In a little over two years, from June 24 to July 25, 2027, Brazil will return, after 1950 and 2014 – in bad memories – to hold a Football World Cup. It will be, for the first time, the female.
As it is a World Cup, there will be a lot of media on the event, and it is likely that stadiums receive, more out of curiosity than attractiveness, good audience, not just those who house the games of Brazil, which will certainly be crowded.
Quite different from the current scenario of the Brazilian Women’s Championship, in which, when it comes to public, indifference reigns.
I admit that I follow the competition minimally, for lack of time and interest. Priority championships played by men, especially Champions League, who had a spectacular semifinal between Barcelona and Inter Milan, and Premier League, as well as Libertadores.
However, when I eventually come across TV with their goals, the cameras show part of the places of the matches beyond the field of play. And the crowd, with very rare exceptions, does not exist, or close to it.
I can’t say that stadiums are to flies because sometimes they don’t even seem to be there. There are dripped cats, and one day it will be interesting to know who they are, the profile of the fan who will watch “in loco” to the matches. Are relatives and friends of the home team athletes?
It’s disappointing, even kind of sad, to realize that they often play for almost no one. Possibly they, the characters in the show, also think so.
Is there more attention today than before women’s football? (Parentheses: I learned that it is incorrect to use the term “female football”, since the sport is not feminine or masculine, but to this day I have not found another form, so I still use it. Everyone understands.) Yes, there.
There are more investments, whether from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), which has expanded quotas to teams and banking the logistics of the championship, whether from sponsors, with the caveat that support for clubs comes mostly from bookmakers (impresses how they multiply, must be a highly profitable business).
There is also more exhibition on TV, with news showing goals and broadcasters qualified to display matches, including Globo (open channel), which should only do so in the final stages. SporTV (closed channel), which is from Grupo Globo, and TV Brasil (state channel, open) have space in their bars for a few games.
I doubt a lot of people watch, but I want to believe it is more than those who go to the matches. Game reports are not all available on the CBF website, a flaw that prevents a complete analysis, but those you can see show a dark panorama.
An example: Palmeiras 1 x 2 Sao Paulo, last Saturday, in Barueri (Greater São Paulo), had 458 spectators, only 142 paid tickets. Public that, even though it is small for teams of huge crowd and rivalry, can be considered “great” if comparisons are made.
On the holiday of Labor Day, in Bento Gonçalves (RS), Youth 0 x 4 Palmeiras was seen at the Mountain dos Vinhedos stadium by 29 “witnesses”. In the same place, on an April Wednesday, Youth 1 x 0 Bragantino had the same number of fans as players on the lawn: 22. Each one paid $ 10 to enter.
Is it expensive? It is not, but even when the “product” is for free does not attract. Case of Sao Paulo vs Corinthians, played at the Cotia CT (Greater São Paulo) against 360 fans, and all games at Instituto 3B, Manaus, which has an average of 208 fans when playing in Amazonas.
Meanwhile, in some countries their football is much more appreciated. In England, the average Superleague audience, the elite division, surpassed 7,300 in the 2023/24 season.
Two other findings of my female Brazilian.
1) The championship, which has 16 teams, is deficient, wide open. The games damage thousands of reais, except when Corinthians is principal (the faithful is even faithful in encouraging Bravas, always with more than 6,000 tickets purchased for confrontations at Fazendinha).
2) Technical disparity is stark when comparing certain clubs. Instituto 3B, with 4 points in 27 possible, was twice humiliated with 8-0 goals for Corinthians and Sao Paulo. Worse in the table is Sport Recife, with 1 meager point, 22 behind the leader, Cruzeiro.
You need to wake up on the biggest appreciation fans for women’s game. As? Those involved –CBF, clubs, sponsors, TVs (and other display platforms) – need to find a formula.
Or the emptiness will persist.
