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Women’s soccer is on a huge rise, putting both women’s rights and abilities at the forefront of world sports. The popularity of the discipline is growing, so more and more girls and women get to use it to express themselves and develop their true potential. Currently, soccer is helping numerous sportswomen believe in themselves and stay passionate as they chase after their dreams. The sport has a huge role in the empowerment of women, and this article will tell you all about it.

The Growth of Women’s Soccer

Women’s soccer is seeing increased revenues worldwide, coming from sponsorships, merchandising, and broadcast deals. Clubs from different parts of the world reported yearly commercial revenue growth of 33%, while the growth of broadcast revenue reached 22%.

All of that is the result of much greater participation and larger interest from fans than ever before. For example, a record television audience of 9.3 million people watched the Euro 2022 semifinal match between England and Sweden. Moreover, if we look at the Women’s Super League (the leading division in England), we can see that the average match attendance has grown from 728 in 2015 to 1,931 in the season 2021-22.

At the moment, there are around 11,500 teams for women only, gathering almost 200,000 affiliated players. In 2015, there were 2.89 million women in the world who actively played soccer, and in 2020, the number went up to 3.4 million. Additionally, the number of female coaches also skyrocketed, going over 16,000.

Advances in Gender Equality

The United States has always offered broad opportunities in both professional and recreational sports, and until recently, European players had to move there to build careers in women’s soccer. However, thanks to the latest advancements in gender equality in the field, all the biggest clubs in the UK formed women’s teams, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

There has been a huge shift in professionalism towards women, so in clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City, and Everton, female players get to practice in state-of-the-art training facilities that were once reserved for men. Additionally, Reading and Birmingham’s stadiums are shared equally between women’s and men’s teams. Even though there is a long road ahead, these positive examples speak of a brighter future.

Positive Impact on Women

Let’s go over some of the key benefits experienced by female soccer players:

Empowerment

Creating equal opportunities for female soccer players challenges some of the most deeply rooted gender barriers that have been present for centuries. Equality on the court empowers girls and women by opening the eyes of the public to everything they can accomplish. Boys have been encouraged to play football for ages, and allowing girls to compete on the same scale helps them realize there is nothing in the world they cannot do.

Improved Fitness and Strength

Girls who regularly engage in soccer can expect a number of physical improvements including increased bone density, lower body fat, and improved cardiovascular health, On top of that, such women also reach much better physical readiness, especially when it comes to coordination which is transformed by the constant shifts between sprinting, running, and walking.

Better Mental Health

Improvements in physical strength also help women build the confidence they can show both on and off the field. Involvement in this type of sport encourages women to see themselves in a much better way and have a more positive outlook on life.

Thanks to all the networking and the social integration that comes with it, soccer also reshapes the ideas of feminine and masculine roles, challenging the stereotypes that label women as weak. By feeling physically capable and continuously working on encouraging team spirit, women become more mentally and emotionally stable, which builds valuable self-esteem.

Future Challenges

Soccer has been dominated by men for a very long time, and even though a lot of effort has been made to create equality, unfairness is still present. Men’s leagues are still presented with more opportunities, and the clubs are receiving much greater funds for earnings, venues, and development. For example, even though women’s clubs have been experiencing greater revenue than before, only 7% of them reported exceeding $1 million from broadcast, matches, commercials, and prize cash.

Women’s teams also continue to struggle with equality in personal earnings, fair recognition for success, and the level of punishment when they break guidelines and rules. The clubs cannot fight this battle alone, and achieving full equality is only possible with the involvement of large organizations on a global scale.

Female soccer players have had a huge role in the battle for equality with men, and their efforts inspired change both on the field and in daily life. Participation in the sports that used to be reserved for men empowered girls from all corners of the world to believe in their capabilities and be proud of who they are.