The world's first stadium purpose-built for a women's sports franchise opened Saturday, March 16, in Kansas City, Missouri, as the new home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current.
The venue, first announced in 2021, is another reminder of the resurgence women's sport has experienced in recent years. Deloitte estimates that women's elite sports will generate revenue of more than $1 billion for the first time in 2024 – a 300% increase from 2021, and a study by SponsorUnited found that the number of sponsorship deals in women's sports Professional sports revenue is up more than $1 billion, up 22 percent year-over-year.
In 2023 alone, several records were set in women's sports.
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup reportedly generated the highest revenue in the tournament's history and was the most attended event in the history of the Women's World Cup.
With the addition of two additional teams in 2024, the NWSL signed the largest broadcast deal in women's sports in 2023 and set a league attendance record.
The WNBA's New York Liberty hosted the largest crowd in league history for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Barclays Center.
Perhaps the most significant women's sports record broken in 2023 was when the University of Nebraska women's volleyball team set a world record for participation in a women's sports event.
Nebraska's Volleyball Day, held at Memorial Stadium, the school's soccer stadium, drew 92,003 fans, surpassing the previous world record of 91,648 fans set at a soccer game between Barcelona and Wolfsburg in 2022.
Supporting women's sports led to a greater result than just a record attendance for the university. “The ripple effect is huge,” said Doug Ewald, chief financial officer and executive associate AD at the University of Nebraska. “The economic impact for a typical Saturday home football weekend is $12 million to $13 million. The economic impact of this event on the city of Lincoln, Nebraska was over $10 million.”
The social value of the day alone brought in another $2 million, Ewald added. “To this day there is still something.”
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA – AUGUST 30: General view of the field during the game between the Nebraska … [+]
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The attendance record came on the anniversary of a major milestone in women's sport. “When we launched this, it was really a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX,” Ewald said. Title IX protects students from discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity that receives federal financial assistance. “Let's be honest. There is no better way to celebrate our women here in Nebraska – and across the country – than by setting a world record.”
The excitement around women's sports was evident at Volleyball Day in Nebraska and is reflected in the Kansas City Current's investment in a new stadium.
“As the first stadium purpose-built for a professional women’s sports team, CPKC Stadium is in many ways a proof of concept,” said Current co-owner Chris Long. “It will prove that investment and stadium ownership is the key to success for women’s sport. It provides the revenue streams necessary to invest in the players and the fan experience. We are the first, but we will not be the last.”
The Current's stadium isn't the only one positioning women's sports for a strong 2024.
For the first time ever, there will be an equal number of male and female athletes worldwide at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Additionally, two new professional women's sports leagues were founded back in January, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWSL) and the Pro Volleyball Federation. The latter set an attendance record in professional women's volleyball in his first game.
From world records to famous stadiums, the rise of women's sports will not slow down in 2024.
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