Paper Presentation VI:
The Organization of Women’s Elite Football
Saturday, April 10, 14.15–16.15

Bente Ovedie Skogvang
Hedmark University College, Norway

The paper will focus on women’s elite football in Norway. Norway has been one of the best countries according to international results in women’s football, but still the female footballers are struggling with attracting sponsors and media attention. In this paper I will try to analyse why that is the case?

Observations have included practices, meetings, matches in three elite clubs and in international championships, and also interviews with 22 players (11 of each sex) and eight coaches. Women’s football has developed significantly during the last 30 years, and Norway is one of the leading nations in terms of international successes. One crucial part of this is the ‘Norwegian Model’ of development programme, where girls and boys follow the same model and practice together. Football is the largest sport both for men and women in Norway, and many similarities were found in the conditions of the men and women. They experience the game itself as fun because of the tough tackles, the team spirit and the joy of victory; the social network and the friendships. However, there are big gender differences in the development of football: finances available, commercialisation, media attention, and sexuality. Women in Norwegian elite football feel that they both get empowered and discriminated against within the field of football. However, even though much progress has been made, particular problems regarding the women’s game – globally as well as locally – concern the difficulties of attracting sponsors and media interest.