Ji So-yeon (32-Suwon FC) couldn’t smile after winning the Midfielder of the Year and Assist of the Year (6) awards at the 2023 Women’s Football Federation Awards on Thursday.
“If the WK League (Women’s Unemployed Soccer) doesn’t change, there will be no development of women’s soccer.
From the time I went abroad in 2010 to the time I came back, it’s been the same,” he said.
Ji’s disappointment as she looks ahead to 2023 comes from the fact that she believes women’s soccer missed the boat this year.
The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was knocked out in the group stages, the Hangzhou Asian Games was stopped in the quarterfinals by a high-profile North-South clash, and the women’s national team was eliminated from the second round of the Asian qualifiers for next year’s Paris Olympics, leaving the sport facing a shutdown in 2024.
Ji So-yeon said, “The effect of the entertainment program ‘Goal-Shooting Girls’ increased interest, but we ruined it for ourselves.
There are no big tournaments for us to participate in next year,” she lamented.
The disappointment is even greater as the team was on the rise, reaching their first final at the Women’s Asian Cup just a year ago.
“While we stopped, our rivals continued to improve,” Ji said, adding, “If the players’ individual skills don’t improve, we can’t be competitive.”
Ji points to the stagnation of the WK League.
“It may be a chicken-and-egg problem,” he said, “but for the league to develop, the players’ skills must be good.
If their skills increase, there should be competition, but right now, only those who are playing are playing.
How many people would want their children to play women’s soccer, where the highest salary is $50,000?” he said.
“I want to change everything from top to bottom. 토토
Professionalization is also urgent.
The same reality as 10 years ago is not real, and when I saw the crowd of over 60,000 people at the Arsenal-Chelsea match in the English Women’s Super League (on the 10th), where I played, I realized that the gap has widened, and I feel a heavy sense of responsibility.”
In addition to serving as co-president of the Korea Professional Soccer Players Association, Ji is also a member of the Korean Football Association’s player board.
“It’s an uncomfortable topic that other players can’t talk about,” she said.
“Honestly, as a player, it’s okay for me to be silent, but I want to help my juniors play in a better environment, and we will do our best to play soccer in front of large crowds.”
