Development of Women's Football Players in Europe vs. the US

   Up until this summer, the US Women’s National Team had been a dominant force in women’s football. However, the 2023 Women’s World Cup revealed that teams from countries around the world, especially those in Europe, are catching up to the USWNT, which failed to advance past the Round of 16 in a penalty shootout loss against Sweden. This is likely due to the fact that European academies and grassroots programs are improving their resources and training techniques, which are very different from those in the US.

 One of the main differences between American and European development is the cost associated with playing for a club team or academy. In the US, it is hard for a player to become a professional without playing for an expensive private club team. As of 2021, most clubs cost $1000-$3000 in fees, however this does not include travel and equipment expenses, which can be even higher than the price of playing for a club depending on how far practices and games are from someone’s home (Joseph, 2021). In Europe, many countries such as Germany and Spain offer local teams for girls to play on that are significantly more affordable than those in the US, and government subsidies are also helping make the game more accessible to those from lower-income backgrounds (Joseph, 2021). In England, since the Lionesses’ win at UEFA EURO 2022, the government has invested over £600 into school sports and £300 into grassroots football facilities, all with the goal of inspiring young girls to start playing sports (Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, 2023). This higher affordability in Europe gives more girls the opportunity to play football, which will ultimately help these countries produce teams with immense talent, as opposed to in the US, where, for the most part, only individuals from wealthy backgrounds are able to play for coaches and teams that will train them to go professional. 

    Another difference is the actual clubs that girls and women are playing for. In Europe, women grow up playing for grassroots clubs that already have established connections to that country’s professional league, meaning they have a clear path from club to professional, if they make it to that point. England’s FA has introduced a new player pathway program to help identify young talent and make the sport more accessible to girls across the country regardless of income or background. As part of this program, the FA is funding Emerging Talent Centres where girls aged 8-16 can participate in talent programs and become noticed by coaches, and players will be allowed to play for ETCs as well as a grassroots club or their school team. On the other hand, the path to professionalism in the US is less linear. At a young age, girls will often begin playing for club teams that are not typically directly affiliated with NWSL teams and continue with these clubs throughout middle and high school. Then, depending on ability, women will decide to go straight into the NWSL draft or go to college beforehand. Going straight into the draft is extremely rare, however in 2023, Alyssa Thompson, 18-year-old USWNT striker, de-committed from Stanford in order to enter the NWSL draft, where Angel City FC selected her as the first overall pick. (Cash, 2023). Some European players go to the US to play at universities, but it is not very common.

    One last difference between the US and European women’s football development is the process by which a player becomes a professional. In the US, just like in many other American sports, there is a draft system. The NWSL draft happens in January every year, and eligibility is limited to US citizens, foreign nationals who were enrolled in a university during the academic year of the draft, or athletes whose college eligibility expired during the calendar year prior to the draft (Thorns FC, 2023). All draftees must be over the age of 18 and have not played professional soccer before. In Europe, there is no draft, and players typically go pro after having played for the academy of the club they go professional with for years.

    It is clear that Europe is taking steps in the right direction to make football a more accessible sport to all young girls and women, and the results are already showing in the increased competitiveness these teams are bringing to the world's stage. It will be interesting to see if the USWNT will ever return to its once-dominant position, or if the US needs to begin making changes to its development programs to keep up with Europe's progress.

Sources:

https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2023/Feb/09/new-emerging-talent-centres-launched-as-womens-girls-talent-pathway-revamped-20230902

https://medium.com/@kendramackenziesantiago/the-soaring-costs-of-youth-soccer-in-america-a-global-perspective-10577a0f8aef

https://cruzcoaching.net/blogs/cruzcoaching/united-states-youth-soccer-the-costs-challenges-and-solutions

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reframing-the-opportunity-in-womens-football-government-response/government-response-to-independent-review-reframing-the-opportunity-in-womens-football

https://www.businessinsider.com/alyssa-thompson-uswnt-world-cup-debut-what-to-know-2023-7

https://www.timbers.com/thornsfc/news/national-women-s-soccer-league-announces-details-for-2024-nwsl-draft#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20be%20eligible,2023%2D24%20academic%20year%3B%20or

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/08/06/us-knocked-out-of-womens-world-cup-after-dramatic-loss-to-sweden/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/08/20/england-squad-womens-world-cup-2023-players-injuries-final/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/live-blog/womens-world-cup-final-fifa-england-team-spain-rcna100642