Women’s football has a chance to go global – it must take it

The numbers speak for themselves. France’s win over Brazil in the last 16 was the most watched women’s game of all time with 59 million tuning in worldwide. Eighty-eight per cent of TV viewers in the Netherlands watched their final with the USA. England’s semi-final heartbreak was witnessed by 11.7 million, a new high mark for not only women’s football in the UK, but television full stop in 2019.

And what of the stars of the show. Megan Rapinoe is now a household name, both inside the White House and out. In the superb Rose Lavelle the USA already have the player to carry on what Rapinoe has started long into the future. Lucy Bronze rightfully took her place amongst the elite while England teammate Ellen White lit up the tournament with some of the most nerveless finishing you would ever wish to see.

This last month in France has truly shown what women’s football can be. But what now? With any major tournament the talk of legacy is always paramount. So what will the legacy of France 2019 be?

Getting fans through the door is the ultimate goal. Attendances were poor at times in France with organisers forced to revise pre-tournament predictions of broken records after five days of half-empty stadiums. The football itself saw mismatches too, especially early on, with the gap between the footballing haves and have-nots never more stark than during the USA’s thrashing of Thailand in the group stages. At least Thailand, to their credit, were there. What of Belgium and Portugal and 2018 men’s finalists Croatia? Where were so many of the nations so lavishly funded in the men’s game?

And of course there’s the outcome. Seven European teams joined the USA in the last eight only for the reigning champions to emerge unscathed once again. Their brilliance matched with brashness won them few friends, but if the gap between them and the rest really is closing then it appears to be closing very slowly. It is imperative that the chasing pack catch up fast. An audience of millions is fine but if they already know how the show ends every four years it’s harder and harder to engage them in between.

The Women’s Super League’s announcement that Manchester City and Chelsea will open their seasons at the Etihad Stadium and Stamford Bridge respectively is a start. Chelsea too have confirmed their season tickets for the upcoming season will be just £44. Talk of double headers with Premier League games and the Premier League even taking over control of the WSL itself has followed.

It is vital these gestures aren’t just one-offs in the wake of a World Cup, but serve as examples as to what must happen next. With bums on seats comes TV money and perhaps the sort of revolution the men’s game saw with the advent of the Premier League 27 years ago.

But that still feels a way off. The last four weeks and this World Cup can prove transformative for the women’s game but only if the right steps are taken. The real hard work starts now.

Yours,

Ben Burrows

Sports news editor