In the interview made to Angelica Soffia by LFootball, they asked her this question about Italian women’s football:
"Today in women’s football there is professionalism, there are TV channels that broadcast the matches, there are great football clubs, but what is missing to establish itself as a popular sport and get out of the niche?"
This is her answer, which I totally agree with her:
"One of the main points I think is the Italian culture. In other countries it’s different. I recently saw a video of a Serie B team in Germany who played at the men’s stadium and the facility was full. We in Italy really struggle to fill the small facilities while abroad, in England for example, they are full of people stadiums like Emirates Stadium, Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford when playing the women’s team. The Puma House of Football (Vismara) has a normal capacity but it is never full. Like us, also Inter, Roma, Juventus and other teams. In Sweden, there are teams that have a following of 3000 or 4000 spectators always and on the road even six hours move in 500 people. It’s pure madness here, because on the road there are always the usual few people who follow. Because it is all linked to a cultural factor. In the pre-season when we went to play against Barcelona, we arrived at the stadium with the bus among a crowd of people never seen in Italy. Italian companies invest at a time when they do not have any economic returns. It is really difficult and the obstacle is cultural. We have to work hard in schools, starting with the girls and boys and through them reaching the parents. A transition that generation after generation brings the Italian culture to change. Something is changing but too slowly".
Images: Calciatrici panini season 2024/2025
Link to the interview:https://www.lfootball.it/2025/06/angelica-soffia-unatleta-esemplare-una-professionista-da-sempre
