FOR the next two weeks, from November19 until December 3, the cream of the crop in women’s football will fight it out in Cameroon for the honour of becoming African champions.
At the opening ceremony and for the better part of the fortnight, the suits will speak about how women’s football is improving on the continent and they’ll promise to do more to take it to the next level.
But it’ll probably end there, without much done to honour those promises. What they will say won’t differ from what they have been saying for the better part of the last decade, though.
You don’t have to look further than the prize money to see how much still needs to be done to bridge the gap between them and their male counterparts. The winners of the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWC) will pocket just over R710000. It will increase to just over R1 million next year. Compare that to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winners, who used to get just over R21 million but will receive around R57 million next year in Gabon. The gap is astronomical. The team that finishes last in their group in the Afcon will get more money than the winners of the AWC.
They will reason that it is because the Afcon attracts more fans and big sponsors and is watched by more viewers, which translates to more money in broadcasting deals. That’s a fair point, but the United States women’s team generate more money, they’re watched by more people and are more successful than their male counterparts yet the women are still paid less. They had to take their federation to court just so they could be paid what they’re worth.
This problem goes beyond economics and it will take a lot to change it.
Back home, things have improved compared to what they were 10 years ago. The Sasol League is trying to improve women’s football, giving them a platform to nurture their talent. But they can’t change the status quo alone. It will require a collective effort from the media, corporates, government and especially the fans.
Entrance to most Banyana Banyana matches is free yet stadiums are hardly ever full. The sight of a packed stadium accompanied by large numbers of TV viewership would go a long way in attracting more sponsors.
The problem is that we are armchair critics and online activists. We complain from the comfort of our homes that stadiums aren’t full and question why corporates don’t back Banyana, yet we have not watched any of their games live - even when they are playing within walking distance of our homes. We should start doing more than just talk, talk, talk.
I fear Banyana are close to reaching their ceiling, which is to qualify for a major tournament and not do much when they get there. Qualifying for two successive Olympics is a major achievement but we should look beyond this and start competing in these tournaments to reach the knockout stages, at least.
It won’t happen under the present conditions because the gap between them and the rest of the world is huge.
The sad part is that Banyana have it better than most African countries. Before playing in the Olympics they had friendlies against the US and the Netherlands. It’s a rare thing for African teams to play nations from outside the continent to prepare for a global tournament.
Banyana were able to play those matches largely because of the connections of their Dutch former coach Vera Pauw. It wouldn’t have happened ordinarily.
This AWC should see Caf and the rest of the continent do more than pay women’s football lip service. Their words should be followed by action.
It was moving when Banyana skipper Janine van Wyk told me what it would mean to her to be an African champion. She also spoke about what that would mean for women’s football in this country.
“If we can come back with the gold medal, it would change women’s football in the country,” Van Wyk said.
“There would be more development structures to ensure that us being African champions isn’t just a flash in the pan.”
Banyana and women across the continent have been fighting for decent treatment.
We owe it to them.
Saturday Star