As dusk drew in on Paris on Saturday so the curtain closed on another Olympic tournament. The joy of the USA players securing their country’s fifth gold medal was palpable. From Emma Hayes’s roar of joy in the dugout, achieving the remarkable after 78 days in charge, to the players piling on top of the goalkeeper, Alyssa Naeher, on the field, the significance for this group was undeniable.
However, once the celebrations have subsided and players return to their clubs, questions will inevitably resume about the position this competition holds within the ever-expanding women’s football ecosystem. Will the Olympics continue to retain its prestigious reputation of years gone by or does it need to adapt? Are we able to find the balance between major international tournaments and the need for players to have adequate rest? How can we attract audiences to a game that for two weeks every four years has to cede its dominance of the airwaves to sports that are much more underrepresented?
