A few months ago the situation we are currently in would have been unfathomable: the NHS coming under a strain of a magnitude never before see, workers earning minimum pay risking their lives daily, people not coming into physical contact with others for weeks on end whilst others put lives at risk by merely having a picnic at the park. On the peripheries of the crisis we are now in the midst of stands football, and even further in the outer rim (in the eyes of national and international football organisations) is the question of women’s football. Many other countries, Spain and Germany as the notable two, have already come to verdicts about the outcomes of the 2019/20 season for the top flight of women’s football. The FA however, is yet to make a decision about the fate of the WSL and Championship, along with the men’s professional tiers.
Spain and Germany have taken two completely different paths in how to wrap up the season. Spain has decided to finish the season as it is, proclaiming a winner without completing the games left. On the other side, the German Association, the DFB, has allowed players to train (albeit with a lot of sanitiser and no contact involved) for the last three weeks. They have also just announced that, with the support of most clubs, they recommend and are in favour of restarting the Frauen Bundesliga by the end of the month. Federal and state governments have already given the go ahead for the top two tiers of men’s football to return a week earlier despite the fact that the entire squad of second-tier Dynamo Dresden was placed under a two-week quarantine last Saturday. If they follow the same path as the men, all teams will be put into a one-week training camp before the league is set to restart, and a maximum of 300 people, including both teams, will be allowed to attend the matches.
One of the biggest financial concerns, who will pay for the constant testing which will need to be in place to comply with the government’s new guidelines, is being alleviated by a central pot provided by the DFB. The association has pledged €7.5 million which will be available to the Women's Bundesliga and 3 Liga if the leagues resume, with €300,000 being specifically given to each club without a men’s side. This will help cover the costs of COVID-19 testing and other new necessaries such as hygiene regulations and constant monitoring.
The possibility of such measures also occurring to restart the WSL has caused much debate amongst players and supporters alike. Privately conducted coronavirus tests are said to cost between £150 and £180 and it is likely that these would have to be conducted twice weekly on all players, amassing to hefty sums for teams to cover. Not only could this be seen as financially inviable for some clubs, it is also arguably a misuse of precious resources. Worries are mounting that clubs already becoming reluctant to finance their women’s side will finally crumble under the added weight of having to cover the costs of testing. The introduction of an FA solidarity fund similar to the one the DFB has put in place is less likely due to the fact that they are already under financial pressure and there has not even been a mention of such a solution as of yet. Also, any funds that could be driven towards ending the season would only see short term benefits, it may be better to put that money forward for the long-term sustainability of a club’s women’s side.
The Championship clubs are under even more strain as a non-professional league. Many have very sensitive financial situations, with it being impossible to pay for the tests and heightened hygiene regulations without government or FA support. Moreover, the idea that the leagues could be played out in a third-party venue behind closed doors is even more financially unviable. Not only would the costs of travelling to said ground and hiring facilities be too big for many clubs to handle, the fact that most players have other jobs or studies would mean that they would not be constantly available to train and play matches. Just as the lower tiers of men’s football seem to have discounted the possibility of them playing behind closed doors due to the reliance on gate attendance funds, a similar situation should be accounted for the women’s Championship. Even if the WSL does start back up, there are very few realistic possibilities that Championship teams would be able to do the same.
Players have also voiced their reluctance to get behind restarting the league, not focusing so much on finances but rather on players’ safety and the amount of crucial resources it would require. Ramona Bachmann, a Swiss international and Chelsea player, voiced these thoughts on Instagram posing the question: “how can they possibly [discuss testing players twice a week] in good consciousness when there are thousands of front-line staff that need the tests for something useful?”. Many other WSL players have backed her take on the situation, with Bachmann even suggesting that the wrong message could be sent out that “football has different rules to the rest of the world.” In other words, not only would the tests be put to a use which is not currently vital, relaxing measures for athletes could suggest a blatant hierarchy of professions. National teammate and Arsenal rival Lia Wälti has also voiced similar opinions stating that “football has become a minor matter. Health is the most important thing.” Whilst many key workers continue to put their lives on the line each day, and millions face confinement to alleviate the pressure on the NHS, footballers could be allowed to bypass this to kick a ball around again.
Moreover, the biggest incentive to restart the men’s Bundesliga is the €300 million in television rights that will still be granted if the last nine rounds of matches are completed before the end of June. The loss of not only this revenue but also individual club profit could result in many clubs facing bankruptcy, the fear of which has greatly spurred on this speedy return. A similar situation is found in England, where the Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has predicted a loss of "at least £1bn" if the season is not completed. However, the women’s teams cannot be said to be in a situation where such a large loss of revenue is on the table. In fact, applying this method in England by starting back up both men’s and women’s leagues could prove to be a disaster. The dilemma here is whether these discrepancies should be viewed through a breach on equal rights lens or through the fact that there are simply less material incentives to start the leagues back up again.
People over profit has been the motto of many who stand behind the view that football should not start back up again until it is completely safe to do so. Profits, especially when they are of a smaller quantity in women’s football, should not be put before safety of both physical and mental heath and team finances. It may be better to not finish this season so that seasons to come can still take place. However, if this is to be the case, the next question which one must face is over whether the league should be made void- as has been done in such countries as France, Italy and the Netherlands- or whether a winner should be announced based off the results so far- like in Spain.
The Spanish association, the RFEF, came to the decision last week to end the season as it stands in all three national tiers, announcing a winner in each but no relegations. Barcelona, who was 9 points ahead of their closest rivals Atletico de Madrid, has been awarded the league title, with both being given a spot in the next Champions League. No relegations yet there still being promotions has meant that next season’s Primera Iberdrola will now house 18 teams, up from this year’s 16 which was already 4 more than the other big European leagues. This decision has understandably caused outrage in some quarters, with Atletico saying that the decision should have been postponed until a later date and others saying that it is unfair that this decision has been made when finishing the men’s La Liga is still on on the table.
Much of the debate stems from the wider outrage over the fact that in Spain there can only be one officially professional league in the eyes of the law, which is given to La Liga. This has resulted in Primera Iberdrola being treated to the same measures as all other non-professional leagues in Spain, similarly to what has happened to such leagues as the Dutch Eredivisie Vrouwen. There are also concerns over how the league will manage with 18 teams, as the financial stress will increase over the fact that more travelling and accommodation expenditures will have to be paid, alongside the issue of squeezing in even more fixtures within an already saturated league season.
However, despite this perhaps resulting in an increase in financial issues next season, it is most likely the best decision which could have been made. When the final talks were taking place last week there was never an option about restarting the league. In Spain’s current situation this would be inviable- made all the more so without La Liga’s financial incentives and the fact that, like WSL and Championship teams, many clubs lack funding or have players with other jobs also.
However, despite England and Spain’s leagues being in similar situations, it may be harder to declare a winner and a team to face relegation within the WSL. For one, a team would still need to descend into the Championship if this competition is also played, made harder by the fact that there is only a one-point difference between bottom of the table Liverpool and second to last Birmingham City. A similar situation can be found at the top of the table, where there is only a four-point difference between the top three teams- a very different situation to that of Barcelona who was 9 points clear. Moreover, due to pitch problems that have occurred throughout the season, only 2 teams have played all 16 matches that were scheduled up to this point, with the Blues even having three games in hand. Therefore, finishing the league as it is would be impossible to do fairly.
The only possible option left available is to make the league void. This in itself would open up another kettle of fish, eg. which two teams would play in the Champions League next season? What about all the stats and accomplishments that individuals and teams have achieved this season? However, English women’s football would be able to take comfort in the fact that they would not be alone, most other European leagues have already decided on this outcome. There would also be comfort in the fact that it would increase the chances of long-term stability as well as secure the safety of players both mentally and physically.
It would not be the first time the women’s top-tier league has faced a reset in the past few years even without a pandemic at hand so it is neither unheard of nor impossible. Ultimately, the women’s and men’s games differ greatly, and treating them with an equal approach would not be a win for equality at all.