After a long time fighting to be recognised and competing against the men’s game, women’s football is on the rise and the quality and fitness of the players continues to rise exponentially.
Women’s football is a much-celebrated sport and has fought adversity and being left on the fringes by clubs to be a widely accessed spectator sport.
Betting on football in the women’s game is on the rise, a clear sign of the times and an indication of wider acceptance. The popularity of the Women’s World Cup has brought more punters into the fold and this trend only looks like it will continue.
More people are watching the Women’s game every year and the Women’s Super League match between Everton and Manchester City in September 2021 was broadcast live on BBC television and peaked at an audience of 800,000. This made it the most watched Women’s club football match in UK television.
Often training at alternate sites to the men’s sides, the infrastructure and facilities available to the players can alter massively, though the requirement for a strong diet, routine and mindset is crucial.
Having been seen in a condescending way by male fans for too long, the fitness and professionalism of the players has shown them to be role models to young female players as well as football stars in their own right.
The best of the best
Alex Morgan, the USA International, is one of the best players ever to play in the Women’s game. The 32-year-old is currently playing for San Diego Wave FC and has played across the US as well as for Lyon in France and Tottenham Hotspur in England. Since her debut for the USA national team in 2010 she has managed a massive 190 appearances, scoring 115 goals.
Morgan has followed a vegan diet since 2017 and ensures that she manages plenty of proteins and contributes her plant-based diet to helping make her healthier. The diet has helped her recover better faster from intensive training sessions, is not fatigued as much and able to train and work out just as much as before.
Hope Solo, considered by many to be one of the best goalkeepers in Women’s football history is another US national team star who retired in 2016 after amassing 202 caps for her nation.
Solo’s innovative training and fitness regimes focused on Muscle Activation Technique workouts to help improve her strength and fitness. She would put tape on the mirror when working out to ensure her body stayed still when moving. This way she would avoid imbalance in game as if you are going up and down you can lose track of the ball, or you’ll be too late to a movement or deflection.
#EqualPayforTeamUSA https://t.co/jra6dDcI95
— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) July 14, 2021
(Hope Solo is currently campaigning for equal pay in the U.S)
Her focus on Muscle Activation Technique optimizes muscle contraction to provide stability and increase her range of motion. This way she was able to better control her centre of gravity and improve her performances as a goalkeeper.
Australian captain and Chelsea FC striker Sam Kerr urges players to stay fit through routine and structure. Ensuring motivation to keep the intensity high is key and surrounding yourself with like-minded people can help this. She identifies her speed as one of the key areas of her game, which has resulted in her organising her diet in a way to ensure her energy levels are high and she has the power to perform regular long sprints.
Lucy Bronze, one of England’s biggest stars currently plays for Manchester City after returning to England from playing at Olympique Lyonnais for 3 seasons. The right back says she will train five times a week, usually with Monday and Thursday as her rest days to recover. Her strength training at Manchester City often revolves around technique, not trying to lift the heaviest weights possible, but lifting correctly and building a strong all-round build in a safe way.
With less money in the Women’s game than the men’s there is a greater responsibility for the female athletes to look after their own bodies. Building a greater understanding of how a good diet can be prepared to help to build strength and fitness. There is a need for each player to identify their own goals and understand their own strengths in order to work out the best way to care for themselves and improve as athletes through diet and exercise.
Experts have been sought after by the top payers at the higher end of the wage brackets, though as teams begin to include their Women’s sides more in the UK with their men’s sides, the opportunities for further support and training will improve the overall fitness and strength of the female athletes.
There are a number of clubs around the world who do commit more to their female athletes than others and it will be exciting to see the development of more high-quality women’s football stars in the future.
