Last
weekend marked a special opportunity for Milan Ladies, as six of them got to represent the team and make an
appearance on mainstream television. Unlike the Milan men’s team, the Milan
Ladies’ games are unfortunately not televised every week, so the chance to be
on television at least talking about football was a very special occasion.
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| A much deserved moment in the spotlight for these great athletes |
The show
was on RAI 2 on Saturday night and is called “Calcio Champagne.” The show
discusses the weekend’s football matches, primarily the mens’ games, but
actually features Katia Serra, a former Italian women’s footballer who even
played with the women’s national team.
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| The players along with former footballer Katia Serra |
Despite
the fact that most of the show was still talking about the men’s game, it was
great exposure for the Milan Ladies to be on and help promote the women’s game
in Italy. Sadly, it’s difficult to imagine a time when women’s football will
have the awareness, viewership, sponsors, pay, stadiums, worldwide fanbase, etc.
that the men’s teams get. Certainly, though we can each make a difference and help get the word out by
following the team on social media and keeping up with their matches.
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| The Milan Ladies with Giacomo Zanetello of OptaPaolo fame |
Speaking
of which, the women who were on the show played the very next day vs. Real Meda.
In fact it was probably only about twelve hours after getting home from the
station, which I doubt the men would ever even be allowed to do. They have reinforced their squad with a lot of new players this year and even battled
the daughter of a Baresi (not the good one.) And they do it all without
tons of adoring fans and packed stadiums, or really any stadium at all.
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| Food for thought: What can you do to promote women's football? |
But I am
grateful for the amazing players of Milan Ladies who work every bit as hard and
play every bit as hard as the men do despite everything being stacked against
them. They are my heroes
of calcio, and heroes not just for young girls or other women, but for
people everywhere. I’m happy that they got a little recognition and a chance to
raise awareness about women’s football. So raise a glass to the Milan Ladies
and their few minutes of fame. Maybe someday soon all of us will even be
allowed to see them doing what they do best… play football.
This post was
inspired by the music of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”
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| Laughing in the spotlight one night, playing in obscurity the next day. Help bring them out of obscurity and spread the word! |
Follow the red and
black women on social media:
Twitter: @MilanLadies
Facebook: MilanLadies
Instagram: MilanLadies
And check out their
website for schedules and standings: http://www.milanladies.it/web/
Follow on Twitter for updates on gameday:
Milan Ladies vs. F.
Valpolicella
Sunday, January 15 •
14:30 CET (8:30am EST)
Our next match is
Coppa Italia
Milan vs. Torino
Thursday, December
12 • 21:00 CET (3pm EST)