As women’s football continues to grow exponentially, discussions about changes to the calendar and competition formats have taken center stage when considering the future of the sport. This topic was highlighted at the Thinking Football Summit’s Arena Stage, with Claire Bloomfield, Director of Women's Football at the ECA, Anne-Marie Itoua, Project Leader for Women’s Football at LTT Sports, and Richard Feuz, General Manager of the Chicago Red Stars, under the moderation of Monica Esperidião.

Claire Bloomfield began by emphasizing one of the most significant changes in the European women’s football landscape: the expansion of the UEFA Women's Champions League from 16 to 18 teams, and the creation of a new continental competition, still unnamed. "This opens doors for more clubs to compete at the European level," she noted, pointing out that the introduction of a joint venture between the ECA and UEFA will allow clubs to play a more active role in the commercial strategy of this second European competition.

Innovation in the format and financing of competitions is seen as a response to the need to increase visibility and product quality. According to Claire, these changes will also influence distribution models and game broadcasts, with the current agreement between DAZN and YouTube serving as a basis for future negotiations.

However, changes in calendars are not without challenges, especially in markets where women's football still competes with other major sports. Richard Feuz, bringing his recent experience from the U.S., where he took on the role of General Manager of the Chicago Red Stars six months ago, highlighted that a drastic change in the competition calendar could be complex, particularly due to climatic conditions and local sports culture. "I've been changing my thinking over the last six months. Deep down, I'm a Spaniard raised in Switzerland, so I have this European mindset. When I first arrived in the U.S. six months ago, my thought was, of course, I only see benefits in changing the calendar. However, my opinion has shifted because the U.S. has a different culture. For a city like Chicago, for example, a calendar model change would be complicated due to weather. It’s completely impossible to play between December and February. It would be a big problem for us, and not just for us, but for cities like New York too. The second issue is culture. Our fans in the U.S. have this 'soccer season' culture,” Richard explained.

Adapting the sports calendar must also take into account the different cultural and economic realities between continents. While Europe places football as the primary sport, the U.S. has a more fragmented sports market, where each sport has its own place in the calendar. "In a city like Chicago, we have two baseball teams, a basketball team, a hockey team, an American football team… Not to mention college teams. The American calendar was built so that each sport has its space. If we changed the football calendar in the U.S. now, it would be a massive change," Richard emphasized.

Sustainable Development and Player Training

Anne-Marie Itoua focused on the progress of women's football in leagues like the English and Spanish leagues, where team development has been impressive, with special mention of the youth training work done by clubs like FC Barcelona, which won the last two editions of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. For Anne-Marie, the long-term sustainability of women's football is closely tied to investment in player and coach development, arguing that "developing icons in women’s football will help inspire new generations."

At the same time, Claire Bloomfield reinforced that the pace of women’s football development varies significantly from country to country. While some nations are dealing with overcrowded calendars due to the increasing number of international competitions, others still lack sufficient regular high-level competition opportunities for players. Claire argues that it is essential to find a balance that allows players to develop both at the club and national team levels, without having to choose between the two. "No player should be forced to choose between club and country. All parties involved need to understand the consequences of internationalization, and this implies greater respect for the international calendar," she stated.

Another key point highlighted by Anne-Marie was the crucial role of female coaches in the development of young players, emphasizing that training women coaches is essential to create a stronger link between technical development and the progression of players to the highest competitive level.