The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship recently took place from October 17 to 30 at Dasharath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal, featuring teams from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The teams showcased the growing talent and commitment of women footballers across the region. Constrained by limited opportunities and societal roles imposed by patriarchal structures, the Bangladesh team's success in clinching the 2024 SAFF Women's Championship is an immense motivation for all women and girls in the country, and it embodies the spirit of courage and zest. More than just a sporting victory, this is a liberation from the societal expectations and decades-long obstacles that have restricted women's participation in sports.

Football has been a male-dominated sport in South Asia for decades, leaving few opportunities for women to play this wonderful sport professionally. However, the outlook is somewhat improving. Football in the women's circuit has received a welcome boost from some inspiring examples from the international football stage, as many players, having come from difficult backgrounds, have shown special skills in overcoming the hurdles. Against this background, the 2024 SAFF Women's Championship has piqued audience interest, with seasoned players aligned with emerging talents: India's Ashalata Devi, Bangladesh's Sabina Khatun, and Nepal's Renuka Nagarkoti. As women's football seems to be finally hitting the mark in the region, these sportswomen are role models for the upcoming generations of girls who want to take up football.

The SAFF tournament with its 12 matches was an exceptional fixture. In the finals, held on October 30, Bangladesh defeated Nepal by a score of 2-1, thereby conferring its 2nd SAFF title. The teams commenced the tournament in a round-robin format before going on to the knockout rounds, leading to the grand finals. While four of the semifinals sprinted for one-time title-bound glory, Bangladesh's women's football team's achievement was entwined with the hope and resilience of Bangladeshis during the 2024 SAFF Women's Championship.

Read more

Winning the second SAFF Women's Championship: Footsteps to the future

However, even as the celebrations erupted, a gloomy shadow was on the horizon. The coach of the Bangladesh team, Peter Butler, announced his resignation immediately after their victory. Butler emphasised the issues of delayed payment and some other problems during his term, saying that he had not been paid his salary for three months. The news caused ripples in the women's sports fraternity, with debates on the need for transformation. While winning the SAFF championship symbolises a monumental win, it marks a wake-up call. Studies mention that women's sports receive only four percent of the total media coverage, which thankfully has been increasing in recent times. Similarly, sponsorship for women's sports is less than one percent in most countries.

Lack of financial support directly affects team performance. If the coach or players feel unappreciated, this will show in their performance and results. To realise the full potential for women within sports, there is a need to deal with opportunities and gaps; support includes timely salaries for coaches and funds for training and development for young female athletes. The transitions from amateur to professional opportunities can be enhanced by paying scholarships, creating mentoring programmes, and providing support for women in coaching. Community participation and consciousness-raising campaigns are taking centre stage in the quest to change stereotypical representations of women within sports.

There is a call upon sports associations, governments, and corporate sponsors to put women's football at the top of their priority lists and invest in it most preferentially. The gap in funding compared to men's sports is glaring. Investing in women's sports could yield considerable economic returns and social benefits such as increased community engagement and improved health outcomes for women.

Read more

A salute to our champions

Supporting women's football doesn't simply break down into just fair salaries for coaches and pay for players, it's about building an arena wherein women can flourish, free of financial insecurity. If barriers to the success of women in football can be removed, women can do everything they want. In the course of dismantling the stereotype, and opening up opportunities by allowing women into football, society will empower these women to fulfil their passions and realise their fullest potential.

The learnings from this championship transcend the boundaries of the football field and point toward the various supporting systems needed to empower women across all disciplines. It starts with early education. The message is clear: give women opportunities, and they will deliver greatness.

With each roar of encouragement from the gallery, with each goal, with each moment of camaraderie, the barriers that once confined women begin to crumble and the domain becomes open to young girls who have started to come out onto the fields, inspired by the victory of the Bangladesh team.

Zareen Tasneem is student at North South University.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

Follow The Daily Star Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions, commentaries and analyses by experts and professionals. To contribute your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, see our guidelines for submission.