Issue 09: Even the Corners Are Sponsored: How Bay FC Is Redefining Football Club Monetisation
About the Author
Name: Aaron Gratton
Football team: Newcastle United - HWTL!
Favourite ever player: Laurent Robert
Where you can find me: My LinkedIn
Bay FC is flipping the football business model on its head and actually showing England what it’s missing.
Bay FC are a relatively new addition to the NWSL; they are co-founded by legends of the USWNT: Aly Wagner, Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slaton, and Leslie Osborne. However, the club isn’t just playing football; it's changing it.
Building a Club Like a Company - The Capitalist Way
Bay FC aren’t attempting to be “just another” franchise team. They’re a statement of intent.
CEO Brady Stewart has made it clear: the goal isn’t just to compete; it’s to become a globally recognised brand and a leader in women’s football. Think Chelsea. Think Barcelona. But from the ground up? Not an easy task.
How are they doing it? Sponsored corners.
Yep, I know in the UK, that kind of hyper-commercialisation would have fans sharpening their pitchforks. But in the States? It’s not just accepted- it’s expected. For every corner kick earned by Bay FC during the season, Trader Joe's donates $250 to local organisations focused on providing nutritious meals and promoting active lifestyles for Bay Area youth. Of course, they’ve still got all the traditional deals – front, back and sleeve – but to really grow, they’ve leaned into the unorthodox. Everything is a revenue stream: kits, sidelines, corners, training content – the matchday experience itself.
But hear me out – It’s not as bad as it sounds.
A lot of their sponsorships are community-driven, as football should be. Partnerships with local orgs like theirs with Trader Joe’s go beyond branding and tackle real issues like food insecurity. There’s intent behind the monetisation they want to build something long-lasting and meaningful, rooted in the local area.
They have a deep connection between club and community – the type that a 120-year-old team in England, for example, might take for granted. We can all sit here and judge, but truly they’ve got to start somewhere, and they are seriously building something from scratch. Slowly, deliberately.
Bay FC isn’t trying to mimic tradition. They’re building something new. And it’s no mean feat to grow from a startup club built on venture capital and brand deals into a real community asset that people care about.
John Todd/isiphotos.com
Culture Clash: UK vs USA
Here in England, we’ve spent years trying to shape the Women’s Super League (WSL) in the image of the Premier League. Big clubs, big names, big coverage – all valid ambitions. But has it worked? The women’s game has grown astronomically in the UK, especially since the Lionesses brought it home, but with the endless failed attempts at marketing it to men who are often (not always) uninterested and the huge rise in women watching and enjoying the football, have we overlooked the game’s unique strengths?
Because while the Premier League is a global juggernaut, it’s also bloated, commercialised, and often disconnected from its massive global communities. The WSL has an opportunity to be something different – more intimate, more personal, more inclusive. But instead, we keep trying to copy-paste the same rulebook.
That’s where Bay FC stands out. They aren’t chasing the past; they’re building something new. Their model embraces capitalism, sure, but it also places community and culture at its core. Their branding isn’t just about star power; it’s about local partnerships, grassroots links, and building something meaningful from the ground up – something that, here at least, I worry is missing from the women’s game.
In contrast, many WSL clubs still feel like carbon copies of their male counterparts – same kits, same badge, half the love. That’s not a criticism of the players or the product (which has never been better) – it’s a call for a fresh identity. Why not build clubs that feel like they belong to women, families, and local communities – not just the shadow of a Premier League giant?
The Community Blueprint
If the first section was about capital and the second about culture, then this is about connection.
Matchdays aren’t built for the typical lads-on-tour crowd. They’re designed with families, women, and first-timers in mind. They’ve got food trucks, local vendors, inclusive facilities, kid-friendly spaces – almost like a festival. It’s football that is trying to feel welcoming off the pitch, not intimidating. That kind of environment matters to communities. It makes people want to come back.
And they’re not just selling shirts – they’re selling stories. Their content strategy leans hard into behind-the-scenes, training footage, and player narratives. It’s less “PR gloss” and more “come along for the ride”. They’re building loyalty, not just viewers.
Even their sponsorships are thoughtful by design. It’s value-added sponsorship. Revenue with purpose. They’ve also been hiring and involving locals from day one – staff, volunteers, local business partners, etc. It’s very reminiscent of grassroots football here across the Atlantic.
Bay FC aren’t just trying to inherit tradition. They’re building it, slowly and with their community leading the way. It’s a model that doesn’t have to shout to be heard, like the aggressive marketing of the WSL. And I think that’s why it works so well.
Reshaping the Rulebook
Bay FC aren’t only building a team – they’re building a template. One that shows women’s football doesn’t need to follow the same tired blueprint to be taken seriously. They’re not chasing the Premier League’s shadow or waiting for approval from traditional male fanbases. They’re making something that feels authentic, modern, and theirs.
And the truth is women’s football is a different game. Not in terms of the sport, but in culture. It’s inclusive, community-led, and packed with a different kind of potential that the Premier League left behind decades ago. It’s for everyone to enjoy, of course it is – but it makes sense to market the women’s game directly to women, families, and new fans.
People who probably want to engage with football but often feel shut out of a sport that can be (at times) so tribal, intense, and locked-off.
Let the old man grovel in the pub all he wants. That’s not the audience anymore. And that’s fine at the end of the day. Because there’s a market here that’s been ignored in the UK for too long, and Bay FC is proving just how powerful it can be when you stop trying to impress the wrong crowd.
In England, we talk a lot about “growing the game”. Maybe it’s time we asked who we’re growing it for.
Personal Note
On a personal note, I’m due to become a dad in September to a baby girl. Her mum’s a Liverpool fan; I’m Newcastle through and through. So, make no mistake, project Mbappe is still very much on the cards. She doesn’t have to love football; maybe she will wear my retro shirts for the aesthetic. I just hope when she’s old enough, the game has evolved to a space where she feels just as welcome and her voice is heard. And, never feel like she’s on the outside looking in.
