I’ve lived in the United States long enough to call it soccer now—but where I come from, it’s most definitely football, and it is life.
I grew up 20 minutes from Dens Park, home to Scottish Premier League team Dundee FC (not to be confused with Dundee United). I inherited my fandom from my mother, who sneaked off to matches in her teens without her parents knowing. Back then, few girls followed football, let alone played it. During my high school years, I spent five days a week on the field hockey pitch—something I loved but wished it could be football.
When I moved to South Florida in the late ’90s, I latched onto the short-lived Miami Fusion, then in Boston dabbled in the New England Revolution. Major League Soccer (MLS) was an upstart at the time, fighting for a toehold among the Big Four (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) and barely hanging on in some markets.
In Scotland, fandom is an unbreakable bond passed down from generation to generation; here, it felt fleeting. I drifted to other U.S. spectator sports, though I still checked the results for Dundee FC and my dad’s beloved Tottenham Hotspur every week. I couldn’t ignore, though, when the US Women’s National Team roared into the spotlight, hosting, and winning the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Women’s United Soccer Association and Women’s Professional Soccer laid the foundation, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) took root—emerging as the premier league in the U.S. and now a global powerhouse. The momentum shows no signs of slowing. At the August 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship, there were record-breaking viewership numbers, exceeding 400 million live viewers worldwide and a cumulative audience of over 500 million for all programming.
The accelerating business of women’s soccer in this country is buoyed by a level of fan loyalty that, according to new analysis, is the stuff of dreams for brand marketers.
THE LOYALTY PLAYBOOK BRANDS CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE
Parity’s latest research shows that women’s soccer fans aren’t just passionate—they’re purchase-driven. They are 58% more likely than other women’s sports fans to buy from a brand because of a sponsorship, and two-thirds say a brand’s investment in women’s sports makes them proud to support it.
They also exhibit a high level of trust, with 78% expressing confidence that female athletes believe in the products and services they promote… In an era when trust is the hardest currency to earn, women’s soccer fans are essentially handing brands a blank check—f the brand shows up authentically.
And it’s not just that they support women’s soccer. They’re active in the broader sports ecosystem:
- 60% also watch women’s basketball
- 43% follow women’s volleyball
- 39% watch women’s tennis.
That’s more than crossover appeal—that’s a multiplier effect for brands that know how to build for communities, not just customer segments.
The numbers are climbing on every front: streaming minutes, in-person attendance, social engagement, and sponsorship dollars. In 2025 alone, the NWSL has secured multiple league-level sponsors—AT&T, bobbie, e.l.f. Beauty, Tylenol, and Unwell—with more likely to follow. What’s striking is that fans don’t just tolerate brand involvement; they welcome it when it’s done well, with 60% saying brands still aren’t doing enough. They see it as investment in something they care about deeply, and they reward it with attention, trust, and spending power.
BUILDING BELONGING, NOT JUST AWARENESS
Too often, sports marketing—and marketing in general—is about visibility. More impressions. More eyeballs. More reach. But women’s soccer fans are showing that the real key to loyalty is belonging. The brands winning in this space aren’t the ones plastering logos in the background; they’re the ones collaborating with players, telling authentic stories, and meeting fans in their spaces, both physical and digital.
For example, Modelo launched a ‘fun campaign’ that sent Angel City FC captain Ali Riley into the stands to interact with fans at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup. Another notable example is Gainbridge’s 5-year naming rights investment in the USL Super League coupled with naming goalkeeping legend Briana Scurry a brand ambassador. These case studies highlight the opportunity to build long-term loyalty by leading with values first and commerce second.
For every brand chasing Gen Z, trying to resonate with women, or attempting to reach multicultural audiences, the women’s soccer community is essentially a ready-made blueprint. But the window for first-mover advantage is closing.
Proof point: the next big stage in pop culture
So, when it comes to soccer in this country, is the future female? Consider this: in Parity’s study, 63% of soccer enthusiasts in the U.S. tune in to women’s soccer, with 25% indicating that they only follow the women’s game.
But if the business metrics don’t convince you, maybe this will: the next season of Ted Lasso will focus on the women’s side of AFC Richmond. That’s not just a creative decision—it’s part of the cultural movement. Jason Sudeikis, a proud supporter of women’s sports, is helping cement women’s soccer as a central storyline in global sports culture through this beloved series.
What was once considered niche is now mainstream. And in sports, as in business, the brands that build loyalty early are the ones fans—and consumers—never forget.
Leela Srinivasan is the CEO of Parity
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