. The after-match activities of a certain official have ensured that women’s football has stayed in the headlines.
LiveScore.bet say that they saw “exponential growth” in the number of bets that were placed on the Women’s World Cup. Their sportsbook director is James McKay and he says that betting on women’s football is now as much a part of their app as it is placing wagers on the English Premier League.
It is clear that interest in the women’s game has increased dramatically since England lost in the 2019 semi-finals. The Women’s Super League has received more media coverage and that will again be the case when the 2023-2 season begins on October 1.
One reason that women’s football has grabbed the attention of bettors is the fact that top clubs now have female as well as men’s teams. Both the Manchester clubs, all-conquering Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham all have successful sides in the Women’s Super League. Fans of those clubs who also love betting on football are keen to follow the women’s team and place wager on their matches.
2022 was an important year for the women’s game in the UK. England didn’t just host the European Championships but won the final. English players are now household names, perhaps even more so after the 2023 Women’s World Cup. All of this is leading to even more bets being placed on the women’s game according to various British bookmakers.
Finding an audience for the events that bookmakers offer odds on is so important. There’s no point putting events on your online sportsbook that few people want to place bets on. James McKay believes that even if England hadn’t gone so far last month, “the audience is there.”
Other UK bookmakers agree with his view that a “different kind of person” is betting on the women’s game. Entain have revealed that during the 2023 Women’s World Cup, 21% of bets wagered on the tournament had been placed by women. That’s up 8% on the amount for the last Women’s World Cup and 4% higher than for Euro 2022.
With women’s football now becoming so popular to place bets on, bookmakers are taking female events a lot more seriously. That’s shown by the fact that betting offers previously just used for men’s matches are now made available for the women’s game too.
The next few months are going to be important for the women’s game. They have attracted the attention of new fans and bettors, now they have to keep them. The worst thing that could happen is that those new fans just drift away.
That is very unlikely to happen though as later in September, the UEFA Nations League is launched. There’s been a men’s Nations League for the past few years and now the women’s version is on the way.
England are in League A and plenty of gamblers will be keen to go to online sportsbooks and bet on them adding the Nations League title to the European crown they hold. Their first match is against Scotland on September 22 and that’s always a fixture that is going to grab the attention of plenty of fans and bettors. Four days later, England travel to the Netherlands, another match that will keep fans interested in betting on women’s football.
The scheduling of those two England games is perfect. It’ll put women’s football back into the headlines just a few days before the Women’s Super League begins. That’s covered by Sky Sports as well as some terrestrial coverage and online.
Odds will be available for all the matches that are being played in the Women’s Super League. Showing matches live on television is always a way to boost the figures for those who wish to bet on the games.
With the Women’s Champions League also being played this season, there is going to be even more coverage of the female side of football. This is going to see the interest in betting on the sport continue to flourish, especially if British teams get good results. It promises to be an exciting time for those who follow and bet on women’s football.
