Fútbol Femenino: Where are Spanish Women?
When I was 17 I moved to Pamplona, Spain (yes, they run with the bulls there) for a year-long foreign exchange program. While
there, I lived with a Spanish family and went to a Spanish high school. I learned the language, the customs and how to navigate a society that was starkly different from what I had known in the US. I saw first hand the differences between men and women.
It bothered me that my Spanish father expected his wife to do everything for him even though she also had a full-time job and was probably just as exhausted as him. It annoyed me that men lived with their mothers, as functioning members of society, until they were married. It astounded me that I had to teach my host brother to open a can and use the microwave, proving to me that without his mom he would be lost.
I have to say, though it astounded me initially, I grew to understand the Spanish mentality. Sure, it was something that I would never fully embrace, but I did begin to see why things were the way they were. (And I do very much love Spain, despite their differences and oddities.)
One of the experiences I was lucky to have while there was being able to play soccer. I played indoor at the local university with my cousin and played outdoor for a local football club. Since it was the beginning of my exchange and I could barely communicate, the indoor was short lived. However, as a goalkeeper, some of the hardest shots I have ever taken were on this team. The women played fast and had great vision. BUT if they had played my outdoor team, they would have been killed.
My outdoor team played with a level of finesse I only dreamed of while playing in the US. They played with the aggression and power of the boys. They had fantastic vision and played a precise game. They trusted each other and had heart. When they won, they were world champions. When they lost, they were devastated. The things I knew my team back home was lacking were present in my Spanish team.
Our training was intense. Everyone gave their all. Don’t get me wrong, we had fun. But without 100% effort, the team didn’t practice as well. In addition to our team practices, certain positions would rotate and train with the professional team. In short, we were constantly pushed to improve our game, and it was evident that this mentality had been instilled at an early age. There is no doubt in my mind that many of my teammates played and held their own against the boys.
I highly doubt that this situation was unique to the club that I played for. In fact, I would bet that there are many other clubs in Spain that have the same structure and whose women have a comparable level of skill. That said, where are the Spanish women on the international arena? If these women grow up learning soccer with the men, playing a similar style as the men and demonstrating an incredible level of skill, why don’t they have the success of their male counterparts?
I would posit that there are two reasons: lack of support and coaching. Spanish fans simply do not care about women’s sports. With teams like Barça and Real Madrid, the fans have plenty to cheer for already. Additionally, the stigmas regarding women hinder many from accepting and supporting women’s sports as legitimate. Sure, there are some fans, but not nearly as many as the men see.
While many men’s teams are funded by local governments, marketing and ticket sales, women’s teams struggle to get funding. In
the economic downturn, municipalities reduced their funding and companies cut spending on advertisements. Women’s soccer is the least valued, so it is the first to get cut. It is impossible for women to survive on the €150 they make a month and without support from their communities in the form of fans and funding, they are at a disadvantage in comparison to other women’s teams who benefit from advertising campaigns and fan support.
In fact, one team had so little funding, they decided to make a nude calendar to make improvements to their facilities and purchase equipment. I have to give them props for taking the initiative to pay their own way, but shouldn’t a country that places so much value on the sport be as supportive of their women’s leagues as their men’s? I definitely think that a change in mindset is needed, and that it is slowly happening, but it will take a while for Spaniards to fully embrace the women as legitimate.
I am of the opinion that the lack of support from fans and the Spanish mentality towards women sports definitely play into the coaching. There isn’t any motive to change the coaching structure, as the women receive hardly any notice. As such, they have had the same coach for almost 30 years. Obviously, he isn’t doing well in his position. In the United States, when a team doesn’t do well, the coach is replaced. In Spain, this is not the case.
An interview with an ex-women’s national player, Laura del Rio, revealed that the coach is one reason that the best of the best don’t play for the national team and a reason that the team doesn’t do as well as it should. When asked, why, despite her success, she was no longer on the team, she responded:
Being part of the team was a dream come true. Unfortunately things didn’t work out with Ingnacio Quereda, the manager of the team. He’s been with the team for over 28 yrs. We don’t see eye to eye on many things. I’m not the only one who is no longer part of the team due to this. There are many.
That is an unfortunate reality that the Spanish Football Federation needs to take a look at. When asked if there was any way she would return to the team, she replied:
Yes, for Quereda to leave.
Not only is the team hindered by the Spanish mentality that men deserve more support than women, the football federation has also impeded the success of the team by deciding to leave Quereda in charge despite his limited success. The mentality will change over time, but if the team does not have success to begin with, there will continue to be no support. Let’s face it, people support winners. With Quereda in charge, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
If I learned anything from my time in Spain, it is that Spanish women are strong and determined. They will continue to play irregardless of the support they receive from their country because they have passion for the game. Still, things need to change. The world is missing out on a great competitor and Spain is robbing itself of a potential world champion.
-HD
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