Women’s Soccer Was Having a Moment. Then the Clock Stopped.

These should have been a fruitful few weeks for Glasgow City. For only the second time in its history, Scotland’s premier women’s team had secured a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. It was scheduled to face the German powerhouse Wolfsburg on March 25. A crowd of 800, perhaps more, was expected to come through the gates of Petershill Park.

Regardless of the result, Laura Montgomery, Glasgow’s general manager and one of its founders, would have been able to bank not only the revenue from ticket sales, but also the team’s share of prize money for its performance in this year’s competition. For a club like Glasgow City, run by volunteers and with a budget just a fraction of that enjoyed by the likes of Wolfsburg, it was a vital windfall.

Then, early in April, would come another boost. It is around this time of year that Glasgow’s sponsorship deals come due. The invoices from the club’s partners should be starting to trickle in, providing the money not just to pay the players’ salaries but to fund the youth programs at the club’s heart.

All of that income, though, is frozen. The Wolfsburg game never happened, postponed indefinitely as the coronavirus pandemic swept through world soccer. The fate of the women’s Champions League remains unclear. The question is not just when, but if, it will be played. Until a decision is made, prize money is a secondary concern for UEFA, the competition’s organizer.