Charlotte O’Neill, Manchester City Women Managing Director, ‘Why Is Women’s Football Expected To Be Profitable When Men’s Football Isn’t!?’
Apr 29, 2025
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Charlotte O’Neill, Managing Director of Manchester City Women, oversees the club’s rise in women’s football. She discusses leveraging the men's team's credibility while carving out a distinct identity for the women's squad. O’Neill highlights the financial challenges in women’s football, including wage disparities and sustainable investment. The conversation also touches on the evolution of commercial partnerships and the importance of creating engaging matchday experiences to attract diverse audiences. She envisions a bright future for the team as they aim for consistent championships.
The establishment of Manchester City Women in 2014 marked a pivotal moment in professionalizing women's football, showcasing a commitment to growth and support.
Charlotte O'Neill emphasized that women's football, like many startups, requires time and investment to achieve profitability, despite existing financial pressures.
The collaboration between the men's and women's teams at Manchester City offers operational insights, yet both must cultivate their unique identities for future success.
Deep dives
The Establishment of a Professional Women's League
The Manchester City Women's team was founded in 2014 as the first professional women's team in the Women's Super League (WSL), highlighting a commitment to developing women's football. This establishment signified a significant shift, as it brought professionalization to a sport that historically saw women banned from playing football. The team's creation was not just about fielding players but also about ensuring they received the necessary resources, infrastructure, and support to succeed. The ambition is to achieve the same success that the men's team has enjoyed, demonstrating a united vision within the structure of Manchester City Football Club.
Investment and Growth Potential in Women's Football
Women’s football is perceived as a startup with immense growth potential, despite the misconception that it must be profitable from the beginning. The pathway to profitability is essential, yet the sport requires investment to develop and deliver high-quality products to fans. Charlotte O'Neill, the managing director, emphasizes that successful businesses typically operate at a loss in their early years, and women's football should be afforded the same understanding. Building a strong infrastructure and brand is crucial, as demonstrated by the commercial partnerships that have significantly increased revenue in recent seasons.
Leveraging Brand and Knowledge from Men's Football
The association with Manchester City's established brand brings credibility and authenticity to the women's team, facilitating its growth and attracting attention. This advantage allows the women's team to build its unique identity while still leveraging the knowledge and experience of the men's football structure. Conversations and collaborations with the men's team have proven beneficial in operational aspects and strategy. As the women's team continues to develop its brand, it becomes crucial to balance the association with the men's team while establishing a distinct identity that serves its growing audience.
Commercial Partnerships and Audience Engagement
Commercial partnerships have become increasingly important, with brands keen to engage in women's football due to its growth and social impact. Organizations seeking genuine alignment with values, rather than simply visibility through traditional marketing, are increasingly supporting women's sports teams. The relationships being fostered with partners like Revolut highlight an eagerness to create meaningful connections and narratives. Notably, fan engagement is evolving, with fans being attracted to players rather than teams, indicating a shift in how loyalty and support are structured in women's football.
Challenges in Sustainability and Future Vision
There are significant challenges regarding sustainability and financial structure within women's football, particularly amidst comparisons with men's teams that remain unprofitable. The expectation for women's teams to be self-sufficient can stifle growth and investment, which are necessary for reaching expert levels of play. A future vision includes the ambition to not only build a winning team but also to create a brand recognized globally for its quality. Over the next decade, there is an aspiration to establish a formidable presence in women’s football, with continued investments in staffing and infrastructure to support this aim.
Today we’re delighted to welcome Manchester City Women’s Director Charlotte O’Neill to the show. This is a part of the game we talk about a lot. The growth of women’s football has been in turbo over the last decade, both in the UK and beyond. Man City have been one of the clubs leading that charge, compiling a squad of world class talent with the facilities and infrastructure to deliver on a long term ambition, to be the best women’s team in the world.
But behind this is a broad range of both successes and major challenges to overcome. From developing female first brands with unique value propositions to being held to account for a lack of financial sustainability as the men’s game haemorrhages cash, there’s a real story to be told for what is going on behind the scenes as these teams evolve through their investment phase into legitimate standalone football brands with social and commercial firepower.
On today’s show we discuss:
Evolution of Man City Women:
When a women’s team is starting out, does it need to be able to leverage the brand and credibility of a strong men’s team to get ahead?
What has been the most important part of being a team in the City Football Group setup?
From foundation to legitimacy: how have the club developed both a trophy chasing team on the pitch supported by best in class infrastructure off it.
What are the biggest challenges about running a women’s team in the WSL?
Are the expectations placed on the women’s team similar to that of the men?
How an access to the leadership of Man City, such as Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, has benefited Charlotte and her team when it comes to football and business.
Creating a Proper Business:
”This assumption that women's football has to be sustainable from day dot really drives me mad”. What does it mean for the game to be in the ‘investment phase'?
Understanding who the fans are; who are the core group attracted to the matches and how to the compare to the ‘traditional’ City fan?
The rise of female first partnerships: how the women’s team and signing major brand deals with businesses looking to unlock and resonate with a new audience.
What are the key revenue streams that drive the team and how do they compare to the men’s business model.
To what extent does success on the pitch drive the success off it?
The Wider World of Women’s Football:
How does the WSL compare to other strong leagues in the US and Europe?
Are we attracting the top talent to come and play in the league and do the financial opportunities offered compete with salaries elsewhere?
Should we franchise women’s football? The balance between security and maintaining brand value with jeopardy and open football pyramids.
Where are the biggest opportunities for women’s football over the coming years?
