Women's Champions League final shows how the game has grown - NWSL commissioners

2023-06-02 11:46

Women's Champions League final shows how the game has grown - NWSL commissioners


Saturday's Women's Champions League final between Barcelona and Wolfsburg is an ideal showcase for the development of women's football globally, National Women's Soccer League ( NWSL ) commissioner Jessica Berman said on Thursday.


Barcelona are looking to secure their second title in three years in a high-profile campaign against the German, who is eager to lift the trophy for the first time since 2014 .

European soccer's governing body UEFA said more than 34,100 tickets had been sold for the final in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, the first time tickets have been sold out since 2010 .

Berman told Reuters: " It shows that there is a global interest in women's football , not just in the national game but also in the club game. "

" What's been built around inter-league club competition in Europe really shows to the rest of the world that there might be a global interest in women's club football. "

Women's Champions League final shows how the game has grown - NWSL commissioners

Berman has aggressively pursued expansion in America's top league, which recently awarded expansion rights to a new Bay Area team, making it the NWSL 's 14th club .

Berman told The Washington Post last month that two more teams are expected in 2026 .

" What we're doing in the U.S. is giving other people the opportunity to see what it's possible for a female athlete to perform at her highest level given the right training conditions and competition environment," Berman said .

" It took us a few years to get to where we are and at the end of the day, I would like to say to all of our clubs that we have the right training environment for our players and our game, our players are playing every game as well as we can. In front of (stadium) fans with more than 10,000 spectators.

Berman expects about a third of NWSL players to play in the Women's World Cup , which kicks off July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

" It's going to be competitive, " she said. " And I think the competitiveness of the World Cup will be a sign that the global game is developing. "