WSL aiming to tap into 'Taylor Swift fanbase' as English women’s football chief executive Nikki Doucet stresses need to 'create different content'

The summer has brought significant changes to the women's game as a new company, Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), has taken over the Women's Super League and Championship and promised a "new era". Nikki Doucet is leading the charge to continue the growth of the women's game and has outlined some plans for the future.

Doucet told the Guardian that the aim is to "build the most distinctive, competitive and entertaining women’s football club competition in the world", which will require significant investment and an ability to understand the fanbase to grow it further. The new chief feels there are three distinct types of fans: hardcore supporters, those who regularly attend men's games but take their children to more "family friendly" women's matches and a third 'Swifties'-type demographic that remains untapped.

Doucet said: "In the middle, you have a fan that’s come in through the Lionesses, untethered to the men’s game. They’re not tribal and they’re learning about us. They’re trying to find highlights, they love the players and that’s the biggest group that the football ecosystem doesn’t know enough about. That’s your ‘Taylor Swift fanbase’ for that particular analogy. And I don’t think anyone talks to them in the way that we need to. We have a responsibility to.”

The job is so far proving difficult, with Doucet highlighting the differences with the men's game. She added: “It’s harder than I thought. Because women’s football has to do more to prove the return on investment, so even though we have stats that are comparable to other sports, other challenger sports and other challenger brands, you’re constantly having to prove that there’s a market.

“It’s different to men’s football. It’s easy to sell men’s football today. So we have to invest and learn how to talk to a fanbase that we don’t talk to normally and we have to create different content.”

Clubs are currently in pre-season and preparing for the start of the new 2024-25 WSL campaign. The season is due to kick off in September in style with a blockbuster clash between Arsenal and Manchester City. Meanwhile, defending champions Chelsea will begin life after Emma Hayes against Aston Villa.