The Growth of Women’s Football: Challenges and Prospects
Football has been in existence for a while now, including female football. According to history, Women’s football started in 1881. Regrettably, it suffered significant challenges in the 1800s and was banned from playing for over 50 years in England. That didn’t stop its growth across diverse nations of the world.
According to FIFA’s report in 2023, there has been a 16.6 million increase in female football since 2019, and just like cricket betting, we are beginning to see more people place bets on women’s football. That means they’re actively involved in football competitions. Now, there are female football clubs with millions of fans worldwide.
However, with the rising numbers of fans and players, female coaches are still very few; about 5% of women are football coaches, but there seems to be hope that that will change over the years. This piece explores the challenges and prospects of the growth of women’s football.
Challenges Facing the Growth of Women’s Football
The following are the major challenges facing women’s football:
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Fatal injuries are wrecking squads
Many players have been missing during World Cups because of the fatal injuries women players experience and find it difficult to recover from. These injuries can be prevented through research on ways to prioritize injury prevention for women players because the current knowledge is mostly about men’s prevention.
Furthermore, women-designed equipment is needed. For instance, ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament), a tear in the knee, has been linked to cleats in football boots specifically designed for men.
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Teams and players are fighting for fairness
Before tournaments start, top players from key teams like Canada, Spain, France, and Jamaica keep protesting that they receive little or no financial and coaching support, and these players show their concern by either openly criticizing their country or refusing to play.
Therefore, the highlights so far have been that there has been more drama happening outside the pitch than on it.
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Poor support and preparation system
Several federations have given poor support, investment, and facilities to prepare the teams for tournaments. Some women’s coaching methods have been criticized significantly, which resulted in non-payment of players’ wardrobe fees and the removal of training camps.
For instance, the England women’s football team has made an open call against the FA (Football Association) regarding its low-level negotiations as they’ve learned that their colleagues in Australia and the US will be receiving pay bonuses, but they haven’t received any yet.
To guarantee they were rested for the tournament, the FA also imposed new regulations limiting their ability to participate in juicy PR opportunities. However, they changed their minds, but it was too late for players to leverage these opportunities. Since many of these athletes’ income comes from international competitions, they must know their current situation and plan far ahead.
What are the Prospects for the Growth of Women’s Football?
There’s hope for women’s football. Here are some prospects:
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The effects of role models
Some successful female footballers like Marta, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan have inspired prospective football players because of their phenomenal skills and their voice to fight for social justice and gender equality.
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Increase in viewership and popularity
Now, you don’t have to go to stadiums to watch a football match. The Women’s FIFA World Cup has had a consistently smashed record of viewers, placing the 2023 tournament views at 1.2 billion.
The influence of social media has aggressively aided the popularity of female football. Female athletes like Sam Kerr, Alex Morgan, and Vivianne Miedema are already celebrities. So, imagine celebrities in the pitch, it’ll attract the interest of millions. It has helped to create positive connections between supporters and players.
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Funding and Investment
Women are still fighting for gender equality, but its challenges are reducing compared to the 1900 era. Also, although funding and investment are still challenging, national federations now see the need for adequate investment and funding for female footballers.
If this funding and investment plan is successful, that could boost training facilities and professionalization, increase pay for players, and improve youth developmental programs.
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Tearing down barriers
Let’s say the major challenge in female football is gender, and it might continue to be one because it’ll take quite some time to make the world realize that some activities aren’t meant for male counterparts alone. So, for now, most decisions will be influenced by the “gender syndrome.”
However, women’s football has started showing the world that women can do more than the other gender because boardroom representation is gaining momentum, and that’s already paving the way for an equitable future.
Conclusion
If the efforts continue to improve women’s football, it can promote inclusivity, be a potential rival to the male counterpart, and create a unique path for itself. More women participating and investing in sports will mean global growth in the future.
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