Introduction
For Camino City, the women’s game is truly at the core of our foundations through our team and growing up with this in the early 2000s. We have seen the rise, but not letting go of pre and existing issues girls and women face. While realising the stage of professionalisation is still being undertaken, there is huge optimism after overcoming difficulties in the past 20 years and seeing the tangible changes, knowing more still needs to and must be done. Women’s football, in many other parts of the world soccer, is on an upward trajectory that is unprecedented, despite the women’s game being inactive for many years thereafter the ban in the mid 1900s. Since then, and in the last decade, clubs have now turned professional while others who had already established a women’s side seek to grow and take advantage of the funds available to grow in the way that restricted them beforehand. However, on a global scale and despite exponential growth, there is a lack of collective incentive across the board and the federations and their respective leagues and clubs.The 2023 World Cup brought a lot of surprises to views how the so-called smaller nations with less funding or competitive squads held their own, such as Jamaica or how the United States did not dominate as their history suggests which was a striking sign that the other nations have caught up. It could also suggest other nations overall matched the physicality and athleticism the US possess, mixed with acute tactics.
Agent for Change
Our CEO Joel Lawrence is undertaking a groundbreaking study in women’s football and youth football, information that can be seen on our Education Page. The research entails interviewing professional female players and mixed youth to understand the current landscape, the issues players are facing and ultimately finding solutions to issues , and even identifying problem the wider game did not even knew existed. By being an illustrator rather than an innovator, we will allow the players to finally speak for themselves, and give them the confidence and environment to do so that everyone will take not of, especially those stakeholders and federations across the globe.
We want to get maximal potential out of those in the women’s game. We want them to do it for the girls that did not have that opportunity, but not to forget those players so they can have a voice to teach. The current youth now have countless chances to make an impact, like Carmen here, but they still have to work, find their best self, and not to make excuses. Education also needs to stay at the forefront, while they get after their dreams too. Everyone has a plan until they get hit, to quote from another sport, so this needs to be remembered during short career.
The study will involve the very best. Since the research is bottom up, we know that the elite need to push the research and to compare to those on the lower level to make an impact. From October 2025 onwards, the study will commence and take on into the World Cup in 2027. A blog about this tournament as well as the Euros can be seen on our other post, and how the preparations are underway from an event organiser perspective and the players work to get to the tournament.
Conclusion
We hope you understand the value we have here at Camino City for women’s football, and sports overall. The role models of today can help inspire future generations, while those active in the game have all a role to play to continue and equally help others across the sports.
