“It is a reflection of sustainable growth.” This is how Mónica Jorge, director of the Portuguese Football Federation, explains it in an interview in TSFthe new record reached in women’s football in Portugal, at the Estádio da Luz, this Sunday, in the derby between Benfica and Sporting.
In the Lisbon derby there were more than 27,000 spectators in the stands, a new national record in women’s football, a figure that “means that the general public is validating the sustained growth of a women’s league in Portugal.”
“It was incredible that in just two months we increased the average public attendance at women’s soccer matches by 80%. This is due to our sustained investment and also to the increase in female players, which has been over 25% annually. the path that has been taken has been beautiful”, says Mónica Jorge to TSF.
The director of the Portuguese Football Federation, responsible for women’s football, highlights the next steps to further develop football played by women in Portugal: “It is to continue our investment and our growth. In the last ten years, there have been more than 50 million invested in the mentality. There is a strategic plan carried out, which has continuity, together with the clubs and associations. We will add even more commitment from us, from the Portuguese Football Federation, and we hope to reach high flights soon.” , projects the leader and former national coach.
Let us remember that a record was broken in Portugal, with 27,221 spectators at the Estádio da Luz to see Benfica-Sporting, in the national women’s football championship, a match in which the lionesses won 1-0. Benfica leads the league by nine points ahead of SC Braga and Sporting. It should also be remembered that, recently, the women’s soccer team was able to guarantee its presence in a World Cup for the first time.
Source: TSF
