The women’s team sports landscape in the U.S. is becoming ever more exciting and vibrant, not just in participation, but in viewership, sponsorship investment, social media dominance, attendance records and financial milestones, creating huge opportunities for all parties who want a piece of the pie.

For instance, in viewership alone, a record 22.6 million people watched three or more minutes of women’s sport between January and May 2024, surpassing the previous high of 22 million during the same period in 2023, according to Women’s Sport Trust. Globally, the Paris 2024 Olympics drew more than 1.3 billion viewers for women’s events, and the Women’s UEFA Champions League final amassed a record audience.

New benchmarks in attendance are proving that women’s sports have grown from a niche into a mainstream movement. Monetarily speaking, in 2024 women’s elite sports generated more than $1 billion for the first time in history, reflecting the cumulative impact of broadcast deals, sponsorship investment and attendance revenue.

A case study by Wasserman’s women-focused practice, The Collective, projects that the value of WNBA and NWSL teams will increase by over $1 billion in the next three years.

Obviously, a growing number of brands are recognizing the value of aligning with women’s sport and these key partnerships are spanning industries from tech to fashion, underscoring the desire of diverse industries to partner with female athletes and teams.

“The women’s sports industry is an incredibly valuable and rapidly growing sector,” states Thayer Lavielle, managing director of The Collective. “WNBA and NWSL teams are leading the charge, but this growth is not limited to these leagues — it’s about the growth of the entire women’s sports ecosystem.”

On this front, girls’ high school athletics participation reached an all-time high of 3.4 million during the 2023-24 season, having climbed steadily for over half a century since 1971-72 (294,015), according to NFHS.

And the SFIA reports that overall, team sports grew 8.1 percent from 2023 to 2024, with 20 out of 24 sports increasing participation levels during that period.

As part of Women’s History Month in March, the SFIA is launching the Female Athlete Empowerment Committee that will provide resources and support to female athletes across all levels of sports, with the goal of increasing female participation while also reducing early dropout rates. The initiative kicks off at SFIA’s Team Sports Conference this month, with a panel discussion on building an ecosystem for girls’ and women’s sports empowerment.

According to the SFIA’s 2024 Trends in Team Sports Report, boys aged 6-12 had a 63 percent participation rate in team sports, while girls of the same age had a 53 percent participation rate. Additionally, girls drop out of sports by age 14 at twice the rate of boys. The Committee will work to encourage young girls to participate in sports.

“Encouraging young girls to participate in sports not only promotes physical health and teamwork, but also helps develop crucial skills such as leadership, resilience and confidence,” says Erin Griffin, SVP of marketing and communications at Riddell, and co-chair of SFIA’s Female Athlete Empowerment Committee.

The Committee will also focus on educating the industry about the needs of female athletes, developing resources to support the continued growth of professional women’s sports leagues, and highlighting the leadership accomplishments of women in sports. A study by EY and espnW found that 94 percent of women in C-suite positions played organized sports, and 80 percent of Fortune 500 female executives played sports in their earlier years.

“Increasing the visibility of female sports at the high school through professional levels can inspire the next generation of young girls to not only start playing sports but also maintain their involvement during the crucial years of their development,” adds Janelle Anderson, CEO of Rip-It Sports and co-chair of SFIA’s Female Athlete Empowerment Committee. “With the support of this Committee and SFIA, we can empower women through sports to be leaders.”

For dealers, successfully negotiating the female market – in which women’s teams are served by a preponderance of men – boils down to paying attention.

“Being a man, it’s important to know what women want. Listen to what they’re saying instead of telling them what they should want,” advises Aaron Karsh, director of operations at Harbor City, CA-based California Pro Sports. “It helps dealers get it right the first time!”

A look at the major girls’ sports tells the story of that growth.

Basketball: Hoops Keep Scoring

On the national level, women’s basketball is going gangbusters. The “Caitlin Clark Effect” held hoops enthusiasts rapt in front of TV screens in unprecedented numbers in 2024. During its regular 24-game season, the WNBA reached 1.2 million viewers on ESPN, a new record, as well as an average viewership of 1.6 million throughout its five-game championship series, the league’s largest audience in 25 years.

At the grassroots level, USA Basketball continues to foster participation and opportunities with multiple programs, notes Renee Felton, head of communications at USA Basketball. The initiatives include three Gold Camps for 6th-9th grade girls; two youth 5-on-5 tournaments in the U.S. Open Basketball Championships (East Championships in Bermuda Run, NC, and Central Championships in Kansas City, KS); two Women in the Game conferences to promote career development and goals for females to work in the industry; and two mentorship programs (Women in the Game mentorship and Torch Leadership through the USA Basketball Foundation).

“In addition, free programming has continued to be a main emphasis to engage girls in the game and attract beginner players through youth clinics and the Open Court program which teach the game surrounding the core values of fun and safety,” explains Felton. “In terms of skill development, establishing an early affinity and positive experience in sport under the USA Basketball player development model sets girls up on an advantageous path to have fun and hopefully stay involved. We want to empower players and coaches to learn and teach the game the right way.”

For most dealers, basketball is a core category. “Women’s sports have been good and are on the increase for us. There’s some growth to it,” says Dan Proulx, buyer at Stateline Sports in West Lebanon, NH. “Basketball is steady and is almost what we do for soccer, [the latter of] which has had the biggest increase for us.”

Regarding female uniforms, style trends include “shorter shorts, school colors and a lot of sublimation. We’ve done a lot with Champro,” he says. “The challenge is to bring more organizations and people onto the scene, allowing girls’ participation to grow as much as it can.”

Jack Pearl’s Sports Center in Battle Creek, MI, works directly with schools, meaning that national or global sporting events don’t drive the business, says owner Keith Manning, who also notes that, “For the four sports of basketball, soccer, volleyball and lacrosse, boys comprise about 60 percent of our business, and girls account for roughly 40 percent.” In the basketball category, the dealer services high schools, middle schools and also handles a little bit of travel.

Soccer: Kicking It In in 2025

For many dealers, the female soccer business is increasing slowly but steadily. Mike Walter, GM of Lloyd’s Soccer in Mt. Pleasant, SC, remarks: “We’ve always done well with women’s in soccer. We have lots of female players on staff and they understand the game and the players, and that’s helped us.

“The growth is slow, but girls are playing a little longer here — the retention is better on the girls’ side,” he adds. “There are now more leagues and more levels being offered in our area, which makes the sport more fun and exciting. There are also more women coaches. The women’s national team is still the go-to for inspiration, and the players are heroes to the girls.”

Walter observes that with the state’s huge population growth over the past couple of years, most area soccer clubs have expanded for both boys and girls. “Clubs are close to 60 percent boys and 40 percent girls and there are opportunities at college for women. There are lots of places to play, and having boys and girls sharing the same facilities, and having better competition and lots of leagues, is a great thing for the game.”

In terms of product, Walter has noticed more demand for custom uniforms. “Adidas has embraced custom, especially for clubs, and the fit is getting better on the girls’ side. Clubs want to be more unique so they’re looking more at custom.”

Regarding footwear, he says that if companies want to push certain models, they’ve got to create the demand. “We get allocated a certain number of units, and some don’t sell while others sell out fast — it’s a risk we have to take as a retailer. Anything new that we can promote is a positive, such as Nike’s new women’s shoes. More unique women’s shoes are coming out, and different styles fit different feet. We love anything new and unique because it drives excitement.”

Meanwhile, at Miami, FL-based Soccer Locker, president David Zighelboim reports that the women’s business has improved over the past year, but only on the footwear side. “Girls are buying expensive footwear, but they’re also very particular. Manufacturers are pushing dealers to get into women’s shoes, but it can be tricky. A boy won’t buy a girls’ shoe, but a girl will buy a girls’ or a boys’ shoe,” he explains.

Replica apparel is also a no-go for girls in the Miami market. “They are not buying apparel. Even though companies are offering replica jerseys in women’s versions, it’s a very tough sell,” he says.

Apart from replica wear, Soccer Locker’s women’s team sales are strong. “We love selling uniforms, hoodies and tees to girls’ teams because they buy a lot of stuff,” says Zighelboim. “Girls’ booster clubs are fabulous — there’s plenty of money and support from parents across the board, whereas the boys’ teams are always struggling for money.”

The main hurdle is vendor supply. “It always seems like vendors run out of women’s uniforms and they tend not to have enough women’s product. Getting girls into girls’ uniforms is a challenge. This has always been an issue,” he says. Nevertheless, business should remain steady. “I don’t see girls’ soccer declining — it will remain strong.”

On the national scene, U.S. Soccer remains committed to advancing the women’s game. Core elements of the strategy include focusing on access and participation, player development, professional development and maximizing investment. Key initiatives include the SheChampions program that supports female coaches and technical staff across the country, and the Soccer Forward Foundation that advances participation in the U.S. and abroad.

In November 2024, American businesswoman Michele Kang pledged $30 million to U.S. Soccer to support women’s and girls’ soccer programs. It was the largest donation ever made to the organization by a woman. The philanthropic investment, which will take place over five years, would scale competitive opportunities for youth players, expand and improve talent identification and fuel professional development for female players, coaches and referees. In 2022, Kang bought a majority stake in the NWSL’s Washington Spirit.

“The bridge between elementary and middle school (usually U13/14) and high school to college (usually U19) are the two areas where we see drop-offs,” says Traci Messier, U.S. Soccer’s corporate communications director. “Our U.S. Way strategy aims to bring players the best experiences and developmental opportunities at all levels. We also want to see increases in female participation in all areas of soccer, not just playing.”

Lacrosse: Sticking To It

Although lacrosse isn’t a factor in all team markets across the country, it is popular in areas where it’s available in schools and where club and league play are offered. “The girls’ game is as healthy as the boys’ game,” reports Eric Tanner, owner of Tama Lacrosse, which operates four locations, one each in Colorado Springs, CO; Naperville, IL; and Syracuse, NY; as well as a newly opened store in Kirkland, WA. “Girls’ box, which is a fully padded game, is starting to take off here, but is limited to adult women for now. That game is much bigger in Canada.” For now, high school and club travel are the fastest -growing portions of the dealer’s female lacrosse business.

“We do as much team sales as retail sales and we sell lots of uniforms and hardgoods,” Tanner says. “For uniforms, we do a lot of sublimation, and for girls, shorts are becoming shorter these days, with three-inch and five-inch inseams. We have our own line of uniforms because we have to be competitive, price point-wise. Uniforms are still on a three- to four-year buying cycle for high schools.”

On the gear side, Tanner points out that girls’ lacrosse requires less equipment than boys’, but “girls’ sticks have had tech upgrades in the past couple of years which has helped boost demand. The performance is much better.” He sees his main challenges as uniform sizing as well as the lack of hardgoods requirements for girls. “The dollar volume for women is much less than for men — it’s dramatically different,” he says.

Aaron Karsh, director of operations at California Pro Sports in Harbor City, CA, observes that the girls’ sports business is good, and lacrosse has picked up. “Girls’ lacrosse is growing fast and there’s been a big jump from last year. The participation numbers are increasing. We’ve added two or three rec programs and five or six high schools have also started new programs,” he reports. “We’re really happy to bring parity and opportunity to girls’ teams—not just apparel. We see a lot of growth opportunities, and being present from the genesis of a team through to its success is important.”

Overall, says Karsh, “Women are more aware of the performance aspects of apparel and are also more fashion-oriented than men. In lacrosse, especially youth, girls want longer shorts — there’s a fine line between modesty and performance.” He adds that 75 percent of girls’ uniforms are sublimated because the pricing is more competitive.

On the national stage, USA Lacrosse’s primary growth programs aren’t gender-specific, but the organization has run programs for girls, such as the She Competes event that was part of its USA Lacrosse Experience event in Indianapolis this past fall.

“Two of the main things we have are our physical education grants for local schools (which includes curriculum and starter equipment), and Pick Up & Play Clinics in which we partner with local lacrosse programs to run introductory clinics that provide a pathway to play with those programs,” says Brian Logue, senior director of communications, USA Lacrosse.

Volleyball: Continues to Spike

This team sport remains a perennial favorite among females and its popularity shows no signs of fading. Nationally, the Pro Volleyball Federation, a women’s professional indoor league that began play in 2024, has entered its second season with an expanded team roster and schedule. PVF now boasts eight teams, each of which will play 28 matches in the 2025 season.

In the meantime, USA Volleyball’s Go For Gold Strategic Plan, which ran through 2024, set the framework of priorities of growing participation, optimizing resources and building brand equity leading up and into the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.

All of this bodes well for the women’s game and for team dealers.

“Volleyball is doing well, there are more clubs in our area, and those clubs have grown,” says Manning, of Jack Pearl’s Sports Center. “There are three or four clubs that we handle.” He mentions that travel volleyball starts in January, coming off the Fwinal Four, which gets kids interested in the sport.

Karsh, of California Pro Sports, also reports that the girls’ volleyball business is spiking. “Here in SoCal, sports are funded 50-50 between schools and parents. These same parents are involved in the rec and club side, meaning that 90 percent of what we do comes from parent purchasing and fundraising. The state money goes toward big ticket items such as goal posts, nets and windscreens,” he says.

Walter, at Lloyd’s Soccer, is also seeing good results in volleyball. “We’re starting to do some volleyball now and although most of that business is girls, we’re finding that a growing number of boys are playing at the high school and club level.”

For Betsy Frye, owner of Holyoke Sporting Goods in Holyoke, MA (which also happens to be the birthplace of volleyball), the sport is holding steady. “In volleyball, there are separate seasons for girls and boys, but when the sport is played in the same season for both, we get better results,” she says.

Regarding uniforms, “Youth leagues are still using T-shirts, but travel teams want better quality, including sublimated, mostly for volleyball,” she explains. However, “sublimated takes three to four weeks for quality uniforms, but people often don’t plan ahead early enough.

Overall, Frye is bullish on girls’ sports. “The business is consistent. There are lots of teams for girls, the equipment is good, there are plenty of girls’ uniforms and equipment, so there are no real challenges right now. If a girl really wants to play a sport, she’ll be able to do it.”