Vivianne does exactly the same sport as Frenkie | NOW

On Sunday we look back at the week of NU.nl. Today editor Lindsay Mossink on the European Football Championship.

In every game you see the phrase “Women play football, not women’s football” along the pitches of the European Championship. It’s a billboard from a German car manufacturer. I was a bit ashamed, because on NU.nl we wrote about the “women’s football” European Championship. Luckily not for very long. We quickly agreed that this is the European Football Championship we are talking about. There shouldn’t have been any publicity for it.

The KNVB has equalized the salary of women with that of men (who earn even more prize money). The stadiums fill up with women. However, we are not there yet. The media (and the public) have also evolved as long as we speak of “women’s football”.

It’s like watching a different sport. Different from what we are used to from men. But there are eleven players in a team, a ball with two goals and an offside rule.

Women’s EURO

By emphasizing the difference, you subordinate women’s football.

We make no distinction at hockey, athletics and skating tournaments. We don’t watch “women’s skates”, we watch ice skates.

Of course, this can be explained. “In these sports, the unions gave a lot of space to women much earlier,” Sport Chief Michel Abbink rightly notes.

The first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in 1991. It just wasn’t on FIFA’s radar. The first Women’s World Speed ​​Skating Championships were held in 1933. That the organizations themselves are still struggling with this is clear from the Women’s EURO with which UEFA is selling the tournament.

The Orange timetable.

we unpack

It is a question of equality. And we, as the media, have a responsibility in this regard.

We take this responsibility very seriously at NU.nl. Journalist Jeroen van Barneveld will follow in the footsteps of Orange Women this summer. In England, he does a lot of match reporting. We present you with the top favourites, always highlight the Netherlands’ next opponent and catch up on the latest news.

Video journalist Bas Scharwachter will also fly to England next week. We unpack, as we do in men’s tournaments.

If you ask me, we’re also more frugal with the title Orange Women or Orange Lionesses (even though the women are called that). The Orange team will play the last group game in England tonight.

Today’s children have grown up with the success of these players. These kids are fans of Vivianne Miedema, not Frenkie de Jong. For them, the Dutch national team is also that of Vivianne, Lieke and Jackie. Not just that of Frenkie, Memphis and Virgil.

Let’s stop pretending that Vivianne plays a different sport than Frenkie.

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