The growth of women's football, in FIFA numbers

He women's football continues to grow at full speed and it does so not only at the level of play, visibility and fans, but also in numbers. This is revealed in the latest FIFA report on the global transfer market in 2020. CWith respect to 2019, spending on this type of movement increased by 23.7% despite the delicate economic moment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the figures for the male market have suffered, with a drop of 23%.

However, the numbers of both are not comparable. “The figures are significantly smaller and the amounts for transfers and fees are also considerably lower than for men, “says FIFA in its report. But the trend in the female market, highlights the international body, is one of growth: “Without the pandemic, the increase would have been even more acute”.

According to the FIFA report, during 2020 professional football clubs around the world completed a total of 1,035 international transfers, that is, 23.7% more than in 2019. Diversity also increased among the protagonists, since among the 948 players who have experienced these movements there are 94 different nationalities, which is a record number compared to the last two years.

In the same way, both the number of federations that hired or 'released' a footballer and the number of clubs that were active in the market increased. The first reached the figure of 99 out of 211 federations that are part of FIFA, another historical brand. Meanwhile, the active clubs passed from 276 in 2019 to 349 in 2020, that is, 26.4% more. “This shows that more and more clubs want to improve the performance of their women's team,” the report highlights.

Although the 'preferred' form of recruitment in women's football is still to opt for players who finish a contract (87.6% of total movements), transfers reached 5.5% in 2020. Meanwhile, the expense in paid transfers, which in 2018 was 600,000 dollars and in 2019 700,000, has increased to 1.2 million dollars in 2020.

The most expensive female transfers of 2020

In addition, FIFA has also compiled the transfers that moved the most money in the women's football market. Only five footballers, the most expensive, generated almost 75% of the total amount of the female market.

1. Pernille Harder: from Wolfsburg to Chelsea.
2. Temwa Chawinga: from the Swedish Kvarnsvedens to the Chinese Wuhan Jiangda.
3. Barbra Banda: from EDF Logroño to Chinese Shanghai Women’s FC.
4. Ellie Carpenter: from the American Portland Thorns to the Olympique de Lyon.
5. Valérie Gauvin: from Montpellier HSC to Everton.