Turning the phrase ‘You play like a girl’ from insult to pride this was one of the main conclusions that was heard this Thursday, November 16 at the last SC Trade Center Talks of the season held at the SC Trade Center. In the presentation, in which 4 women related to the world of elite and professional soccer participated, it was also explained how in recent years barriers have been broken in women’s soccer. Maria Teixidor, lawyer, president of the Women and Business Commission – PIMEC and former FCB executive; Alicia Arévalo, sports journalist in TVE, FIFA World Cup narrator and player of Aniquiliadoras FC; Ainara Acevedo, professional soccer referee in FIFA, who through a video has explained how she started in the world of refereeing and Marta Feliu, player of Sant Cugat FC and resident of Family and Community Medicine have given voice to women in soccer.The event, which was introduced by Alexia Porqueras, Corporate Director of the Sc Trade Center, was attended by the Mayor of Sant Cugat, Josep Maria Vallés, and hosted by sports journalist Marc Martín.
During the talk, Feliu also highlighted that ” more can always be done and it is important that the rest of the teams also grow, Barça has done and is doing a lot, but the others need to grow as well. “. The Santcu player recalled that what she experienced and shouted in the women’s games “I had never heard in the men’s games” and that she was “excited and proud“. Feliu has demanded equal conditions.
Arévalo celebrated that ” it was time to echo the football played by women ” and that you have to “demonstrate twice as much to be a woman.” Arévalo, who is also the first woman to narrate a men’s soccer match and to be the voice of the women’s World Cup, argued that “we have a great responsibility to break down barriers” and that “women understand soccer and know how to explain it perfectly”. During her speech, Arevalo pointed out that “it is important to do what you want to do and that at the moment we have no chance to live from soccer in the second or third division, so we either aspire to be the elite or nothing” and in this direction she wanted to make it clear that “recognition is fundamental“.
Believe in women’s soccer
Teixidor wanted to make it clear that it has been exciting to see how far we have come since 2015 in reference to the Barça women’s first team and that ” all of this has to be believed, there is no lack of resources, but leadership and it has cost a lot to set everyone towards that goal.”
The former Barça executive explained that in order to achieve this it was necessary to generate spaces for conversation with the people involved, to have a holistic vision so that the project would be spread in the way it should be spread and that, in short, the sportswomen have “occupied a position that by simple justice belongs to them”.
Professionalizing women’s soccer
The speakers agreed on the importance of professionalizing women’s soccer, also taking into account the salaries so that sportswomen can have a career. Thus, Teixidor explained the 2020 agreement marks a salary of 16,000 euros gross and that in the latest agreement has been increased to 21,000 euros. “This is not professional, there are clubs that do not have stadiums,” she indicated. To this fact, Arévalo added that they must first “prove before they can become professional” and that she heard things like you win and we will change the balls, so it is necessary to “reverse the order” in her own words.
