Every Wednesday at 8:00, over twenty women gather at the Nowon Laurel Gym.
From their 20s to their 40s.
Dentists, teachers, police officers.
Women of all ages and professions come together for one reason: futsal.
[Sergio/NowonFS Ladies: “Don’t be so vaguely intimidated by futsal, I think you’ll fall in love with it once you try it. I think you should just try it.”]
Women’s futsal is becoming increasingly popular, with over seven times as many club teams as in 2021.
I’ll be training with this team today.
[“I’m here because I want to play this futsal with you guys.”]
[Coach Lee Chang-hwan/Nowon FS Ladies: “Let’s start with warm-ups until we get to two-on-two and three-on-three passing. Go to sleep!”]
The number of women’s futsal players increased more than eightfold from 89 in 2021 to 772 this year, and the number of women’s soccer players jumped from about 2,500 to 4,500.
Women’s futsal, which has been popularized by broadcast programs for several years, has seen a surge in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic, 안전놀이터 thanks to its health benefits and the desire to play team sports.
The Futsal Federation held its first amateur women’s futsal tournament this year, and the Korean Football Association reorganized its K League Queen Cup into a women’s futsal tournament since last year.
Changes in the market are also noticeable, with soccer shoes that were only available in men’s sizes being released in women’s sizes from the second half of this year.
[Kim Mina/Incheon Altong Ladies: “If I make a mistake, my teammates can help me, and it’s also a chance to meet good people while sweating and exercising together.”]
As this new trend of women playing soccer takes hold, we can expect to see increased interest in the Women’s World Cup, which kicks off next week.