Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Is women's soccer a permament trend? | 5 min read

Is women's soccer a permanent trend?


2019 World Cup raised awareness all over the world, there's no doubt in that. But will the trend survive and is there a chance for the women's soccer to grow numbers of both athletes and supporters?

A casual fan


Every so often we see a sport on top of popularity - just to be forgotten in a couple of months. Think Usain Bolt and track. Or Katie Ledecky at the Olympic's. How many people have followed their careers after that? As Dan Lauletta of the Equalizer puts it, "I would suggest that there is a solid base of die-hard NWSL fans and that the missing element is actually the casual fan. It’s the person who knows enough to keep up but does not necessarily live and die with every cross or errant offside flag." This seems to be true if we think about the popularity of men's soccer. Not every person who follows the bigger news and tournaments also follows the team or player on a day-to-day basis. Women's soccer needs a wider net of supporters.

Also, we should not forget that a casual fan can also be male. Again, think of a men's soccer game - how many female supporters are there in the stands? I bet they are the casual fan type.

Fans of Argentina's national soccer team
So why don't we promote women's soccer, it's achievements, and message to boys as well as girls? Boys can be inspired by athletes of any gender, just as girls can. This should not be an exclusive fan club. So Nike started selling U.S. team t-shirts in men's and boy's sizes - and it worked. And the more female coaches we have - the more appreciation both boys and girls will have for the women's game.

Dayton and Mikey DiTomasso have had strong female coaches and are fans of women's soccer. Source: today.com


How about Europe?


It's great to see men in Europe support their nation's female team - David Beckham used the platform he has to show his support to the game during the FIFA Women's World Cup this year.

David Beckham supporting England  on the Stade OcĂ©ane stadium in Le Havre
11.7 million viewers watched this game on TV in the UK, making it the country's most-viewed show of 2019. According to UEFA, there are almost 1.3 million players registered throughout Europe, with Germany leading the way. And most importantly for the growing success and permanent popularity, it's the younger players who contribute to growth - youth leagues have doubled in number during the last 5 years. Of course, Ada Hegerberg of Norway still receives around $430 000 annually, and that is far from Barcelona's Lionel Messi's rough of $140 million (source: nypost.com). But money aside, the women's game has never before enjoyed more attention.

So is women's soccer a U.S. phenomenon?


Much of the game's high profile can be attributed to the U.S. team. Why? Apparently, the game was slow to take off here, and women's soccer is perceived as a thing of its own. 73 of the Women's World Cup stars are employed by the U.S. clubs. Moreover, none of the U.S. players is employed outside the U.S. Each player of the U.S. national team also plays for a domestic club.


If women's soccer continues to be a popular choice for young girls, there's hope. And the chances for this happening globally are higher if there's more permanent attention and media coverage for the current teams.








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