Ex-Chelsea academy player Beth Burgess thinks the lack of money in women’s football makes it significantly hard for upcoming footballers to reach their potential.
Burgess, 20, had to make the hour and a half journey (without traffic) from Portsmouth to Chelsea three times a week when playing for the blues, two of the three times being after a day at college.
“Due to football taking most my free time, a job wasn’t an option for me. This meant I had no source of income for travel to and from London.
“I would often receive free boots and kit from the club but they never helped with travel expenses,” she said.
Since starting football at the age of six and playing for numerous clubs including a stint in California last year, Burgess has never been paid to play football.
She said: “Thankfully my parents are in a position to be able to help cover my costs but if that wasn’t an option like so many young women footballers, then I’d have had to gave up football and concentrated on my education helping me in the future.”
Burgess thinks there is still a long way to go until we should start comparing men and women’s football financially but does feel that the women’s game is heading in the right direction.
Burgess said: “It’s great to see that the women’s FA Cup final is now held at Wembley with 50,000 fans in attendance. That is something which you wouldn’t have seen ten years ago.”
The Women’s Super League (WSL) is also something which Burgess feels will benefit women’s football financially.
“In the next five to ten years I hope and expect to see players playing in the WSL earning a comfortable wage and not having to work as well as playing football, “ she said.
Burgess is now hoping to sign for WSL two side Aston Villa whilst studying at Loughborough university, ideally leading her into becoming a full time professional footballer.
Burgess said: “If I do join Villa and I become one of their significant players, I will be paid.
“I’m also hoping to help the team become a WSL first division side and compete against some of the best teams in the world.”
Burgess went on to talk about one of her footballing icons, Lucy Bronze. “I aspire to reach the level of someone like Bronze in women’s football. She’s being paid around £300,00-a-year and thats not including sponsorships.
“Not only that but she’s playing the best standard of football she possibly can as a female footballer, winning the Champions League last season with Lyon whilst being named the player of the tournament and reaching the World Cup semi-finals with England,” said Burgess.
Burgess understood how challenging it may be for her to be able to reach the levels of a player like Bronze but feels that as long as women’s football keeps bringing more money in then the dream of being able to play football professionally becomes more reachable.
She added: “When you look at the money in the men’s Premier League, most players in that league are on £20,000-a-week minimum.
“If this kind of money is invested into the women’s game from the league, clubs and sponsors then more players could start reaching the levels of Lucy Bronze and Toni Duggan.”
Burgess next steps in her career are to become a settled at the next club she ends up joining and hope to start to a namer for herself.
Burgess said: “When I join my new club whether that’s Villa or not, I want to get straight to work and settle into the squad.
“With coverage of the WSL being on BT and BBC Sport as well as on FA player, this great for us women and gives us more publicity.
“I obviously want to use this in my advantage and hopefully show the people watching; firstly, the high level of football being played in the WSL and secondly, what I can do individually and hopefully get people talking about the league in a good way. “
Harvey Lawrence's Sport Blog 