Expansion and workload growth are observable; recruitment-intelligence revenue growth remains unmeasured.
| Indicator | Period and calculation | What it establishes—and does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| NWSL operating-club growth | 14 to 16 clubs, 2025–2026: +14.3%, desk calculation | More operating teams, not a 14.3% increase in supplier revenue. SBJ, 15 January 2026. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) |
| NWSL regular-season match inventory | 182 to 240 matches: +31.9%, calculated from 14 × 26 ÷ 2 and 16 × 30 ÷ 2 | More matches to collect and assess; not a verified price increase. Same 15 January 2026 source. (sportsbusinessjournal.com) |
| Combined US buyer-base effect of those two additions | Holding US MLS membership fixed, 41 to 43: +4.9% | Isolates expansion’s contribution to customer count; says nothing about spend per customer |
| Awarded NWSL expansion pipeline | 16 to 18 operating clubs in 2028, if the announced launches proceed | A 12.5% prospective NWSL count increase, not annual revenue CAGR. NWSL Columbus announcement, 21 April 2026. (nwslsoccer.com) |
For scenario work, keep the components separate:
Expenditure growth = (1 + change in buyer count) × (1 + change in average external spend) − 1.
For example, the 41-to-43 buyer-count change combined with an assumed, not observed, 5% increase in average spend yields approximately 10.1% expenditure growth. That is a sensitivity calculation dated 3 November 2026—not a forecast.
This review does not validate the supplied category-growth ranges or expenditure shares. There is insufficient evidence to publish video, advanced analytics, regional scouting and integration as measured market segments with distinct CAGRs.
Sources cited on this page
- 15 January 2026 sourcewww.sportsbusinessjournal.com
- sportsbusinessjournal.comwww.sportsbusinessjournal.com
- NWSL Columbus announcement, 21 April 2026www.nwslsoccer.com
- nwslsoccer.comwww.nwslsoccer.com