Slegers: Growth of women’s football ‘unbelievable’ | OneFootball

Arsenal interim coach Renee Slegers praised the remarkable progress of women’s football, while emphasising the importance of further development.

This weekend, the Gunners take on Spurs in the North London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, marking a historic moment for the sport.

For the first time, every Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship match will be held at main stadiums – a reflection of the rapid growth of the women’s game and fanbase.

“To be honest, when I grew up, I played with boys,” Slegers said. “I was playing in the garden with my brothers, and I didn’t even know if there was a national team growing up in the Netherlands.

“From where I come from to where we are now – having all teams playing in the main stadiums, it’s fantastic. It’s unbelievable how fast things are growing.”

This season, Arsenal committed to making the Emirates the main home of their women’s team, a move celebrated by fans.

Yet, just last week, the Women’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich in December had to be moved due to a clash with the men’s schedule – a reminder that there is still more work to be done.

“Yes, we want more, and we want things to be even better, but it’s brilliant to see where we are at,” she added. “There’s many things on all parts [that could be improved in women’s football].

“Can we get better coach education, more opportunities? For example, players still playing who might want opportunities in coaching – a couple of our players are doing their coaching badges.

“Acceptance around society – there is still some ground to gain.”