The Women’s Football World Cup is followed by many people for whom following women’s football was not an everyday thing just a few years ago.
Paula Collin,
Karri Laihonen
Interest in women’s football has grown significantly.
Docent of digital culture at the University of Turku Riikka Turtiainen according to this, the previous World Cup, held in France four years ago, can be considered a turning point.
At the time, more than a million television viewers watched the finals of the games televised by . Women’s grips and women’s games got a whole new attention.
The World Cup, which is currently taking place in New Zealand and Australia, is being followed more closely in the home audience and in the media than before.
– In the last games, the broadcasts were produced for the first time in the way we are used to watching top sports. There were expert studios and commentary in all the games and in a way we were introduced to football as if it were played by women, says Turtiainen.
She is a passionate soccer player and has studied the image of women in sports and digital culture.
According to Riikka Turtiainen, Finns may not have been enthusiastic about women’s football last year. It required effort from many.
Now you might come across women’s football even by accident, just by turning on the TV. This was a big change that happened at the time of the previous World Cup.
– We needed this a bit on a tray, says Turtiainen.
Of course, the level of women’s football has also improved, but also a lot has been done at the club level, Turtiainen reminds.
To the eye of an ordinary viewer, women’s football shows less filming than men’s football and focuses more on the game itself. In Riikka Turtiainen’s opinion, the issue is not necessarily related to gender, at least not only.
– Filming does not suit the Finnish mentality. But Tuija Hyyrynen already had time to say in one of the World Cup broadcasts that it is appreciated again in Italy. It is an attacker’s skill and it is even taught separately.
You can even play with female characters in games these days
The French company recently released a video featuring superstars Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann dazzled with their skillful performances. Or at least it seemed that way.
In reality, the players of the French women’s national football team were responsible for the performances and goals.
More: A video of French football stars struck the viewers with complete insanity – Finnish researcher: “Questioning our values”
The video received a lot of attention and a lot of praise.
Riikka Turtiainen thinks it underlines our world of values.
– There is this cliché about the low level of women’s football, but is it a viable argument anymore, she ponders.
The advertising video also reminds me of video games, in which women’s football is finally included.
Turtiainen says that it used to be said that modeling female characters was difficult.
She recalls writing in 2009 that it would be nice as a woman to play soccer-themed games with a female character.
– On the male character, you could modify the size of the earlobes and the degree of baldness, but you could not change the gender on the game character.
You can discuss the topic until 23:00 on July 26.