A new study has attached a dollar figure to the explosion of professional women’s sports in Canada, estimating the market value could grow to more than half a billion dollars by 2030.
In the last two years, Canada has seen the launch of the all-Canadian Northern Super League as well as the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which is adding its fourth Canadian franchise this fall in Vancouver. Next to come is the Toronto Tempo, a WNBA expansion team that will begin play next season.
During that same period of time, the market value of pro women’s sports in this country has doubled in size to an estimated $380 million to $400 million, according to the report released on Monday from Canadian Women & Sport, a national non-profit.
Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, the CEO of Canadian Women & Sport, said the addition of the NSL, PWHL and expansion of the WNBA into Canada is permanently changing the Canadian sport landscape.
“It truly is an exciting time and I would say it’s as if the lights are coming on in Canada,” Sandmeyer-Graves said in an interview with CBC Sports. “We’re catching up to our global counterparts in a hurry, whereas we were a bit behind before.”
From the launches of the PWHL and the NSL, to the smashing success of the WNBA in recent years, women’s sports have become big business.
The research published in the new study was developed in partnership with both the Canadian Tire Corporation and The Collective, a global advocacy and advisory arm of Wasserman that focuses on investment in women.
The report, called It’s Time: Leading the Next Era of Growth, also says two in three Canadians identify as fans of women’s sport.
The data in the report is aimed directly at brands, particularly those who remain on the fence about investing in women’s sport. Some have jumped in while others are biding their time to see where they might fit.
“While we respect that and we do want brands to show up with that strategic approach, we want to really encourage them to move into this space,” Sandmeyer-Graves said. “We felt that coming to them with data and insights that speaks more directly to their perspective could be a helpful thing for them.”
‘We’re here to stay’
The six-team NSL just completed its inaugural regular season, where AFC Toronto clinched the first Supporters’ Shield.
The NSL final is set for Nov. 15 at BMO Field in Toronto, where the first NSL champion will be crowned and will lift the Diana B. Matheson Cup.
In that first season, the report says avid fans of the NSL were two times as likely to follow athletes on social media than fans of men’s Major League Soccer (MLS), and 21 per cent more likely to engage with team social media channels.
Christina Litz, the NSL’s president, said the data in the report show how fans of women’s sport are different, and they’re not going anywhere.
“This research and support really helps us when we go in to meet with Canadian brands and convince them to get on board at this early stage,” Litz told CBC Sports. “That being said, this is still the beginning. There are still a lot of brands that are on the fence and thinking that somehow this is a trend. What this report shows is it’s not. We’re here to stay, and we’re growing.”
The PWHL will begin its third season Nov. 21, marking the beginning of the league’s eight-team era. Vancouver and Seattle are joining the Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, New York Sirens, Minnesota Frost and Boston Fleet.
Last season, more than 737,000 fans attended a PWHL regular season or playoff game, while sales of PWHL merchandise doubled season over season, according to the league’s figures.
Data from the Canadian Women & Sport report also suggests 53 per cent of Canadians who are interested in the PWHL identify as “avid fans,” and are 85 per cent more likely to watch games regularly on TV.
The Toronto Tempo, meanwhile, enters the WNBA at a time when women’s professional and NCAA basketball is soaring in popularity, thanks to young stars like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. The team will begin play next spring after an expansion draft.
In addition to new teams and leagues, Canada was already home to major women’s tournaments such as the National Bank Open in tennis and the CPKC Women’s Open in golf.
