Now that the initial glory has faded, the question is how to keep the "World Cup dream" alive. This requires a serious review of the achievements and limitations of the past two years, as well as the development of a long-term investment strategy to maintain the momentum for the development of Vietnamese women's football.
The women's national team needs significant investment to be able to repeat the 2023 feat. Photo: VFF
Looking back at the historical journey and the present reality.
The 2023 World Cup was an unforgettable milestone, marking the first time the Vietnamese women's national team participated in the biggest women's football tournament on the planet. Despite being drawn into a tough group with the USA, Portugal, and the Netherlands, the Vietnamese girls displayed admirable courage and determination.
The 0-3 defeat against the reigning champions USA on the opening day, July 22, 2023, did not disappoint the fans. On the contrary, the courageous performance, including goalkeeper Kim Thanh's penalty save against star player Alex Morgan, caused a stir in the international media.
Despite finishing the tournament with three consecutive losses, failing to score a single goal and conceding 12, Coach Mai Duc Chung and his team still received great admiration and support from the community. "Participating in the World Cup was already a miracle. We are not afraid to face anyone," Coach Mai Duc Chung stated upon returning from Australia.
After the World Cup, the women's national team continued to compete in the 19th Asian Games and the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, due to the gap in skill levels, the Vietnamese team couldn't create any surprises. Nevertheless, Vietnam still maintained its number one ranking in Southeast Asia according to the FIFA rankings at the end of 2023, although the gap with the Philippines and Thailand is narrowing significantly.
In particular, after coach Mai Duc Chung left the national team at the end of 2023, Vietnamese women's football entered a transitional period. Young players were gradually promoted, but they lacked experience. Some key players like Huynh Nhu and Tuyet Dung, due to age, were also gradually entering the twilight of their careers.
Over the past two years, despite the VFF's efforts, the Women's National Championship has only had 8 teams from 6 localities participating, playing in a centralized location, without promotion or relegation, lacking competition and appeal. Some clubs, such as Son La and Thai Nguyen, have faced financial difficulties, even nearly disbanding. The stands for the women's league remain sparsely populated, and the media has shown little interest. Despite the World Cup miracle, most female players, although their income has improved, still face hardship and have short careers.
After the glory of the World Cup, our golden girls return to the quiet routine of training and competing in Southeast Asian tournaments or continental qualifiers, which receive less attention.
Public expectations, once high after the World Cup triumph, risk fading if women's football doesn't continue to achieve outstanding results. This is a reality that demands careful consideration from those involved in football: How can we keep the passion and support for Vietnamese women's football alive?
It needs to be nurtured from the roots.
To prevent the World Cup dream from fading like a shooting star, Vietnamese women's football needs to be nurtured from the roots. According to expert Phan Anh Tú, the biggest challenges are a systematic training system, human resources, and economic potential. Currently, there are only a few hundred professional female players nationwide, concentrated in fewer than 10 localities. Compared to developed football nations, this number is far too small to maintain a team that can compete at the continental level.
Regarding solutions, the VFF has proposed three priority directions: Expanding the women's football movement in localities; raising the level of the national championship; and building a continuous youth training system from U13 to U20. Some centers such as Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh, and Thai Nguyen have shown positive signs. In particular, training academies with investment from businesses such as T&T in Thai Nguyen are opening up a viable path.
In reality, with proper sponsorship and a professional model, women's football can take off. For example, player Huynh Nhu, after playing for Lank FC in Portugal, has matured significantly. Many sources report that she receives a salary of around 1,500 euros per month, many times higher than the average in Vietnam. However, such cases are still very rare.
Another approach is to leverage international support. UEFA is collaborating with the VFF to develop Vietnamese women's football through training projects, media coverage, and tournament organization. Simultaneously, the U17 and U20 women's teams are being sent for more international training and competitions to gain experience.
However, to continue dreaming of the World Cup, Vietnamese women's football needs a real "ecosystem," where clubs, youth leagues, and the national championship all operate professionally and systematically. A proposal supported by many experts is to require each V.League men's club to establish a women's team, similar to the European model. Only then will female players have enough opportunities to play, compete, earn a living, and have a future. However, maintaining the funding to support multiple men's teams in the V.League is still difficult, so it's uncertain when this proposal will be implemented.
Finally, the role of the media and fans is indispensable. The story of the Vietnamese girls at the 2023 World Cup was a great inspiration to society. If it is continued, nurtured with genuine care, encouragement, and investment, that dream can absolutely become a reality.
The 2023 World Cup was a historic achievement, but two years later, the challenges facing Vietnamese women's football remain, and are even greater. Maintaining the passion is the hardest part. Instead of just looking back, it's time for real action, from the training system and sponsorship policies to tournament mechanisms and changing societal perceptions of the role and value of women's sports. If we don't want the World Cup to remain just a fleeting dream, Vietnamese women's football needs to rise up once more…
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/giac-mo-can-tiep-lua-156843.html
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