England’s four female Ballon d’Or nominees did not attend the ceremony in Paris on Monday evening because they were preparing for their match against Belgium on Tuesday and have urged organisers to consider the women’s schedule in their planning.
Mary Earps, Millie Bright, Rachel Daly and Georgia Stanway were all shortlisted but are in Leuven for their Uefa Nations League match, so did not travel to the awards ceremony.
Aitana Bonmatí, the Spain midfielder, was named winner of the Ballon d’Or Féminin and was in Paris despite her country’s Nations League match in Switzerland on Tuesday, while Colombia’s 18-year-old nominee Linda Caicedo missed their friendly against the United States on Sunday to attend the ceremony. Earps received the most votes of England’s shortlisted players, coming in fifth.
“It’s very cool [to be nominated],” said Stanway, who finished 23rd in the voting. “Obviously, it’s nice to get the accolade, as well as a lot of my team-mates in the Lionesses. There’s a few people that I would also add to the list that have had very, very successful years.
“But yeah, it’s a real achievement to be among those names and it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t be there. That’s something that we spoke about as a player group, and we said, ‘It would be nice in the future if it wasn’t on a match-day minus one so we could enjoy the experience.’
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“It’s potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You never know if you’re ever going to get selected for such an accolade like that again, so it would be really nice to enjoy the experience and be there and feel like a star among the stars. But unfortunately — well, not unfortunately because we’ve got a game — but if it was planned a little bit better then it would be easier for a lot of female footballers to be there.”
Sarina Wiegman, the England head coach, echoed those frustrations and also said that she hoped the awards available to women at the ceremony would be expanded. The women’s Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 2018, but the other accolades — for best young player (Kopa Trophy), best goalkeeper (Yashin Trophy) and highest scorer (Gerd Müller Trophy) — are still only for male players.
“You hope that develops too,” Wiegman said.
“We talked about the planning now, it would be nice for them [if they could attend the ceremony] … everyone’s working so hard and of course, we have to do a job [against Belgium]. That’s what we’re here for.”
England beat Belgium 1-0 at the King Power Stadium on Friday and are second in their Nations League group, behind Holland on goal difference.
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Women’s Super League players have been awarded more meaningful negotiating power in future decision-making after a landmark victory for the Professional Footballers’ Association.
In a letter seen by The Times, the PFA, the union that represents players, has written to its members to inform them of the introduction of a Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee (PFNCC) in the women’s game.
This committee has existed for decades in the men’s game and has helped the union negotiate over issues such as the proposed salary cap in the English Football League.
Despite previous requests for a women’s PFNCC being rejected, an agreement has now been reached, with the idea supported by the former England player Karen Carney’s independent review into the women’s game.
The Manchester United captain and England midfielder Katie Zelem, who is on the PFA Players’ Board, told the union’s members in the letter: “Players have been brilliant, putting time in to work with the PFA on this and then stepping up to make sure our voices were heard loud and clear.
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“There’s a lot of change right now in the women’s game and we need to keep pushing to make sure we’re at the heart of it. It’s not always easy when your focus is on your football, and everything that goes with your career. That’s why it’s so important we have the PFA there to work for us and give us that support.”
It is understood many players were unaware of the ramifications of changes in women’s football governance that will be introduced next season, sparking the need for the committee.
The PFNCC, which will begin as soon as practically possible, currently only covers the WSL because of its fully professional nature. Discussions are ongoing about how the PFA can support players in the second tier, the part-time Championship, and the potential for its professionalisation in the future. The full government response to Carney’s review is expected next month.
