One year away from the Euro, women’s football is a hit with sponsors

We are not going to stir the knife in the wound, the defeat of our Devils at the Euro is still alive with pain – whether in the bodies of the players or the hearts of the supporters. After having held the first place in the world ranking for three years, our prestigious kids can only come down. But never mind, our Red Flames will represent the colors of the country during the Euro – said feminine – which will take place next summer in England.

Since their historic qualification for the 2017 European Championship – during which they had played with jackets that were too large, because they were tailored to a male body shape – the Red Flames have continued their ascent in the international rankings. They now reach eighteenth place, the room for improvement is therefore enormous. As such, women’s football, far from being a simple fashion phenomenon, attracts more and more business partners. Coca-Cola, Carrefour, Proximus, PWC or even BMW, the groups which finally dare to bet on the Flames are more and more numerous, from three to eleven in four years.

The Federation will not reveal anything about sponsorship budgets or advertising contracts, but it ensures that for the Flames, “amounts increase” as tournaments go on. “The same sponsor will not give the same for the Devils as for the Flames, but it is logical, because the level is different,” says Katrien Jans, head of women’s football at the Belgian Union. “Women’s football in Belgium is only at the beginning of its history, it has fifty years behind in men’s football, more it will only grow, there will be no decline in Belgium as elsewhere in the world. From a business perspective, the opportunity is perfect. “

Beyond numbers and performances, the positive image of women’s football and the values ​​of equality and emancipation associated with it are increasingly attracting brands keen to surf the web. societal changes to promote their product. In the first issue of the new Belgian Union e-magazine, “The World At Our Feet”, published this Monday and devoted exclusively to women’s football, ING, a partner of the Federation for ten years, says it recognizes itself in “the values ​​of top-level athletes” where “discipline, surpassing oneself, team spirit and humility” reign.

A purely opportunistic business strategy? “The brands integrate societal changes, such as this new attraction for women’s football, and try to stick to this good image, implicit or explicit, supposed or real, of a sportsman, a club or a sport”, analysis Jean-Michel De Waele, sports sociologist at ULB. “One can wonder if ING, for example, goes further in its company policy or if it is a question of pure and simple sponsorship. But we can be happy that the sponsors are coming into women’s football, because without money it will not develop.”

Even if it means playing on the contradiction, like the presence of the Devils in a recent Mc Donald’s advertisement, the symbol par excellence of junk food? “It’s a quack on the image of the Red Devils, but we can not expect them to defend all values, they choose their fight. We have to admit individual ambiguities and contradictions, but in general, ethical issues weigh more heavily than a few years ago. It is rather at the level of the Federation that the problem is more important. Why go sign with Mc Donald’s? “, Continues the sociologist.

On the Union side, Katrien Jans says he understands the astonishment and insists on “the importance of communication to the public (…) You can show off such a brand without encouraging people to eat burgers every day. “

Alongside ethical questions, there is also the question of lack of media visibility of Belgian players, in particular in the local French-speaking press. If the Belgian Union counts among its partners dailies such as La Province, Nord-Éclair or La Capitale, women’s football and women’s sport in general tend to shine there by their absence. “We cannot decide for them, but we are discussing how to improve the media coverage of women’s football,” said Katrien Jans.

On the public service side, if the Women’s World Cup captivated nearly a billion viewers in 2019, the RTBF had chosen to only partially broadcast the competition and only on the net. Euro 2022 rights holder, the channel declares not to have “finalized the distribution of the programs” but assures that “the presence of the Red Flames will be the subject of regular content before the Euro and during (…) Giving greater visibility to women’s football helps to break the codes and educate on respect and openness“.