Media coverage of women's football: On track, but more steps needed

By Ahmad Karakira
Source: Al Mayadeen English
20 Aug 2023 00:03

While the strides in women's football media coverage are commendable, there is still work to be done.

England and Spain will clash on August 20 to grasp their first FIFA Women’s World Cup. They will play at Stadium Australia, in Sydney, in front of 75,000 fans. The two teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2022 European Championship, with England winning 2-1 in extra time.

Before the beginning of the championship, FIFA predicted the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be a "watershed" moment that shifts the game to another level, with the target to eventually rival the men's version.

FIFA's chief women's football officer Sarai Bareman told NewsCorp Australia that more than two billion viewers were expected to tune in, double the previous tournament in France, won by the United States.

But apart from the media hype witnessed by this version of the Women's World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, women's football faced a lot of challenges before it was able to reach this level of media coverage and public support.

The history of women's football dates back to the late 19th century, with the first recorded match taking place in Scotland in 1881. However, progress was slow, hindered by societal norms and a lack of recognition. It wasn't until the 20th century that women's football began to gain traction. The watershed moment arrived in 1991 when the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup was held, paving the way for the sport's recognition on the global stage.

Despite its rapid growth, women's football continues to face challenges in achieving gender equality. Pay disparity, limited media coverage, and unequal resources are some of the hurdles that persist.

The history of media coverage of women's football has been marked by disparities and biases. Despite the undeniable skill and passion of female athletes, traditional media outlets often relegated women's matches to the shadows. Limited airtime, scarce column inches, and inadequate analysis perpetuated the notion that women's football was of lesser significance. This inequality not only hindered the sport's growth but also reinforced harmful stereotypes and discouraged young girls from pursuing their football dreams.

Early Women's World Cup tournaments suffered from scant broadcasting of matches. Information was restricted to brief clips featured on select programs or FIFA channels, with no real-time coverage of the events available.

A breakthrough occurred with the 1999 World Cup, as some participating nations successfully broadcasted the tournament, particularly with a profound impact on the United States. Following the 1999 Women's World Cup, there was remarkable growth in broadcast investment in the US. However, it wasn't until the 2008 Beijing Olympics that near-global coverage of the tournament was achieved. By the time of the 2011 Women's World Cup held in Germany, every country had the capability to support their national teams through televised broadcasts.

In recent years, a remarkable shift has occurred in the media landscape; international tournaments like the FIFA Women's World Cup and the UEFA Women's European Championship have become showcases of excellence, drawing millions of viewers. The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup held in France marked a milestone in broadcasting, recording an average of 150,000 live viewers and amassing a total TV audience of 1.12 billion viewers across domestic television and digital platforms. This surge in viewership played a significant role in accelerating the global growth of women's football and cultivating a larger fan base.

Major sports networks, digital platforms, and newspapers have started dedicating more airtime and column space to women's football. International tournaments like the FIFA Women's World Cup and the UEFA Women's European Championship now receive extensive coverage, with in-depth analysis, pre and post-match discussions, and expert commentary.

Investment in women's football has also seen a significant boost. Clubs and organizations are allocating resources to develop training facilities, support academies, and enhance the overall infrastructure for women's teams. Major brands and sponsors are recognizing the potential of women's football and are aligning themselves with the sport, further fueling its growth.

Touching on the matter, former Lebanese footballer and current Sports Sociology Ph.D. candidate, Assile Toufaily, said, "I think the current World Cup now shows that media, big media outlets such as Sky Sports, Seven in Australia, Bein Sports… are interested in women's football.”

Toufaily explained that “the biggest issue is that sometimes they try to win the coverage rights or media rights by paying a very small sum because they are afraid that the competition will not get them something in return, and they are always thinking about the money.”

She highlighted that this year’s semi-final between England and Australia amassed 11.5 million people watching the match, “and it's one quarter of the Australian population, so it's a lot.”

“I think it [media coverage] is getting better. Matches are being covered,” she indicated.

In the same context, Toufaily pointed to the lack of media coverage for Arab women’s football. She argued that the Arab region is still facing a socio-cultural problem when it comes to women’s football.

“When you talk about someone and you tell them that you have a girl who plays football or you are a girl who plays football, most of the time their answer would be 'who watches women's football?', 'it's slow', 'it's not nice', 'they should be studying', 'they should be getting married',” she said.

“We’re still in this situation where they're [women footballers] not appreciated for what they're doing. I think the biggest problem when it comes to this is that media isn't doing an effort to fix it or to find a solution for it.”

While the strides in women's football media coverage are commendable, there is still work to be done. True equality means consistent coverage for leagues, domestic matches, and grassroots initiatives. Media outlets, clubs, and sponsors must continue to invest in women's football to ensure its sustained growth. Moreover, ongoing efforts to challenge stereotypes and address bias in commentary are crucial for a fair and balanced representation of the sport.

“It's actually a circle that keeps turning. They [women footballers] don't have the media recognition they're asking for or they deserve. At the same time, they don't have sponsors or enough funding because they're not being covered on TV,” Toufaily expressed.

She explained that “society doesn't accept them [women] playing or society keeps comparing them to male footballers, which is a bad comparison from the start because from an anatomy point of view or physiology point of view, they [men and women] differ a lot.”

Toufaily stressed that the media have a role in directing the attention of the audience to women's football by making its coverage access free, especially on TV channels. Once this is implemented, according to the former Lebanese footballer, investors will be encouraged to invest in women's football, which in turn will increase the salaries of women footballers, enabling them to boost their preparedness and level.