Copy article

Female athletes and finance

ended 20. May 2026

Women's sport is in a huge growth phase, with the athletes in question - deservedly - earning far more than they have historically. Increased earnings are being driven by a surge in commercial sponsorships, broadcasting rights and higher matchday attendances. We're writing an article on this and are looking for any advisers who have worked with female sportspeople or who have views on this high growth sector. What are the trends you're seeing, what's your advice to women sportspeople who may be earning far more than they were just five years ago and how does financial planning for athletes differ on the whole to that of normal people whose careers will last beyond their thirties? What are the specific hurdles women sportspeople have to clear? Any insights on women in sport, send them across.

 

3 responses from the Newspage community

Copy all

Copy

Editor
Paul Denley
CEO at Oakham Wealth Management
Women's sport is finally monetising the audience growth it has built for years. Sponsorship, broadcasting rights and attendances are improving rapidly, but so is the speed of change. Some athletes are seeing earnings transform within a single Olympic cycle, creating both opportunity and risk.

Wealth management for athletes differs from most careers because earnings are concentrated into a short window. Many may need to fund 50 years of life from perhaps 10 peak earning years.

For female athletes specifically, prize money gaps, maternity related disruption and less developed commercial ecosystems remain realities in parts of sport. The biggest risk when income rises quickly is lifestyle inflation. Sporting careers can change overnight through injury, loss of form, or deselection, making disciplined wealth management essential from the moment earnings rise - because a short successful sporting career, well managed, could fund a very long life.
Copy

Editor
Nouran Moustafa
Practice Principal & IFA at Roxton Wealth
Women’s sport is not a charity match anymore. It is not some academy side project being streamed quietly on YouTube. This is now a serious commercial market: sold-out stadiums, Sky Sports coverage, sponsorship money and young girls finally seeing a real pathway. But here is the uncomfortable truth: many female athletes are becoming higher earners without becoming financially secure. That is the gap people keep missing. They may sit in higher tax brackets, but they are still financially vulnerable because they do not earn male-footballer money and they do not have a normal 40year career to build wealth slowly. Their income window is short, uncertain and exposed to injury, selection, maternity, agents, contracts and public pressure. So the answer cannot just be “get advice”. We need lenders, investment providers, clubs and advisers to build around their actual lives. Women’s sport is giving the next generation the right to dream. Finance should not be the thing that quietly blocks that.
Copy

Premium
Gaurav Shukla
CEO at Home Me Mortgages
Women’s sport, especially football, is in a strong growth phase with rising salaries, sponsorships and broadcast income. That growth is positive, but the financial support around it hasn’t caught up.

The biggest gap is financial education. Many athletes are now earning significantly more, but with volatile, short-term income and limited structure to plan long term.

There’s also an advisory gap. Not enough experienced advisers are actively supporting women’s sport, largely because historically the wealth wasn’t there. That’s changing fast.

Women athletes need the same support as men, if not more in this growth phase. Careers are short, injuries can end income quickly, and earnings are increasingly performance and sponsorship driven.

Without early planning, we risk repeating the post-career financial issues seen in the men’s game. Financial planning needs to start from day one of a career.