FIFA has revealed that just about $500,000 was spent by football clubs worldwide to pay for the transfers of women professional players in 2018, in contrast to the whopping $5.44billion spent on male players.
The paltry outlay by global clubs on women was revealed in a new report entitled Women’s Transfers in ITMS. The report, the first of its type, summarised global transfer activity since 1 January 2018, when the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) became mandatory for transfers of female professional players.
According to FIFA, 198 clubs and 65 FIFA member associations were actively involved in international transfers of women, the majority of them in UEFA
Players from the USA were involved in almost twice as many transfers as those of any other nationality
“This report helps reflect the reality of the current financial landscape in club football, which is an important part of the overall women’s football environment,” said Emily Shaw, FIFA’s Head of Women’s Football Development & Governance.
“Transfer activity is so far relatively limited, but this is a normal consequence of the fact that the market for female professional players is still in the early stages of its development. That said, consistent investments from all stakeholders in recent years have contributed to the rapid growth of the women’s game at all levels. There are therefore clear signs that these numbers will only grow in future. In this context, the introduction of ITMS sends a strong message to encourage the further professionalisation of women‘s football.”
The report also includes detailed information on transfer types, the origins and destinations of transfers, and player nationality.
In contrast, FIFA ’s report on transfer fees shelled on male players showed that while $5.44billion was spent by clubs worldwide, $4.21 billion was spent by clubs in England, France, Spain, Italy and Spain.
Big 5 Transfer Window Analysis summarised spendings by the Big five leagues during this year’s summer registration period.
Key statistics on transfer activity from 1 June to 1 September 2018:
- 182 of the 211 FIFA member associations had their registration period open during this period.
- 8,401 international transfers were completed around the world, and global spending on transfer fees was USD 5.44 billion.
- Clubs of the Big 5 accounted for 77.5 per cent of the global spending, having combined for a total of USD 4.21 billion.
- Compared to last summer, spending by the Big 5 increased by 6.6 per cent, driven by clubs from Italy (+74.7 per cent) and Spain (+42.2 per cent).
- Once again, England was the world‘s biggest spender during the period (USD 1.44 billion).
