Irish forward Stephanie Roche attends a training session with her French Ligue 1... Read More
Roche is the first woman to be among the three finalists for goal of the year awarded by soccer’s governing body FIFA. Her volley for Ireland’s Peamount United against Wexford Youths, watched by 85 spectators, is up against a diving header by Holland captain Robin van Persie versus Spain and James Rodriguez’s dipping shot for Colombia against Uruguay. Both were made at the World Cup.
Even with close to 6 million views on YouTube for Roche’s goal -- scored with Nike boots -- a slew of publicity and praise from the likes of former England striker Gary Lineker, the 25-year-old Ireland international is yet to be offered any sponsorship deals.
“A lot of people like to think that because I’m in the public eye, I’m getting loads
of stuff but that’s not the reality of it at the minute,” Roche said in an interview.
Roche will find out tonight during an awards ceremony in Zurich if she’ll succeed Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as holder of the FIFA Puskas award for best goal of the year.
Dublin-born Roche made 800 euros ($945) a month last year playing pro soccer for French Ligue 1 side ASPTT Albi. Roche, who said she honed her soccer skills playing on the street as a child, made her international debut for Ireland in 2008. She’s since made 35 appearances, scoring six goals. She’s also scored a record 71 goals in the first three seasons of the Women’s National League that started in 2011.
Few Deals
Roche said she’s been given some beauty products for free, and was paid by Continental Tires for doing a few photo shoots as they sponsor the women’s league in Ireland. “And that’s about it.”Manchester United (MANU)’s Van Persie makes $19 million a year in salary and endorsements with Adidas and Pepsi, according to Forbes. World Cup top scorer and Real Madrid player Rodriguez, who is also sponsored by Adidas, earns 7.5 million euros a year, according to Spanish sports daily AS.
Standing with her back to the goal at an Irish Women’s National League match in October 2013, Roche controlled a cross with her right foot, flicked the ball over her head with her left, and then volleyed into the right corner of the goal from a distance of around 25 meters (80 feet) with the same foot.
‘Beautiful, Magnificent’
Former England captain Lineker, now a sports commentator for the British Broadcasting Corp., called her strike “goal of the season” on Twitter.“It’s beautiful, magnificent, pity there wasn’t more of an atmosphere to celebrate it a bit more,” Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc told reporters at a news conference after being shown the footage last month. “If it had been in a Champions League final or in a match with 100,000 spectators it would have caused a sensation.”
Ruth Holdaway, chief executive officer of London-based Women in Sport, said it was “disappointing that no sponsor has taken advantage of the phenomenal public profile enjoyed by Stephanie, but it is a situation that highlights the disgraceful disparity that still faces female athletes, regardless of their chosen sport.”
Women’s sports generate 0.4 percent of all sports sponsorship money and 7 percent of all sports media coverage in the U.K., according to Women in Sport research.
“Sportswomen offer companies and sponsors an unparalleled opportunity to secure high-value publicity and engagement, yet there is still an entrenched inequality when it comes to reflecting this in commercial sponsorship deals,” Holdaway said.
‘Fantastic Goal’
“We do not comment on individual contracts, but want to congratulate Stephanie on a fantastic goal,” Nike Inc. (NKE) spokeswoman Jenny Simmons said when asked why the U.S. sportswear manufacturer hadn’t offered Roche a shoe endorsement deal. “We wish her the best of luck on Monday.”Umbro, which makes the jerseys of the Irish national women’s soccer team, didn’t respond to e-mails seeking comment.
“Women don’t draw big money,” said Simon Chadwick, a sports business professor at the Coventry University Business School in England.
“Unless you are blond, tall, Russian and a tennis player, there’s so little money in women’s sport. It may be the case that sponsors know that women are generally not persuaded to buy a product because they have seen the brand on a sports field. Unlike men, women could well be motivated into purchases by other mediums.”
Video Opportunity
It’s part of life that most female athletes fail to attract big funding, Roche said.“I’m realistic, and I know men’s football brings in a lot of money and a lot of revenues so it’s there to be used and a lot of companies will do that,” Roche said. “But female footballers work as hard as the men do.”
Roche’s strike at Ferrycarrig Park in Wexford wouldn’t have reached YouTube without Wexford Youths manager John Flood, who had asked one of his injured players to film the match. He gave Peamount manager Eileen Gleeson a copy, and soon after she put the goal on the Internet “things went a bit crazy,” Roche said.
Winning the award would give women’s soccer a boost, Roche said.
“Even getting to the top three has helped promote women’s football here in Ireland as it’s been getting so much publicity,” Roche said. “For me to win it would put it at a different level altogether.”
No comments:
Post a Comment