Spain endured a tumultuous build-up to the World Cup but their success shows that investing in the women's game can bring rich rewards
It reinforces that betting on it pays off. It has done so for Barcelona, a club now at the pinnacle of European football but who not so long ago did not provide the conditions for players to reach those heights. And it is paying off for a Spanish national team that has had to suffer a rebellion to change the minimum requirements to win a title.
The best club in the Spanish league is now at the top of the European elite but it was not so many years ago when the closest thing to playing at Camp Nou was playing on ‘pitch 9’ of their training ground at 3pm. The text took 18 months to draft. It was agreed there would be a minimum salary of €16,000 gross per year. In addition, they were to be considered footballers who devoted 100 per cent of their time to football, not just 75 per cent as had been the case until then. This led to some clubs giving them part-time contracts, even though the truth was they had to look after themselves every day at all hours to be able to play football.In theory, the agreement should feature a maternity clause.
The final was a culmination of everything Spain’s players have learned this World Cup. They have come to be resilient when things don’t go well, be effective in front of goal, be more direct when they choke in possession and sacrifice themselves in defence.
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