It was the attendance record in the Women’s FA Cup: on Sunday (15), more than 49,000 people saw Chelsea win over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. The London team also won the Premier League and is an example of how to take women’s football seriously. Soon, they will be protagonists again.
It’s just that when the son or daughter of midfield Melanie Leupolz is born, in a few months, the midfield will be one of the first to benefit from an important reform in the English first and second divisions. Now, players are entitled to 100% of their salary for 14 weeks of maternity leave, and this allows the 28-year-old German to have more peace of mind when choosing to be a mother at the height of her career.
Due to lack of financial and professional security, athletes still wait until retirement or give up motherhood. It is also a step towards changing the mentality of some clubs. The pregnancy announcement was hailed by Chelsea as a positive, not an inconvenience.
Bleachers will remain full. In July, the women’s Euro Cup, here in England, will have games in stadiums like Old Trafford and Wembley. But even a country that invests in women’s sport has problems, and they start early. A survey of 4,000 boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18 from the British NGO Women In Sport revealed that almost half of them are disinterested in sports as a teenager.
They feel that they have fewer opportunities than boys, they receive little support from their father, they feel judged at puberty, when their bodies change. Almost 80% do not do physical activity during their menstrual period due to pain, tiredness or shame. The study points to the importance of parents taking their daughters to see and play sports. I add as suggestions that physical educators adopt uniforms that do not embarrass them or expose them unnecessarily and that area managers have more women in leadership positions.
Among European neighbors, it is surprising to know that women’s football in Italy is amateur. But that will change: on July 1st, the first division turns professional. Currently, players have a gross salary cap of 30,000 euros per season, tiny compared to men, and contracts without the right to retirement or health insurance. Since 2017, all Serie A clubs have been required to have women’s teams, and in 2019 the Italian national team returned to the World Cup for the first time in two decades, which spurred growth.
This weekend will be remarkable in Italy. Turin hosts the decision of the Women’s Champions League between Barcelona and Lyon. Last month, in one of the semi-finals, 91,648 people watched Barcelona v Wolfsburg at Camp Nou, a world record in women’s football.
Until recently, Barcelona players were amateurs and had difficulties in training. The team turned professional in 2015, and the club created a serious project, improved its structure by taking inspiration from men, invested in the base. He won Spanish titles, the last Champions League and won the hearts of fans. The captain, Alexia Putellas, was named the best in the world.
These changes are the basics, and there is a lot to advance in women’s football, but it is necessary to value what has been done well. If a few years ago girls grew up wanting to play like Messi, now they have names like Alexia to inspire them. And representation matters.
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