Global Market Analysis of the Women’s Football Business

Established in 2021 as Japan's first professional women's football league, the WE League has completed its fourth season and is now entering a phase that requires further sustainable development. With the commercial value of women's football rising rapidly on a global scale, the challenge was to grasp the current position of the Japanese market using objective indicators. Furthermore, it was necessary to derive unique growth strategies and concrete measures for Japan by analyzing successful case studies from leading overseas leagues.

As a joint project with the WE League, we conducted a detailed investigation and analysis of business models from the four major Western leagues (USA, England, Spain, and Germany).

・Multifaceted Information Gathering
We adopted a comprehensive approach that combined the analysis of official data and financial reports from each league with interviews with experts and on-site inspections.

・Utilization of Specialized Frameworks
Using our proprietary sports business analysis framework, we conducted a deep dive from four perspectives: revenue structure, marketing, finance, and growth strategy.

・Quantitative and Qualitative Comparison
By comparing quantitative data—such as broadcasting rights fees and attendance figures—with qualitative data, such as sponsorship trends, we visualized the room for growth in the Japanese market.

The investigation revealed the unique strengths and potential of Japanese women's football. Key findings included significant growth potential in broadcasting rights revenue, a trend of acquiring "women's league-exclusive sponsors" that differs from Western models, and an attendance growth rate approaching global standards.
These findings were published as a joint report. The project not only provided concrete guidelines for the further development of women's football in Japan but also played a significant role in highlighting new investment opportunities within the sports business to the wider market.