At a time when England is widening the gap economically, French women’s football is trying to change dimension. And the LFFP now wants to support its speech with concrete results. Behind the final of the Arkema Premier League Playoffs between OL Lyonnes and Paris FC, the League seeks above all to demonstrate that a new cycle is opening for the French championship, between accelerated professionalization, increased investments and increased media power.
Since its creation, the LFFP has initiated a project to accelerate the professionalization of the championship. The objective is clear: transform a championship historically dominated by a few locomotives into a denser, more visible and more economically attractive sporting product.
The first indicators put forward by the League reflect a real evolution of the market. Salaries have increased by 15% per season since the creation of the LFFP, while the number of full-time players has increased by 60%. The median club budget shows an increase of 25%, proof of greater investment from shareholders and professional structures.
This rise in power is no longer limited to the leading teams alone. Behind OL Lyonnes, a historic reference in French women’s football, several clubs are accelerating their structuring in order to establish themselves sustainably in the race for the Playoffs and European competitions. Marseille, Nantes, Paris FC and even Fleury illustrate this progressive evolution of a championship which now seeks to reduce its competitive gaps.
The development of training centers also constitutes one of the major axes of the federal project. Ten centers will be approved from the 2026/2027 season with a projection of twelve the following season. This is important data in a context where the ability to produce players becomes a strategic as well as a financial lever.
Jean-Michel Aulas, president of the LFFP, considers that the championship is now entering a new phase of development. “We are at the end of a first cycle of structuring and we are now entering a phase of acceleration of the promotion and enhancement of the championship,” he explains.
The battle for visibility
Beyond sporting investments, the LFFP seeks above all to gain ground on the media level. Because this is now where an important part of the economic growth of women’s football is taking place.
The 2025/2026 season marks a significant progression in exposure indicators. The League’s social networks recorded a 53% increase in subscribers, while digital audiences jumped 262% in two years. Above all, attendances are increasing by 41% this season, the largest increase observed among the major European championships.
The League now claims a place in the Top 3 European attendance figures. A strong signal for a market that has long lagged behind England, which has now become the continental reference thanks to the Women’s Super League.
This progression is partly based on a more assertive event strategy. Between the Playoffs, the LFFP trophies, the activations around the “Au Stade Pour Elles” system or even the major meetings organized in major venues, French women’s football is now trying to occupy more media space.
The partnership with CANAL+ also plays a central role in this visibility strategy. The channel continues to develop new editorial devices with a more immersive approach, in particular via the sound system of referees, staff or warm-ups. A logic which gradually brings the production standards of women’s football closer to those of men’s football.
In Marseille, the “Prize du Vel’” organized by OM this season illustrated this desire to permanently establish women’s football in major French venues. Stefano Petruzzo, general director of OM, also mentions “a growing attractiveness” of the championship driven both by crowds and by reinforced sporting competitiveness.
The season of change
The 2026/2027 season could, however, represent a real change in dimension for the LFFP.
The entry into force of the collective agreement for professional women’s football from July 1, 2026 constitutes a structuring step for the sector. It should make it possible to further secure the status of players while professionalizing the entire ecosystem.
The deployment of VAR in the Arkema Premier League also represents a strong symbol. France will become the first women’s championship to generalize this technological tool across its entire domestic competition. Beyond sporting fairness, the LFFP also sees it as a lever for upgrading the audiovisual sector.
Another strategic issue: the development of women’s sports companies in order to facilitate the arrival of dedicated investments. A central subject in a market where capital needs remain significant despite current growth.
Andreea Koenig, vice-president of the LFFP, sums up the current situation quite clearly: “Women’s football functions like a start-up: all the growth indicators are positive, but this dynamic still requires investments to sustainably accelerate its development. »
This phase of economic transition remains closely observed by the entire European market. Because if France maintains recognized know-how in terms of training and an increasingly credible sporting density, the question of the profitability of the model remains unresolved.
The next audiovisual cycles, the ability of clubs to fill their stadiums more and the arrival of new investors will be decisive in knowing whether French women’s football can sustainably change scale.
Gaëtane Thiney, a historic figure in the championship, nevertheless believes that the movement is now underway. Between the professionalization of clubs, increasing attendance numbers and growing interest from investors, the Arkema Premier League is now seeking to transform its potential into a true European economic power.
A.J.
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