A closer look at the neglect towards women’s football in Italy
True progress needs cooperation from all who can contribute to it. Women’s sport is one area where that sentiment is probably most apt. Riding on the buzz in women’s football is the current need and when one of the biggest nations on the footballing stage fails miserably in that quest, it is an injustice to the greater cause.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand saw multiple records tumble in terms of viewership and attendance. Not long after, Italy took on the world’s top ranked team, Sweden, in a UEFA Nations League tie last month. Here’s the problem: a game of this calibre was held at the Stadio Teofilo Patini, a stadium with a 7200-seat capacity, located in the remote Italian town Castel di Sangro. The nearest known city (Pescara) is a 90-minute drive away. This game saw only 2,500 spectators in attendance.
The Stadio Teofilo Patini in Castel di Sangro.
Kosovare Asllani (AC Milan) and Amanda Nildén (Juventus), two Swedish stars who play club football in Italy, were among those who criticised the Italian FA (FIGC) for its treatment of the women’s team. Asllani’s summation of the venue as one with “more animals than people” (via SVT Sport) said it all.
This hasn’t been the only problem of late. The venue selection issue follows an extremely poor coverage of the World Cup, where there was complete absence of Italian media representation Down Under. Also, Italian broadcasters reportedly made a bid of just one percent of what they did for the men’s World Cup, for which the team had not even qualified.
But why is a footballing powerhouse in Italy struggling to keep up with the likes of England, France, Germany, and even Sweden in terms of growth?
Sacrificing the growth of women’s football
Leading Italian/Australian sports presenter and journalist Adriano Del Monte, who bemoaned Italy’s lack of contribution to the current momentum in women’s football, pointed out where the FIGC is lagging behind, not just in terms of action, but mentality.
“Obviously the men have missed the last two world cups. As a result, the federation have been trying to recoup the losses of the failures on the men’s side of the pitch and have certainly not been paying the respect the women’s game deserves,” Del Monte told Sports Gazette.
Referencing some of the other footballing powerhouses mentioned above, Del Monte highlighted their focus on the sport’s overall growth in their countries, and not just on men’s football.
“These federations look at money and the Italian Federation is saying, well, we’re struggling on the male front. We don’t have time to invest on the female front because we’re not going to see an immediate return. And that’s just completely wrong. But that’s the way that they’ve been going about it.”
It can be argued that the lack of interest from the very top negatively impacts other stakeholders, including the media, who then add to the neglect towards the women’s game. It all comes down to the need for a collective effort, though. The biggest victims here are the players and the fans.
“Each one of these industries, everyone involved in whatever capacity, whether it’s a federation, broadcast or whatever it is, they can have an impact themselves to help grow, to help give exposure (to women’s football),” Del Monte concurs, further stressing the ‘opportunity cost.’
“Not only did the Italians miss out on that potential chance to grow the interest and investment in the women’s game, they’ve blown a massive opportunity for the future. I think it sets Italy back another cycle now that this World Cup was not covered. A lot of people here weren’t even aware the World Cup was really on.”
There is so much potential
Australia is a good example of what can be achieved with a long-term focus on the growth of women’s football. It led to the country co-hosting a World Cup, which eventually brought even more fans to the women’s game. Del Monte, who also has Australian roots, shed more light on the larger impact of the tournament.
“The feedback that I received from friends and family and fans in Australia who, to be fair, had never watched a minute of women’s football before the tournament, many were surprised by how high the quality was. How the standard blew them away,” he expressed.
Fans attend the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England.
When it comes to Italian football, there are a couple of developments to highlight. Sports media company DAZN recently struck a broadcast rights deal with the FIGC for the 2023/24 season of the Serie A Femminile, the top-flight of Italian women’s football. Meanwhile, Italy’s next UEFA Nations League game, against Spain in late October, will be played at the Stadio Arechi in Salerno, a stadium with 37,000+ capacity.
These are positive developments, no doubt, but as Del Monte puts it, they are “small steps in a marathon.” In what is the most exciting phase in women’s football, taking the foot off the pedal, even for a brief period, is not an option.
