Marcio Machado / SPP
It’s been a long time coming for Serie A Femminile to become a professional league. The gears were put in motion after Italy’s success at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
However, the struggles of Italy’s women’s athletes to be recognized as professionals have been ongoing for much longer than that.
History
Serie A Femminile’s roots date back to the 1960s. However, disinterest, neglect, prejudice, and institutional barriers prevented the league from being established. Those factors would also set women’s football in Italy back several years. Things began to change, however, during the summer of 2019.
The Azzurre surpassed expectations at the 2019 Women’s World Cup with a remarkable run to the quarterfinals, and in the process, the country fell in love with the team. Soon, there were calls to professionalize the women’s game in Italy, including from the president of the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) – the Italian Football Federation – himself, Gabriele Gravina.
Later…
