Aston Villa's Anna Patten calls for full-time referees in the WSL

The defender says increased player sponsorship is a sign of the growth in the women's game, but that refs should also get the chance to develop.

Rob Harris

Sports correspondent

Saturday 7 October 2023 11:21, UK

Why you can trust Sky News

Anna Patten has played for England through the youth ranks 鈥� winning bronze at the U20 World Cup and captaining the U23s.

Breaking into Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses squad is the target - an elevation that would bring greater profile for the Aston Villa defender.

But even without that senior selection, Patten is showing the future of women's football - where more companies are backing players with commercial deals.

Those are the sponsorships that are vital to ensuring talent is matched with financial reward that can close the gender pay gap.

"It's so great to see the female games go in that direction, more and more people are getting those opportunities," Patten told Sky News.

"It's great to see what they're doing to really progress the game and help those who maybe aren't as fortunate to get those deals and give them opportunities to get better."

Patten is speaking to us at an Under Armour academy at the old Battersea Power Station where performances of athletes trying to secure sponsorships are being assessed.

"It was pretty unheard of, of any women's players having boot deals or anything like that," the 24-year-old said. "You hear stories of young girls asking, 'Can we get your boots?'

"And they had to say, 'These are the boots we have for the whole season. We can't really give them away'."

Most annual salaries in the Women's Super League (WSL) are still in the £10,000s - what men's Premier League players earn in a week.

But greater sponsorship income is flowing into players in a sign of the growth of the WSL.

It has been propelled by the rise of the Lionesses, winning the European Championship in 2022 and reaching a first World Cup final in August - losing to Spain.

"It was great to watch it all and how competitive it was," Patten said. "Just great to see women's football on that stage now, and the amount of viewership as well and buzzing around the country."

And the bigger stages are benefitting the WSL too.

Patten and her teammates started the season playing at Villa Park - the base for the men's team - and attracted a record crowd of 12,533 for the WSL side.

Although there was a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, there is optimism at Villa after a highest-ever finish in fifth last season.

"The atmosphere was amazing," Patten said. "The buzz honestly was crazy, especially when that first goal went in. But it's great to see fans getting behind the game, more and more of them and clubs being able to put us on a big stage in the big stadiums."

There is certainly one area where investment is needed - refereeing.

Particularly for some - ensuring VAR isn't just at major events like the Women's World Cup but in the WSL despite the technology's critics.

"Maybe it's not even VAR, it's asking for all of the refs to be full time," Patten said. "I think that would really help and they would help them to develop.

"We're obviously all full time now - that's an expectation within the WSL.

"So why can't the referees have that opportunity to be full time and better themselves. And they'll probably feel better going into games as well making those big calls."

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