How a dozen ‘99-ers’ scored for women’s football

How a dozen ‘99-ers’ scored for women’s football

There are two problems which must be addressed when it comes to women in sports, particularly football -- funds and recognition.

FPJ BureauUpdated: Sunday, June 09, 2019, 12:07 PM IST
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Mumbai: There are two problems which must be addressed when it comes to women in sports, particularly football -- funds and recognition. The turbulence and bombast on television and print media seemed to have taken a backseat as the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) women’s world cup kicked off in France on Friday.

This is a clear indication that in this day and age, questions such as, “Do women play football?” still remain. It was in 1999 that a group of young girls in Australia came out with a daring, baring idea -- going nude for a calendar. This dramatically transformed the dynamics in this male-dominated sport. Since then, men and women have been on a par in this game in many ways. Twenty years ago, 12 Matildas players agreed to pose naked for a black and white calendar to help raise funds and awareness of the team. This team gave a new lease of life to the women’s game and ever since, interest in women's football has grown, with record crowds and greater media coverage, but the discrepancy in the sport remains.

Sometimes, it is said, ‘The only way to get noticed is to be controversial’. After the seed was sown in 1999, there were those who argued that women should not have to use their bodies to sell their sport, let alone raise funds to represent their country. But the players themselves believed they were portraying images of strong, powerful women. Twenty years on, the impact of the squad fondly referred to as the ‘99ers’ can still be felt. Their legacy lives on in the current generation of females playing at all levels around the world.

The ‘99ers’ catapulted female athletes around the world into the millennium with this gesture and continue to be remembered as one of the best sports teams in history. This year, FIFA has doubled the total prize money for the World Cup to $30m, with the champions cashing in $4m compared to the $2m that the United States received for winning the 2015 edition. Bring women's football on a par with the men's and they will soon match the goals of sponsorship and interest generated by men’s football, say the game’s pundits.

Meanwhile, stage is setting for the Fifa under-17 women World Cup to be held in India next year 2020. It will be much bigger than the Fifa under-17 boys, says Henry Menezes, the the Deputy Chairman of the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF). The Fifa officials made their first visit on the different venues and we should be gettting the reply later this year," added Menezes

- Joe Williams

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