In the wake of Euro 2025, the buzz around women’s football is louder than ever. The big tournaments bring massive interest, but the real challenge for pubs is what happens after the final whistle.
How do you entice those big tournament fans back to watch WSL action week after week once the confetti has settled?
Women’s football is definitely an opportunity for pubs to reach new audiences of customers at different times, but the dynamics of women’s football fans differ from the traditional pub football crowd. It requires different thinking and real commitment.
Vs the men’s game, fan expectations are different and the community around it is stronger and more values-driven.
A lot of venues are still figuring out how to get it right. Others have tried and missed the mark by treating it as an afterthought.
It’s not about showing every game. It’s about choosing your moments and making those moments brilliant. That is where the wins come from.
It’s nuanced.
Objectively, the Lionesses are now one of the biggest draws in UK sport and women’s sport, particularly football, are growing fast.
England’s Euro 2025 final victory over Spain drew a combined peak TV audience of 16.2 million across BBC and ITV, making it not just the most watched sports fixture, but the most watched TV moment of the year to date..
According to the Morning Advertiser, Euro 2025 saw strong returns for pubs, with some venues reporting a 40 percent sales boost during the final. Across the sector, an extra million pints were poured and pubs saw an uplift of up to £13 million during the competition.
The energy is there, especially during major tournaments, but the week-to-week pull into pubs is still lagging.
While searches for pubs showing the UEFA Women’s Champions League on FANZO grew last year, boosted by the success of teams like Arsenal and Chelsea, however pub searches for WSL matches were down 50%.
There are several reasons the WSL underperformed in terms of fans searching for pubs last season.
The first was a push by the league to boost live attendance. That meant more energy went into selling match tickets than supporting broadcast reach with key demographics pulled away from out-of-home viewing and into stadiums.
Scheduling was another major challenge. WSL fixtures often ran on Sunday afternoons, directly clashing with Premier League matches, Formula 1, rugby and darts. These are big hitters on Sky and naturally won the battle for screen time in many venues.
And finally, there was no major tournament in 2024 to build momentum.
What’s left in the wake is the financial reality facing many venues that when women’s games go head-to-head with major men’s fixtures, it’s hard for publicans to prioritise them. And fans feel that.
Crucially, the biggest factor keeping WSL fans out of pubs is cultural.
Here’s what fans have said loud and clear - they want to watch women’s football in pubs, but they don’t want to fight to be seen.
Many fans described arriving at venues where the WSL match was advertised, only to find it wasn’t on. Or worse, it was shown on a small screen, without sound, and with staff who didn’t seem to care.
Naomi Fitzgibbons, co-founder of Set Piece Social, succinctly summed up the experience many face:
“I quickly realised, even where women’s sport was advertised, you couldn't reliably go out and watch it.
Even though you’ve Googled it and found a pub is showing it, it doesn't mean that'll be the vibes you want or it'll be full of other supportive people.
I always hate having to ask behind the bar, ‘Oh can you, sort of, put this on? Can we have sound on?'
What's also tricky in that situation is that by requesting your game, you're also disturbing other customers who are keen to watch another match. So you kind of have to then be the friction in the room, as well.”
These seemingly small details add up to a much larger problem: a lack of trust from fans in venues.
These fans are not your traditional crowd who will shrug and order another pint. They will leave and find somewhere better. Or not come out at all. Not because they don’t care, but because the experience does not meet their expectations.
Despite this current reality, there are reasons to be optimistic.
The biggest one? WSL matches aired during men’s international breaks saw a 39% increase in viewers on Sky (in-home) compared to games played against Premier League fixtures. Three of the season’s top-performing matches fell on international break weekends - when there’s no competition for attention, the WSL clearly shines brighter.
Crucially, the creation of a dedicated new slot at midday Sunday - before the men’s 2:00pm televised kicks offs - and more Friday night fixtures mean more WSL games with no Premier League competition whatsoever.
The other advantage is generational - young fans who fell in love with the game during the 2022 Euros are now old enough to hit the pub. This Gen Z audience is digital-first,values-led and only going to grow in economic affluence.
They are more likely to support pubs that genuinely support the women’s game and they are happy to spend if the experience feels right.
The overall interest in the women’s game is there, The question is whether pubs are creating a space that rewards it.
So what does good look like?
Start by treating women’s football as a core part of your sports offer. Not a side note. That means doing a few things really well:
Community outreach
Work with local women’s teams, fan groups, and partners like Baller FC or She’s a Baller. Invite them in and make them part of the experience.
Promotion
Get fixtures out early. Use social media and platforms like FANZO to let people know you’re showing the match and that you’re showing it properly.
In-venue experience
Use good screens and have the sound on. Train your staff to know who’s playing and what’s at stake. Create atmosphere, not just access.
Family-friendly offers
Think about the target audience and cater to their needs and desires. Deals like “kids eat free during WSL games” open up the pub to families and younger fans. Women’s football has wide appeal. Use it.
Consistency
You won’t build a following from one game. You need to show up regularly, do the basics well, and build trust over time.
Avoid the basics mistakes
Don’t advertise a game and then not show it. Don’t stick fans in a back room with no sound. Don’t treat women’s football as a plan B.
The WSL is definitely an opportunity for pubs to differentiate themselves and build something over time. It’s unlikely to change your P&L overnight, but it's a chance to do things differently and tap into a growing fanbase that wants to feel seen and welcomed.
If you just show the game and hope for the best, you’ll likely see empty tables. But if you treat it as something worth doing properly, fans will respond. The numbers during Euro 2025 prove that the interest is there.
And yes, doing more than just putting on the match takes time and effort. That is where FANZO can help. Our pub finder, fixture integrations, and marketing tools make it easier to promote games, build trust with fans, and drive footfall without adding hours to your week.
You don’t need to do everything. You just need to do the important things well. And keep doing them.
If you're trying to show new things but can't quite seem to bring the audiences in, get in touch: venues.gb@fanzo.com
