O Football is not just for men. It never was, actually. The growth of women in the sport is one of the main focuses of the management of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), which includes Mónica Jorge, executive director of women’s football, who has been one of the driving forces behind the change in paradigm.
In conversation with the Sport at the Minutethe former national coach praised the growing appreciation of women’s football, including by Portuguese fans, to such an extent that Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer the only football reference known to “girls”.
The perfume left on the field by players like Jéssica Silva, Ana Borges or Francisca Nazareth has contributed to the expansion of the women’s football market, but also the presence of larger teams in the Women’s League has been part of a journey that is still halfway through , as Mónica Jorge argues.
“The introduction of larger national teams in women’s football was a turning point. They are references. Everyone has their favorite clubs and then they know that the women’s side exists. It is highly developed, with participation in the Champions League. Today one, next year two and in a few years three”, he began by saying on the subject.
“Girls nowadays, aged seven or eight, already know who Jéssica is. [Silva], Kika Nazareth or Ana Borges. You already know them. Before it was just Cristiano Ronaldo and little else. Now it’s ‘crazy’. These references were created. Club passion is a huge factor in promotion and introduction to the sport. The children know that there is a women’s championship and football clubs where they want to be one day”, he added.
[No Carnaval] I didn’t see one, I didn’t see two, I didn’t see three. I saw many girls dressed as football players. It was amazing. In my time it wasn’t like thatThe director of women’s football also recalled episodes from her personal life to illustrate how the success of the women’s team (and beyond) has been felt among children, speaking of a “normality in enjoying football among boys and girls”.
“One thing that you didn’t see before is that now, when I pick up my son from daycare, I see girls in goal, wearing goalkeeper gloves, playing with boys. I’m talking about a growth… In schools it was still happening. Now there is a normality in enjoying football among boys and girls, aged four or five”, he said.
“Another episode that I have experienced as a mother happened during Carnival, when my son became an astronaut. I didn’t see one, I didn’t see two, I didn’t see three. I saw many girls dressed as football players. It was amazing. In my time it wasn’t like that. Mothers allow it, which is something that is changing in sports culture. Some dress like Benfica, others like Sporting, and off they go to party, whether in upper-middle class or normal schools. We see this cultural pattern. When this becomes normality, or naturalness, as I like to say, it is because things are working very well”, he then added.
With 24 years dedicated to the Portuguese Football Federation, Mónica Jorge spent the first half on the field and the second half in management roles.© Álvaro Isidoro/Global Imagens
The issue of salary differences did not go unnoticed, although Mónica Jorge guarantees that the Federation works to provide “the best conditions for athletes” in close proximity to the “values that are most adjusted”, in a space that has practically the same amount of men and women working.
“It’s about trying, with all the professionalism we have. This Federation is 50/50 between men and women, with all having equal salaries, according to their positions. We try to convey this idea of equality and parity, with the values we defend. We know that the structural and cultural framework is still not easy in many realities. We know that women’s football is better now, but it will have to be better in the future. Walk there in your usual process. There is always a demand that grows as the process goes on, but there are such high values in men’s football that, sometimes, it is almost impossible for the clubs themselves to get there. It depends a lot on the size of the clubs”, he pointed out.
“If we look at the clubs in the I League, even there there are big financial differences. We cannot compare what is sometimes incomparable. From the point of view of giving the best conditions to athletes and getting closer to the values that are most appropriate, basically because of the rights they have, we can say that we are working towards finding the best solution for the athlete to be happy. doing what you like and doing what is fair to be a professional in Portugal. Both we, the Federation, and the Players Union, found a solution that can be reasonable for everyone”, guaranteed Mónica Jorge.
We cannot limit the Portuguese player. If you want to play in different championships and contexts to acquire improvements and skills, you have the right to do so
Portugal has Portuguese players shining abroad and this, in itself, is already demonstrative of the talent that is being created in Portuguese territory, but the truth is that there is no shortage of stars remaining in the national women’s football championships, guaranteeing “competitive quality” to our roots, from the perspective of the 45-year-old executive director.
“They dream of playing in bigger leagues, like England or the United States [da América]. It’s good for them from a competitive and personal fulfillment point of view. As future managers or future coaches, they have to have that experience. On the other hand, it is also important for us to have competitive quality within our competitions, in addition to the locally trained young women who appear. It is important that our championship is attractive to have another international acquisition, of great value for our country. I think this is already happening. We have international players who give quality and competitiveness to our League”, he said.
“When the Portuguese player goes abroad to show her value, she strengthens herself on a personal level, but also on the level of our football and the investment capacity of international clubs.. Then, deep down, they also want to go back [para Portugal], to play in a club with which they identify and support their demands. This also gives quality to the competition. We cannot limit the Portuguese player. If you want to play in different championships and contexts to acquire improvements and skills, you have the right to do so. If playing outside adds that to you, may you be happy and gain new knowledge and skills so that one day you can enjoy it later”, he added.
Mónica Jorge is preparing to end, in 2024, a cycle of three terms as executive director of the women’s football department.© Miguel Pereira/Global Imagens
Read Also: Mónica Jorge: “All clubs in Portugal must have women’s football”
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