During a cup match at Lerkendal in 2010, Cesilie Andreassen sat in the stands with her football team. Then she was 14 years old, and the only girl on the boys team. In retrospect, Andreassen has reflected on this experience. It was great to be at a fight, but as a girl she was then in a different and quite vulnerable position. – The only ones who could dream of playing at Lerkendal were the boys. Girls could not then have the same dream. I did not think much about it as a child, but today the thought feels absurd. If you think about it long enough, it actually hurts a little, she says. But even though the girl from Svolvær never dared to dream of Lerkendal, this is exactly where she herself will play a league match in a week. For Rosenborg’s women’s team. As a child, Cesilie was always part of the boys’ team in Svolvær. Photo: Trond Schultz The girl who bench the boys Cesilie Andreassen was five years old when she started playing football. At that time they were three girls and the rest boys. But after a few weeks, only Cesilie and the boys were left out on the lawn. And so it went on for many years. – It was only when we were 13 years old that other girls in the class started playing football. It was fun, but the boys were much better, so I continued with them, says the 25-year-old to news. Cesilie Andreassen is 25 years old and plays midfield at Rosenborg. She describes herself as a technical player with a great competitive instinct. Photo: Erlend Lånke Solbu / news In retrospect, she has heard that a number of parents reacted to this. – Maybe they did not think it was so cool that their boy had to sit on the bench, while I as a girl, got playing time. Now she, together with teammates, wants to put women’s football in Norway on the map. That girls who grow up today should have the same opportunities to dream that boys have. One of the measures is happening this weekend. Then Rosenborg Brann meets for a match at Lerkendal. Together, they have a goal of filling the stands and setting a new record. And unfortunately, it does not take much to break the spectator record in the Toppserien. Engaging like never before – but not in Norway This year, Barcelona set a world record when they met Real Madrid in the Champions League: Over 90,000 lined up for the match between the women’s teams. In Scandinavia, the record is 18,537 spectators. It was put under a settlement between Hammarby and AIK in the damallsvenskan last year. Before the weekend, the Norwegian spectator record was in the Toppserien in 3541. But also Brann’s women’s team has made an effort to attract more spectators. Against Vålerenga on Sunday, they managed to break the Norwegian record with 10,500 spectators. However, this is far from the normal average for matches in the Toppserien. In other words: women’s football is engaging like never before – but in Norway we are struggling. Arve Hjelseth is an associate professor of sports sociology at NTNU. He thinks part of the answer lies in the fact that Norway started too late. Hjelseth says that in Norway the potential in women’s football was seen much later than in a number of other countries. As recently as 2017, a potential sponsor was warned by people in the Norwegian Football Association against going in and sponsoring the Toppserien, because there was no potential. By then, Ada Hegerberg was already among the world’s best players. Hjelseth believes that women’s football in Norway is on the right track, but that it will still take time to create a greater commitment. What can female soccer players learn from men’s soccer? Lydia gives RBK Women a small course. Believes the teams have done something wrong There has been a gradually increasing interest in women’s club football. This has to do with the clubs getting closer to people’s consciousness and being able to “represent” the city and the place to a greater extent than before, the associate professor explains. Arve Hjelseth is an associate professor of sports sociology at NTNU. He says there have been many prejudices against women’s football for many years, but that these attitudes are fortunately fading away. Photo: Morten Andersen / news – I think it has been important that more and more clubs bear the names of well-known clubs such as Vålerenga and Lillestrøm, and later Rosenborg and Brann. Several relate to these clubs. Five years ago I would have said that a lot was wrong, but in recent years a lot has happened positively, Hjelseth continues. As a one-time event, he believes it will be possible to fill Lerkendal for RBK’s women’s team, but creating lasting change is something else. – It is probably many years until Norwegian women’s football has an average of 5,000 spectators. In principle, it is possible to imagine that it could be more popular than men’s football, as has been the case in handball. But then the national team, for example, must perform better. It is probably very far in the future, says Hjelseth. A time to create dreams For Cesilie Andreassen, it is first and foremost about trying and turning the situation into something positive. Then you should start with equality. She hopes this weekend’s match at Lerkendal will make a difference. – Then we can show that there are equal opportunities for both boys and girls. One should be able to come here as a 12-year-old, regardless of gender, to look down on this course to think that here I can also play. – Everyone should be able to have a dream of something big. Unfortunately, this was not an opportunity we got as children, but now we may be able to give others such dreams. It’s big, says the RBK player. Now the girl from Svolvær no longer has to sit in the stands at Lerkendal – today she can rather play down on the lawn. Photo: news
ttn-69
Cesilie played football with the boys throughout her upbringing – but never dared to dream the same dreams – news Trøndelag
