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WSL brings back Sunday evening kick-offs after indifferent viewing figures
The Women's Super League is reintroducing Sunday evening kick-offs for the 2026-27 season, part of a broader overhaul of its broadcast strategy after last season's viewing figures fell short of expectations. The move follows a lengthy consultation with broadcasters, clubs and fans, aiming to spread matches across the weekend rather than clustering them at Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes, where multiple simultaneous kick-offs had diluted audiences.
The WSL will offer six TV slots this season, with Sky Sports, which holds live rights to 163 of the 182 games, retaining its Saturday 12.45pm and Sunday noon slots while gaining new Friday 7pm and Sunday 6pm fixtures. The BBC will show 19 matches at 12.30pm on Saturdays and 2.30pm on Sundays. The Sunday evening slot, dropped last season amid poor attendances despite drawing Sky's best audience of 144,000 in 2024-25, returns 45 minutes earlier at 6pm, with derbies prioritised for that slot and Friday nights; lunchtime games had seen audiences as low as 59,000, prompting Sky's push for change within the joint £65m broadcast deal with the BBC.
In short
- WSL reintroduces Sunday 6pm kick-offs after weak viewing figures last season
- Six TV slots now spread across Friday to Sunday to avoid audience overlap
- Sky Sports and BBC share rights under a joint £65m broadcast deal
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Bringing back Sunday evening fixtures could give the WSL a clearer place in the weekend schedule and reduce competition between simultaneous lunchtime matches. The previous Sunday evening slot drew Sky’s largest audience of the season, and prioritising derbies could help attract viewers and strengthen the league’s appeal to broadcasters.
The case against
A strong television audience does not necessarily mean a convenient match time for fans attending in person, and the slot was previously dropped amid poor attendances. Evening kick-offs may make travel or family plans harder, while changing schedules to meet broadcasters’ audience goals could risk weakening the live matchday experience.
Explained simply
The Women's Super League is England's top tier of women's professional football. The matches are broadcast by Sky Sports and the BBC under a major television deal, so viewing figures are closely watched as an indicator of the sport's growth and success. When large numbers of matches are scheduled at the same time, television audiences for individual games become smaller because viewers are split across multiple fixtures.
Last season, the WSL concentrated most matches at Saturday and Sunday lunchtime kick-off times, but viewing figures fell short of expectations. Some daytime matches attracted as few as 59,000 viewers, whilst Sunday evening fixtures in previous years had drawn over 140,000. The league has now decided to spread matches across more time slots throughout the weekend, including the return of evening kick-offs and new Friday night fixtures.
The broadcast schedule affects how visible women's football is on television and how much revenue the sport generates. Better viewing figures help secure bigger sponsorship and broadcasting deals, which in turn fund player wages and club investment. Getting the scheduling strategy right is therefore important for the long-term development of women's football in England.
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