Looking at the world, we can see many different models that have created the success of women's football. There is no common formula for everyone, but each model evokes things that Vietnamese women's football can study and learn based on existing conditions.
Japan
One of the most successful women's football backgrounds in Asia is Japan. They won the 2011 World Cup and have maintained their position in the top group of the world for many years. That success began with a very wide training system at the school level. In Japan, women's football is organized right from high school. Schools have their own teams, their own leagues and regular competitions. Many national team players have grown up from such tournaments.
In addition to school football, the Japan Football Association also built a system of talent training academies. Training centers are located in many different areas, where young players are trained for a long time with a unified curriculum. Good players will continue to go through youth teams before joining the national team. The training process is maintained continuously for many years, creating a stable flow of generations.
This model shows abundance of human resources, not depending on a few training centers. Through the screening process, real talents will be selected.
USA
In the US, women's football develops in a different way. Their foundation lies in the school and university sports system. Thousands of high schools and universities in the US have women's football teams. Tournaments in the NCAA system attract hundreds of participating teams and create a very strong competitive environment.
Many famous players of the US Women's Team have grown up from universities such as Stanford, UCLA or North Carolina. They play dozens of matches each season before entering the professional environment.
Similar to Japan, this model brings a large source of players, so national teams at all levels always have many choices. It is noteworthy that this system also helps female players have a clear path to development. They are both educated at university and compete in sports at a high level. That is a way for women's football to sustainably exist in society, instead of just relying on a few professional clubs.
Europe
In Europe, women's football develops in a direction closely linked to big clubs. Teams such as: Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea or Wolfsburg all build a women's training system similar to men's football. Clubs have their own academies, youth teams according to age and first teams playing in professional leagues.
Young players are trained right in the club environment, early access to modern training systems and good training conditions. When big clubs invest heavily in women's teams, the quality of domestic leagues also increases rapidly. Of course, national teams have more high-quality players.
Things to learn
The 3 models above are different in organization, but have one thing in common. Women's football cannot develop if it is only focused on the national team. From the models in the 3 continents, no matter which path they follow, the foundation must still be a large enough number of young players, a continuous training system and a stable playing environment.
Vietnamese women's football has made significant progress in recent years. Maintaining youth teams, expanding the training system and improving the national championship are important steps. But if we want to go further, the story will not just lie in one tournament or one generation of players. It lies in how to build a whole system, in the long term.
