While more and more capitalists such as Quanjian, Guotai Junan Securities, China Fortune Land Development, Suning, Beijing Enterprises Group Co., Ltd and so on beginning to invest in China Women’s Super League (CWSL) and Women’s China League which is the league below CWSL, Chinese women football is no longer a code word for impoverishment. At least, some clubs and players have become prosperous.

According to the CFA (Chinese Football Association), the investment into various clubs in China Women’s Super League and Women’s China League in 2016 was: below 5 million for 3 teams; between 5 million and 10 million for another 3 teams; between 10 million and 30 million for a further 8 teams; over 30 million for 2 teams.

With regard to incomes, the average monthly income of Chinese Women’s Super League and Women’s China League players were: below 5,000 Yuan in 4 teams, accounting for 25%; between 5,000 Yuan and 10,000 Yuan in 9 teams, accounting for 56%; over 10,000 Yuan in 3 teams, accounting for 9%.

Recent capital injections have increased the incomes of Chinese female football players directly. The monthly income of the most popular women’s national footballer was only about 2,000 to 3,000 Yuan in 2014. Even in 2015, the FIFA Women’s World Cup year, the highest yearly income of a national footballer was approximately 400,000 Yuan, which was increased after the player had played in Korea.

When Quanjian invested and managed Dalian women’s football, it recruited national female football players with a far higher annual income, which reached several million RMB. Though it only equals that of a bench player from a less fashionable club in the Chinese Super League, it has exceeded the expectations of Chinese women football players. In fact, the monthly income of Dalian women football team’s players is over 20,000 RMB. 

Translated from 年度盘点之女足：球员收入增长，贫富加大基数堪忧, the author: Qingyang Chen 

Proofread by Sean O Diobhilin