Behind the scenes of some of the top names in European women’s football with the latest series from Goal Click ahead of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final.
Stories from the Women’s EURO 2022 with Goal Click.
IMAGO curated coverage from UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 here.
“Our new Goal Click series for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 takes us truly inside the footballing worlds of top women’s footballers as they prepare for one of the biggest tournaments of their lives. By giving players the power, freedom, and control to capture their own story, we aimed for a real and intimate behind-the-scenes view into their preparation with both club and country.” , Matthew Barrett, Founder of Goal Click told IMAGO.
“We collaborated with twelve international women’s footballers from across the competing Women’s Euro nations and asked them to document their journey leading up to the tournament – finishing club seasons, playing in cup finals, national team training camps, and international friendlies.”
The series gives the opportunity to hear first hand accounts from female footballers both in the weeks leading up to the EUROs and to learn about their general journey into professional football. Why did you want to shed light on their stories?
The women’s game is riding a wave, and fans getting to know the players more deeply can only help the game progress even further.
The photos take us into places we do not often see – from match day moments to team bonding and relaxation. The powerful stories of the players show how far women’s football has developed in Europe since 2019, but they also show us how much more potential there is in the women’s game.
We tried to collaborate with players who had an interesting perspective and who were enthusiastic to tell their own story in a creative way.
What did you learn from the players that were most influential to you throughout the project?
It remains true that most women’s footballers have overcome huge obstacles and challenges to make it to the top – and they really deserve to be supported in a better way by clubs, federations, and sponsors. The number of ACL injuries also remains astonishing.
There is not one standard journey to become a professional women’s footballer – the different and unconventional ways in which our storytellers arrived at this point in their career is always interesting.
In the back of the mind of every player is what they will do after their career, and the focus on education and planning for the future is ever-present. But there is a real confidence that the women’s game is developing strongly, and the next generation of players will reap the benefits.
After being postponed last year due to the pandemic – this year’s Women’s EUROs has already broken attendance records. In your opinion, what do you hope the future of women’s football will look like?
Hopefully one day a Goal Click series on women’s football will have less stories of historic challenges, obstacles, and barriers – and women will have the same equality of opportunity as men to be professionals in more countries.
I hope for a future with big, consistent match attendances at both club and national level. If there is one single way to support the growth of women’s football – go watch matches in the stadium. It is that simple.
I hope for a future where more sponsors actually invest in the game. The brands who do sponsor the game already stand out so much because they are still in a very uncluttered space.
I hope for a future where the gulf between big nations (like England, USA, and Germany) and smaller nations around the world does not increase too much. I could see a risk of the game becoming very unequal between nations.
Austria
Nicole Billa is a striker for the Austrian women’s national team and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Frauen in the German Bundesliga.
“When I started playing, the topic of women’s football was not at all present in the media in Austria.”
“The photos were taken in all kinds of places that you see when you are on the road with your teammates. Some were taken at our training ground, but I also took the camera with me on away trips.”
“We must keep on willing to push the sport forward and keep on supporting the projects that bring girls to football or kids to sport in general.”
Northern Ireland
Rachel Furness plays for Liverpool and the Northern Ireland women’s national team.
“I started playing football when I was five years old, and I was the only girl that played.”
“Young girls are now getting exposed to the international setup and the structure of the women’s game has been invested in more off the back of the success of the women’s team.”
“My grandad was my inspiration growing up. He used to drive me to football and was the reason I was able to play at such a young age.”
“I want to leave Northern Irish football in a better place than I found it, so I feel I am on my way to doing so.”
Denmark
Luna Gevitz plays for BK Häcken in Sweden and represents the Danish women’s national team.
“Many interests were over time deprioritized by football.”
“I believe that I became a better football player and a better architecture student as I was enjoying playing football at an international level and was enjoying my studies..”
“BK Häcken was another level up in my career. The club have in a short time integrated a women’s section and strived towards equality between the men’s and women’s team.”
“Women’s football in Denmark has taken a huge step over the last couple of years, when the league made a big effort to promote it and some men’s clubs have invested in the women’s game, which has been showing very fast results. This is proof that a small effort can have a huge effect when there is a lot of potential.”
England
Lotte Wubben-Moy plays for Arsenal and the Lionesses.
“Towards the end of primary school, I started a girls’ football team in the hope it would encourage other girls to join me in enjoying football.”
“I wanted to show something a bit different, abstract, and unpredictable.”
“Everything we have been through, the culmination of that..”
“I am hopeful that the Women’s Euro will leave a legacy that lasts for generations, but for me that legacy should start with the next generation.”
Iceland
Gunnhildur Yrsa Jonsdottir plays for Orlando Pride in the NWSL and the Iceland women’s national team.
“I started playing football very randomly. I had just moved to the United States and did not speak English, but my neighbour was a soccer coach and offered to take me to training.”
“The people and culture around you are often the thing that shapes you.”
“The biggest recent change is the opportunity for players to play abroad and follow their dream.”
“The young girls coming up now are amazing, they are talented, brave, humble, have a great attitude and work extremely hard to be their best.”
Portugal
Fátima Pinto plays for Sporting CP in Portugal and represents the Portuguese women’s national team.
“I wanted more.”
“I played for Juventude AC [the boys school football team] until I was 12y and I definitely believe that playing with the boys during those 4 years helped to build the player I am today.”
“I told my parents that I was leaving the island to play football.”
“I think that’s really the key: people.”
WEUROS is the latest series from Goal Click, global project working to connect communities.
Encouraging self creation through first person perspective storytelling, they send disposable cameras to people in sports around the world.
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