Every four years the sporting world turns its gaze to women's football with breathless enthusiasm. Viewing figures shatter records, hashtags trend for weeks, and suddenly everyone is an expert on a game they have ignored for the previous 1,460 days.
This cycle is not just frustrating — it is damaging.
The women's game has never been stronger. The standard of play in the WSL, NWSL, Division 1 Féminine, and Frauen-Bundesliga is genuinely elite. Yet when the World Cup arrives, broadcasters scramble to explain the players and pundits who have never watched a WSL game suddenly offer "insight" on players they are Googling during the ad break.
The solution is straightforward: sustained coverage, proper broadcast deals, and the willingness to treat women's football as a product worthy of year-round investment. The talent is there. The product is compelling. The audience, when shown, consistently shows up.
What is still missing is the commitment from the top.