FINANCIAL experts say the growing momentum in women’s sport, with professional female athletes earning considerably more than ever before, is leading to many becoming higher earners without the necessary financial foundations in place, as the support “hasn’t caught up”.
The rapid commercial growth of women’s sport has transformed earning potential for elite athletes in recent years.
The Rugby World Cup final last year saw Twickenham 82,000 stadium sell out while football’s Women’s Super League continues to attract record attendances, sponsorship deals and broadcast audiences.
Canadian forward Olivia Smith became women’s football’s first £1million transfer when she moved from Liverpool to Arsenal in July 2025.
The top earners in global women’s sport now command incomes in the multi-millions through salaries, prize money and endorsements, with leading footballers and tennis stars earning well into seven figures annually.
However, experts warn that rising earnings do not automatically lead to long-term financial security.
Elite sporting careers are often short and unpredictable, while industry figures say the financial infrastructure around women’s sport is still developing, leaving many athletes without the appropriate long-term planning, mortgage and wealth management support.
The financial support around it hasn’t caught up
Nouran Moustafa, Practice Principal & IFA at Roxton Wealth, said financial advice and protection needs to evolve alongside the rise of women’s sport.
She added: “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 40-year 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.”
Paul Denley, CEO at London-based Oakham Wealth Management, said “lifestyle inflation” needs to be taken into account.
He added: “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.”
The biggest gap is financial education
Gaurav Shukla, CEO at Marlow-based Home Me Mortgages, said financial education is needed.
He added: “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.”
