IMG, the global sports marketing and media agency, has been appointed to manage the global archive rights of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), strengthening the league’s long-term content strategy as it continues to scale its commercial and international footprint.
Under the agreement, IMG will oversee the management, preservation, and commercial licensing of the NWSL’s complete video archive. The partnership covers match footage from every season since 2017, including regular-season matches, playoffs, the NWSL Championship, and the NWSL Challenge Cup.
The agreement is separate from the league’s live broadcast rights, which continue to be sold independently. Instead, IMG’s remit focuses on historical and on-demand content, enabling the NWSL to monetise its archive beyond live match windows and transform past competitions into year-round commercial assets.
IMG will manage the organisation and digitisation of the archive and lead global licensing efforts with broadcasters, digital platforms, production companies, and commercial partners. The footage will be packaged for multiple use cases, including highlights programming, documentaries, digital storytelling, brand-led activations, and long-form editorial projects.
NWSL Senior Vice President of Broadcast Brian Gordon said, “Partnering with IMG to manage our global archive rights is an exciting step for the NWSL. This collaboration ensures our rich history is preserved and accessible with fans, broadcasters, and storytellers around the world.”
Bill Hawes, Senior Director, Archive, IMG, added, “IMG is working closely with the NWSL to help it unlock greater value from its competitions. We’re pleased to start our partnership with the NWSL to help storytellers bring the league’s biggest stories to fans, broadcasters, and brands around the world through its archive rights. The NWSL has an incredibly compelling growth story with a rich archive of footage that captures the talent, passion, and moments that have built today’s game.”
Founded in 2012, the NWSL is the top tier of professional women’s football in the United States. Gotham FC were crowned 2025 NWSL Champions after defeating Washington Spirit 1–0 in the Championship match on November 22, 2025, while Kansas City Current secured the NWSL Shield, clinching the title with a league-record five regular-season games remaining.
IMG manages one of the world’s largest sports archives, with more than 500,000 hours of content spanning properties such as the Premier League, Wimbledon, World Rugby, the R&A, DP World Tour, UFC, WWE, Bundesliga, and Formula E.
The deal reflects a wider industry shift, as leagues increasingly invest in archive rights management to create sustainable revenue streams, extend brand relevance beyond matchday, and support global storytelling in an on-demand media environment.
