With FIFA Women’s World Cup literally kicking off today, Friday 7th June, we’re getting excited at the prospect of England’s Lionesses bringing home the silverware in July. There’s still a long way to go and plenty of stiff opposition for the Lionesses to battle through but betting odds are putting the English team among the favourites. Equally there is still a country mile to go for the women’s game to be on an equal footing to the men’s but there are and have been changes that are driving popularity. So much so, that The Telegraph’s sport writer Jim White comments that “it could start a revolution” in his headline today.
So how could this competition become a game-changer for women’s football and sport?
The numbers game
Commercial success in sport boils down to a numbers game, just as in business. The success will be marked by the attendance figures at the 52 games being played across France over the next month, and the wider television audiences which are expected to reach over a billion people, comfortably topping the 750 million that viewed the last competition back in 2015. Opening, semi-finals and final games are already sell-outs, as are all games with the existing cup-holders United States, so, the numbers are looking positive as the competition opens today.
Increased awareness and popularity will be the driver to boost viewing and tickets sales. Clearly a fact not missed on the England manager, Phil Neville, when he made the squad announcements through a series of celebrities via social and broadcast media that sparked public interest in the up-coming competition. As Neville said, “We have to make these players visible, we want everyone around the world to buy in to what will be the biggest Women’s World Cup of all time.”
The Equality question
All of the athletes in this year’s World Cup are absolute top-class athletes, who have trained relentlessly to get to this point, whose commitment and passion will equal that of any of their male counterparts. But there is still a huge gap between the genders in terms of pay and prestige in football and some could argue that the revenues (that numbers game again) dictates that men should be paid more than their female counterparts due to revenue generation potential in the men’s game versus the women’s (currently). The world’s best paid male player Leon Messi earns 325x more than the world’s highest paid female player Ada Hederberg according to research released by France Football magazine.
There are some movements in the right direction, albeit changes that really should have been addressed before 2019! This year sees the first time that national teams will be running out in sports kit specifically designed for women rather than having shirts and shorts designed for men! With Nike designing bespoke kits for 14 of the 24 teams, clearly this will become another revenue stream as the popularity of the women’s game rises! Additionally, Adidas have announced that the World Cup winners will receive the same bonus as the male winners.
Quality of the game
Quality of coaching, quality of resource, quality of media coverage are all contributing to the rise in popularity of the women’s game which in turn drive interest and participation. According to the latest FA accounts, women’s football now receive funding of £17.5 million which is the largest spend out of any European association, and amateur involvement worldwide has increased by 15% over the past 10 years. The quality of the coaching being invested into teams is also being increased but female coaches are still very much in the minority with 97% of all coaching licences being held by men. But rumours this week link Emma Hayes to replace Maurizio Sarri as Chelsea’s top coach, which would make her the first female coach in Premiership football. So, tides are changing.
Outstanding coaching, leadership and teamwork will be essential in the Lioness’s quest to become the 2019 La Coupe du Monde Feminine title winners. Similarly, in business those same three qualities of outstanding coaching, leadership and teamwork are essential in the formula for a winning business. As we cheer on the Lionesses over the next month, if you need any support with coaching, leadership and teamwork training then please get in touch with us at LearnLive.Online.
Come on England! You could start a revolution!
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