Katie McCabe, the Republic of Ireland women’s captain and Arsenal Women utility player, is dissatisfied with the packed calendar for women footballers.
McCabe recognizes the rise of the women’s game. She notes that they are now able to sell out venues, with her last two matches being attendance-record-breaking games. Her last Arsenal game before the international break sold out the Emirates; she and her fellow Gunners beat Manchester United 3-1 in front of a record 60,160 WSL fans.
In the international break, when she and her Ireland team lost 2-0 to Wales, they set a record attendance for a women’s international game in Ireland, with 8218 fans in attendance at the Tallaght stadium.
The Girls in Green skipper contends that spectators desire quality performances, which she says can only be achieved if players receive adequate breaks to rejuvenate.
“I think for us to be playing at our best and to be giving those record crowds good games to watch we need to be fresh,” said Katie.
“With the FIFA window, and obviously the Euro qualifiers window, it’s incredible how they’ve moved an international camp in the middle of summer and thinking that was a good idea.
“It’s difficult. Obviously we are footballers, we want to be able to play the games, but we also want to feel that freshness going into it as well. It’s really difficult for us, but we obviously need to keep going.
“Unfortunately it’s not in our power as players, we want the governing bodies to listen to us and to make sure there’s change with that as well, because it’s not going to be solved in the way it’s being solved right now.”
McCabe’s views help to emphasize the challenges of the burgeoning women’s game. For a player who plays for a great club like Arsenal and also competed in the World Cup last summer, she for sure hasn’t had a long break to recuperate.
If we use Victoria Pelova as an example, she was already in the Arsenal camp weeks after the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia last summer, helping Arsenal to compete for a berth in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Even before she recovered from the Gunners Champions League disappointment, she was called up to the national team for the Women’s Nations League.
After that, Pelova had to balance playing in the league and the league cups. She is currently injured, but once recovered, she is expected to return to help fight for the league, the Continental Cup, and help the Netherlands qualify for the Euros in the Women’s Euro qualifiers in April. Several of our Gunners are expected to compete in the Olympics this summer too. The women’s schedule is what one might call ‘fairly hectic’, to say the least. It should be looked at, as McCabe suggests.
Are we running our women into the ground with these exhausting schedules? What are your thoughts?
Michelle M
Follow JustArsenal’s Gooner Women on Just Gooner Women on Twitter for regular updates on the Arsenal Womens Team!
Do you want to read more about the Arsenal Women’s Team? Click here….
I agree players need to be fresh to get the best out of them men and women.
They do have an exhausting schedule but they are great athletes with great conditioning so they will survive
There needs to be good management in choosing lineups and giving players rest
Firstly the FA have always been an incompetent unit
FIFA have always been corrupt
And we expect them to run Womens Football which they once banned and fined
No chance
Want to congratulate the girls and raise my glass in particular to Ruso on getting the revenge against the Spuds