The Euro wave sends ripples to Indian shores

Chloe Kelly took another glance back at the goal, as if to make sure she had indeed scored. She had, yes. She whipped off her shirt and whirled it above her head. 

It was reminiscent of Brandi Chastain’s iconic celebration in 1999 after her penalty kick won USA the Women’s World Cup. A crowd of 90,185 fans had watched the host defeat China in the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The television audience in the US alone peaked at 40 million viewers.

That game changed women’s football in North America forever. It also gave a major impetus to the women’s game the world over. The image of the American team celebrating after the shootout remains a defining moment. It has inspired many to take up the sport.

England’s triumph in the Euro at Wembley 23 years later is likely to be similarly remembered years from now. It could well have a comparable impact.

Blockbuster success

As many as 87,192 fans were there to witness the Cup finally ‘coming home’ — something England had been desperately hoping for at every major football competition after the 1966 World Cup triumph, which was also at Wembley. It was the biggest crowd in the history of the Euro — for a men’s or women’s match.

The final, in which England defeated Germany 2-1, with Kelly’s winner coming late in extra time, also broke the record for television. BBC’s telecast of the match was watched by 17.4 million in the UK and another 5.9 million on live stream. This means the match was watched by about 34% of the UK’s population.

It was a big hit in Germany too; almost 18 million people watched their team lose for the first time in nine Women’s Euro finals. It was not just the final, the entire tournament proved a great advertisement for football. Staged on 10 grounds across England, the matches were watched by more than 550,000 fans, who proved that the women’s game has a bright future.

Dismal past

Its past in England is not quite so glorious. In 1921, women’s football was banned by the Football Association (FA), the game’s governing body in England. The FA found the game “quite unsuitable for females” and decreed that its members’ grounds should not be used for women’s matches, although they were popular at the time — one match reportedly drew 53,000 fans. The ban lasted 50 years. There have been similar bans in Germany and Brazil as well.

Women’s football has dribbled a long way past opposition from those dark days. It has spread its wings wide, too. The ripples from the Women’s Euro final could be felt in distant India, too. 

 “As a former player who has become a coach of young girls, I was thrilled and felt proud to learn that more than 87,000 people were at Wembley,” says Amrutha Aravind, who guided the Madurai-based Sethu FC to the Indian Women’s League (IWL) title in 2019. “The success of the Women’s Euro is no doubt a boost for women’s football the world over.”

R. Rizwan, the director of the newly launched women’s team of ISL club Kerala Blasters, agrees with Amrutha, who is now coach of another new team from Kochi, Lord’s FA. 

“I enjoyed watching the England-Germany final and I feel the Women’s Euro produced new icons for the game, [adding to the likes of] Megan Rapinoe of the United States, who, I have found, inspired so many young female footballers in India,” Rizwan says. “Now after the Euro, they have players like Kelly and Beth Mead to look up to.”

Huge potential

Like Rizwan, V.C. Praveen, the president of Gokulam Kerala, is also betting heavily on women’s football. Last year, the management spent ₹50 lakh on the women’s team. Gokulam is the IWL champion for the last two editions (just as the men’s team is in the I-League).

“There is huge potential for the women’s game in India,” Praveen says. “And I am happy to see that many other clubs like us have begun to invest in women’s football of late.”

Odisha FC, East Bengal, FC Goa and Bengaluru FC have all launched women’s teams. 

 “I believe even more ISL clubs will be joining the fray,” says Rizwan. “If you look at a State like Kerala alone, you will find some four professional clubs. And people are watching those teams, too. One of the Blasters’ matches in the Kerala Women’s League was watched by nearly 70,000 on YouTube.”

Encouraging development

He believes the success of Indian players such as Manisha Kalyan and Grace Dangmei is another fillip for the sport. Kalyan has been signed by Apollon, which plays in Cyprus’ First Division, while Dangmei will turn out for Nasaf Qarshi in Uzbekistan. Aditi Chauhan has already played in England, for West Ham United.

Things are certainly looking up for women’s football in India, but much more needs to be done. Otherwise, the national team will continue to have players that have to make a living by finding jobs, including domestic work, that pay very little.

Not that women’s footballers earn a lot in countries such as England and Germany. One of the architects of England’s recent triumph, Millie Bright, worked as a fitness instructor while playing for her first club in Doncaster. 

After the Euro, the scenario is bound to change. Already the Women’s Super League clubs in England have reported a significant increase in ticket sales for the next season, kicking off on September 9.

Paying a price

The Under-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held later this year in India, was expected to increase interest and participation in India. But, the tournament is no longer certain to be held in India, following FIFA’s ban of the All India Football Federation (AIFF); the world governing body has found undue influence from third parties in the game’s administration.

Indian women’s football has already had to pay for the AIFF’s mishandling of its affairs. Shortly after reaching Uzbekistan, earlier this week, to play in the AFC Women’s Club championship, Gokulam found that the team has been disqualified by the Asian Football Confederation, as a result of the FIFA ban. The women’s game in India simply cannot afford such mismanagement; the people in charge of Indian football need to get their act together quickly.