As men’s teams in top European leagues play in prime conditions, women’s teams continue to get the short end of the stick. Two weeks ago, three WSL matches were postponed due to frozen pitches, and now, the Frauen-Bundesliga is facing the same problem. A frozen pitch forced Turbine Potsdam and Bayern Munich to postpone their match on Sunday.
Different facilities, different playing conditions
Top-tier men’s teams don’t have to worry about frozen pitches due to undersoil heating, which keeps the soil and grass thawed out. On the other hand, top men’s teams rarely share facilities with their women’s teams, so they don’t have that luxury. Frozen pitches cause dangerous slipping hazards, which can lead to injuries. Chelsea and Liverpool played on a frozen pitch for six minutes when officials finally deemed the conditions to be unsafe after players from both teams slipped multiple times. Coaches and players were upset that the game was allowed to go on in the first place.
Match abandoned 😵🥶
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) January 22, 2023
After just five minutes of play the referee stops play due to the frozen pitch… pic.twitter.com/gW1KRHyPcj
Frozen pitches are only part of a long list of concerns about women’s team facilities. Todd Boehly, the new owner of Chelsea FC, noted that the women’s facilities were “unacceptable.” Manchester United women’s gym was in a tent, and the nearest restrooms were 10 minutes away from the training grounds. Alex Morgan allegedly had to convince Daniel Levy to let Tottenham women train in the same facilities as the men. If these are the conditions that women’s teams in top clubs have to face, imagine the conditions that other women’s teams work in.
Equal pay is already a huge conversation in women’s sports, but it’s time to start talking about equal training facilities. Boehly has the opportunity to set the standard by updating Chelsea’s Cobham training center. Will other clubs do the same? Only time will tell.
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