Why video game representation is important for women’s football

The Lionesses in EAFC 24. Photo: EA Sports

By Finley Chung (18/11/24)

It’s the age old adage isn’t it? ‘If you can see it, you can be it’, sadly, it’s an adage that women’s football has had to adhere to for much longer than anyone who works in, or watches it would have liked.

Following the Lionesses’ historic European Championship win in 2022, interest in the Women’s Game has skyrocketed in England, with several documentaries and films being made to honour the journey the Lionesses took a nation on, from that opening night at Old Trafford, to the swing of Chloe Kelly’s right boot at Wembley against Germany. 

Within the last couple of years, the world of video gaming has been involved to cater for the Women’s Game - with the newly branded EA Sports FC (EAFC/Formerly FIFA) series catering to the mass consumer of Women’s Football. 

If you go back even three years, the majority of the EAFC Community wouldn’t have heard of a name such as Patri Guijarro, Irene Paredes, Lea Schuller to name but a few, since being in Ultimate Team, the most popular game mode, people can now effectively recite the squads of some of the biggest and best in the Women’s Football World. 

More recently, Sports Interactive and Football Manager have revealed they are dipping their toes into Women’s Football, with their director, Miles Jacobsen revealing at a special event last month, that “We want to be part of the solution” in terms of bringing Women’s Football to the forefront of the gaming world. 

Not only does this bring a whole new set of eyes on the Women’s Game, but it’s also a major step forward in a traditionally male dominated environment. 

Something which has been highlighted by the brilliant campaign, Her Game Too, who have recently launched a new gaming division for their charity, having received news of a damning report, that showed that 49% of female gamers experienced harassment based on their gender. 

I firmly believe, that bringing women’s football to the forefront of the gaming world can only do good, but it will only do that if everyone acknowledges the steps that have been taken to put women’s sports at the forefront of the gaming world. And by sticking together rallying around it, we can make sure it has a long legacy on the gaming world.