SOCCER/ Women’s game on a high as new Asian Champions League launches

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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North Korean players celebrate with the trophy after winning the U-20 Women's World Cup final soccer match against Japan at El Campin stadium in Bogota, Colombia, Sept. 22, 2024.(AP Photo)

Women’s soccer is on a high in Asia in the wake of some World Cup performances that captivated nations, raising expectations for the new AFC Champions League.

North Korea’s win over Japan in the women’s Under-20 World Cup last month has the women’s game back in focus across the continent. Australia’s run to the semifinals at the Women’s World Cup it co-hosted last year with New Zealand drew record crowds and attention to the talent in the region.

Now the continental club championship has been revamped and the group stage of the Women’s Asian Champions League launches this week with the Urawa Red Diamond Ladies flying the flag for Japan.

The Reds defeated South Korea’s Incheon Red Angels in the final of the Women’s Club Championship in May, a pilot tournament for the AFC’s Women’s Champions League, and would like nothing more than to repeat that success.

“To have two Asian nations in the (under-20) World Cup final is good for Asia and good for us, too, as we have rivals to compete with,” Urawa coach Naoki Kusunose said. “We are grateful for this new challenge in club soccer — and we want to move on to the next step and win the Women’s AFC Champions League.”

The 12-team tournament, including four teams that advanced through a preliminary stage, is divided into three groups of four.

Urawa kicks off against India’s Odisha on Thursday and will go on to face Ho Chi Minh City and Taiwanese team Taichung Blue Whale.

The Group C games will take place in Vietnam as each group is played in a single venue over nine days, with the top two advancing to the quarterfinals next March along with the two best third-placed teams. The semifinals and final will be held in May of 2025.

Australia’s Melbourne City is in Group B and kicks off against Iran’s Bam Khatoon in Thailand. Melbourne City who will also face Kaya-Iloilo of the Philippines and Thailand’s College of Asian Scholars.

“For women’s football in general in Asia, it’s a great opportunity,” Melbourne City coach Michael Matricciani said. “To be in the inaugural campaign, it’s an honor for us representing Australia, and also an opportunity for silverware and to test ourselves against the best in Asia.”

Incheon Red Angels are in Group A along with Sabah of Malaysia, China’s Wuhan Jiangda and Abu Dhabi Country Club from the United Arab Emirates.

The Asian Football Confederation has confirmed that the champion will receive at least $1.3 million in prize money.

“We are confident that the competition will empower women in Asian football, contributing to gender equality and breaking down societal barriers, to make a positive impact on the growth of the women’s game,” AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement.

With varying degrees of professionalism in the women’s game across the continent, going deep into the tournament can make a difference financially.

There are concerns, however, that the new tournament does not reflect the reality of women’s soccer in Asia.

FIFPro Asia/Oceania, part of a worldwide organization representing 65,000 soccer players, compiled a report on the tournament in August based on 88 players who participated in the pilot Women’s Club Championship.

It found that just 62% of players in the tournament identified as professional, less than half earned more than $10,000 from soccer per season and a quarter reported that the sport was not their primary income.

FIFPro wants more co-operation between the AFC and other stakeholders.

“Whilst the potential of the women’s game in Asia is immense, we must ensure it is developed in a way that is responsive to the lived realities illustrated in this report,” said Kathryn Gill, a FIFPro board member and former Australia international.

“This can only occur through establishing a genuine partnership between the AFC, leagues, clubs and players, and not through unilaterally overlaying regulations that are fit for men’s competitions onto female competitions.”

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