In Africa, Women’s football has existed without regulation well before the creation of the Women’s World Cup. There were informal teams that played in competitions in years 1970. However, the majority of African national teams (the most recognizable teams like Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and South Africa) played their first FIFA games in the second half of the 1980 or early 1990, with the creation of the Women’s World Cup.
But since, Women’s football has been experiencing complicated courses like Lack of infrastructure, training academies, national championships,mad funding for men’s soccer at the expense of women’s football. Women’s football remained poor in the relationship while in some countries, Sharia is imposed where the practice of sport is forbidden to women.
However there is a paradigm shift in Women football especially in Africa with the new dispensation by CAF President Ahmad Ahmad who has clearly shown keen interest to ensure the tide changes by organising the first ever Women football symposium in Africa hosted by Morocco where key decisions were made.
Many female players have reported that as in many areas of life, there is still a stark divide in opportunities,and that the game was suffering from neglect before the latest intervention by CAF through resolutions made at the Women’s symposium hosted in Marrakech,Morocco.
Many Africa’s best women’s teams don’t have enough money for friendlies, and players describe having fought patriarchy at every level to get where they are today.
The priority is still for girls to get a good education, but people forget that football has the capacity to “change a life”. I would wish one of the legacies of the African football to be a national women’s leagues in every country in Africa to help promote growth through consistency because When it comes to football there is “no distinction” in the support given to men and women.It must be equal.
In many countries across the African continent, women still face discrimination in many aspects of society. By the time a girl is 12, she is expected to concentrate on her role within the family, looking after siblings and contributing to the running of the household as a number of players have described having to hide playing football from their families when they were younger. Many people forget that promoting football is as a way of preventing early marriages.
There are also prejudices that abound and which does not encourage investors to be interested in women’s football something that is expected to change with the new CAF administration.
In the women’s football development program for the period 2015-2018, the former FIFA president, Joseph Blatter stated the need to “establish a solid platform that will pave the way for the lasting stability of women’s football”. This program and others involved in the enhancement of women’s football. FIFA federations including assistance in establishing training centers and adequate infrastructure.
Support is done in the training of coaches and the organization of the championships. Although the lack of funding is generally pointed to justify the problems of women’s football on the continent, it is clear that prejudices die hard. Because many still believe that “this sport is not for women who have difficulty achieving some tricks due to their natural condition”. The road is still long but the change is fast coming.
Many Federations in Africa have also not helped this course because most of the monies allocated to women football are either swindled or allocated to other courses simply killing any interest from the upcoming talents.
Africa needs more women’s competitions to help develop the ladies’ football and bring greater awareness to the continent. Caf under President Ahmad is now using the powerful office to attract women’s football development in Africa, as such an event will help plant and promote grassroots programmes for talented female footballers.
No African country has hosted a Women’s World Cup at any level, and to date, Africa is the only continent without any age-grade championships for women, with these having been replaced with qualifying series for the U17, U20 Women’s World Cups.But its posiive the tide is now changing and the intensity to help develop women football has reached a crescendo with the new CAF Administration vowing to do everything to ensure a branch is created in the CAF office to be incharge of Women football.
The continent’s rich seam of female talent will be hoping that the new ’ clarion call by President Ahmad after the Morocco Symposium will prompt a change in approach for Women football development in the entire continent.
