Girelli and Cantore candidate for the Golden Ball: where Italian women’s football can arrive

With Cristiana Girelli And Sofia Cantore Inserted among the candidates for the golden ball, the most important individual prize in the world, Italian women’s football makes a further qualitative leap, confirming a growth that is certified by the increasingly relevant specific weight that the discipline has conquered in recent times.

If on the one hand there is no doubt that the excellent results obtained from the national team to recent European Championships – with the Semifinal mock against England lost at minute 119 – have contributed to strengthening the certainties of women’s football, these two candidates embellish a planet that has finally gained credibility today.

Last year the candidacy of Manuela Giuliano, the first in history for Italy, went to reward the status of the footballer, while now, with Veterana Girelli, in force at Juventus, and the surprise singer, who from Juventus has just moved to Washington, the recognition goes to all the movement. And since each group work begins with individual work, it is right here to mention two fundamental figures.

The first is Federica Cappelletti, widow of the never forgotten Paolo Rossi, today president of the women’s Serie A division That with his counterpart Gabriele Gravina, president of the FIGC, and with the minister of sport Andrea Abadi, has been able to create virtuous synergies. This is demonstrated by Financing of 4 million in the Fund for professionalism for 2025. The second is that of Andrea Soncin, the coach of the Italian national team that not only gave shape and balance to a team that with his game to the Europeans has conquered the hearts of the Italians, but with his words he did something more: he reiterated a common identity.

Italian women’s football – remembering that professionalism was introduced only three years ago – lives today a moment of motivated enthusiasm. The movement grows, it is a fact. Over the past ten years the FIGC members are more than doubled, so much so that today the footballers in Italy are over 45,000with a growth that stands around 142%. Above all, the figure concerning girls enrolled between 10 and 15 years is relevant: they are almost 20,000. The distance that separates Italy from other European football realities remains significant. In England there are over 200,000 members, 187,000 in Germany, in France 167,000. In the countries of northern Europe – Sweden, Denmark, Norway – female football culture has deep roots, with realities that are the consequence of an evolution that began twenty -three years ago, but in Italy it was still made progress.

The television coverage of the latest blue events was decisive. TV listening on generalist channels of the women’s Serie A in the last three years are more than doubled. The European Championship in Switzerland gathered almost five million viewers in front of the TV. Finally, from a strictly economic point of view, the movement of women’s football impacts for 3.2 billion euros on Italian GDP. On the other hand, there is still a lot to do to the geo-economic mapping of our movement. If in England and Germany the annual increase in sponsorships is decisive for the growth of movement, in Italy – from this point of view – it is still difficult. But the heritage is so much, it should not be dispersed.

And the fact that Italian footballers conquer the European showcase is a good sign. The September 22nd The winner of the Golden Ball will be announced in Paris. The blue are not in the pole of the favorites, but Cristiana Girelli and Sofia Cantore, with their candidacy, can say they have already won.