As long as the seeds of women’s football are sown in a wider and richer soil, I believe there will be more beautiful figures running hard on the football field.
On the evening of July 24th, Beijing time, Brazilian women’s football striker Marta came off the bench against Panamanian women’s football team, and finally the Brazilian women’s football team beat their opponents 4-0. Since she first entered the 2003 World Cup at the age of 17, Marta has scored 17 goals in the past five World Cups, making her the most in the history of men’s and women’s World Cups.
With lightning-fast running speed and dazzling extraordinary movements, Marta, 37, still shows the unique charm of female players on the pitch. Behind her, more players with comprehensive skills and distinctive features have emerged and become the protagonists of the women’s world cup stage, which also reflects the vigorous development of women’s football in the world.
In Australia, it is not difficult to see girls playing football on campus and on the street. Perfect campus events and mature women’s football culture have become the "capillaries" and "solid roots" of local women’s football. Looking around the world, the development of women’s football has accelerated. Driven by professionalism, the strength of African and Central American teams has improved rapidly. In this World Cup, the Jamaican women’s football team, which drew with the French women’s football team, and the Haitian women’s football team, which lost to the English women’s football team by one goal, are impressive. The expansion of the Women’s World Cup and the increase in the number of fans are also positive responses to the improvement of the level and influence of women’s football.
"Let people see the health and beauty of women’s football players", after the opening of the World Cup, China women’s football coach Shui Qingxia repeatedly expressed the deeper connotation beyond the victory or defeat of the game. To promote the development of women’s football in China, we should not only strive to achieve good results in world competitions, but also attract more girls to participate. Excellent results at the competitive level can play a driving and inspiring role for young people. At the same time, the integration of football into life and the beautiful blooming of the stadium can also play a leading role in girls’ participation in football.
At present, it has become a consensus to follow the law to develop football. Although the change will not happen overnight, as long as the seeds of women’s football are sown in a wider and richer soil, I believe that there will be more beautiful figures running hard on the football field.
People’s Daily (15th edition, July 25th, 2023)