Euro 2025: Infrastructure, attendance, staff... The gap between the English and French women's football championships is widening.

An English club (Arsenal) won the 2025 Champions League , and two others faced off in the quarterfinals (Chelsea and Manchester City). There's no doubt about it, English women's football is doing well this season. These performances will be enough to boost the confidence of the Lionesses, who will kick off Euro 2025 against Les Bleues on July 5 in Zurich. While for a decade, OL, and to a lesser extent PSG, dominated Europe, English clubs have recently returned to the forefront.

So much so that the gap between the two championships is widening and more and more French players are being tempted by the adventure across the Channel. Four of the 23 French players selected for the Euro have thus played in the Women's Super League this season (Sandy Baltimore at Chelsea, Kelly Gago at Everton, Oriane Jean-François at Chelsea and Melvine Malard at Manchester United).

"In France, I heard people say that the gap was growing, and I didn't realize it. But since I've been in England, I really find there's a big difference."

Melvine Malard, French striker and Manchester United player

to franceinfo: sport

" The championship is more engaging. There are also more crowds, more enthusiasm in the stadiums and in the streets. We are broadcast on Skysport, Melvine Malard lists . In France, too, there's progress, but it's clear that not all teams can keep up because not all have the resources. I see that the Federation is doing everything it can to make things evolve, but it's not there yet."

France is lagging behind structurally. The Professional Women's Football League was officially launched there in July 2024, although its collective bargaining agreement has yet to be finalized. In England, the professionalization of the women's sections dates back to 2018. Furthermore, to maintain a certain balance within the championship, the salary cap rule sets a maximum salary for players, which makes the WSL more attractive for spectators, as well as for players.

" The English decided to get involved around 2010 and since then there has been real, dynamic and rapid progress, whereas in France the progress has been very gentle," notes Amandine Miquel, Leicester City coach for a year, after eight years at Stade de Reims. " Behind Euro 2022 [organized and won by England] , the authorities knew how to ride this wave. And it has never fallen back," adds France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, who played for Arsenal for two seasons (2018-2020).

According to the Football Association , Euro 2022 has indeed boosted their strategy for developing women's football. Between 2020 and 2024, participation has jumped by 56%, the number of girls enrolled in training centers has exploded (+265%), and there are also more women coaches (+88%) and referees (+113%). Attendance has increased by 239% since the 2021-2022 season.

Arriving at Leicester (10th this season), Amandine Miquel was initially surprised by "the quality and size of the facilities" . "In most English clubs, there are buildings dedicated to the women's team with much larger spaces than what we have seen in France: the pitches, the changing rooms, the weight rooms, the dining room," the coach explains.

“Women's sport has gained ground in recent years, and the English quickly understood that for these teams to perform, they needed to have quality working tools.”

Amandine Miquel, Leicester City coach

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In France, only PSG and OL have structures almost equivalent to those existing in England. Leaving Lyon for Manchester United, striker Melvine Malard was struck by "the intensity of the training" , "a very direct game" , more advanced muscular work, which helped her to "become a more complete player" . She also discovered a club with "a much more complete staff" allowing "total monitoring" of the player. " It 's the best choice I've been able to make so far. England is the future of football and I'm right in the middle of it, so it's cool."

" We are much more comprehensive in supporting our players," confirms Amandine Miquel . "For example, a nutritionist who would be shared with the boys in France is full-time with us, as is the restaurant chef. There are often three physical trainers, compared to one in mid-table French clubs. We have five physiotherapists, compared to two on average in France. This means much more availability for the players. " Another example of the broader consideration of the athlete, the coach notes that many trips are made the day before the match to limit fatigue, a practice that is rarer in France.

"What makes the difference between France and England is that they don't skimp on resources. For them, performance is priceless," analyzes Sandrine Soubeyrand, coach of the Paris FC women's team. " In France, we're not ready to invest in certain positions because we think they're perhaps a little less important for performance. And we're not always patient enough." The player, who won the title of best coach in the Arkema Premier League this year, is particularly envious of the large medical staff at English clubs. "It's essential, and it's still a bit lacking in France. We struggle to staff the medical department full-time."

Upon arriving in England, the French women also discovered a country deeply in love with football, whether played by men or women. " They are truly huge football fans. I remember team tattoos, supporters waiting to be signed as they leave the changing rooms at 11 p.m.," says Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, also struck by the packed stands of the stadiums. Across the Channel, the average attendance this season was around 6,600 spectators per match, according to the BBC , compared to barely 1,500 in France with the Arkema Premier League.

Nevertheless, attendance in France is showing positive momentum, with a 50% increase year-on-year and records such as the one recorded for PSG-Lyon in January with 20,489 spectators. Conversely, the English public has been less present (-10%) this season, probably a consequence of less media exposure for their national team, which was absent from the last Olympics, and a less competitive top-of-the-table match than usual.

In France, clubs are also paying the price, according to Amandine Miquel, for the lack of stadiums sized for women's football. " In Lyon, for example, you either play at Groupama Stadium and only one side will be full, or you play at the training ground. There's no in-between. In England, the facilities are better : most play in the men's team's stadiums or in a stadium dedicated to the women's team, which isn't a training ground, so with 5,000 to 10,000 seats," explains the coach, pointing to the rich number of stadiums in her host country thanks to the more developed football culture.

"In Reims, we mainly played on the training ground. The crowd was standing in the rain. There was no café, a shed served as a toilet . It limits motivation," admits the former Reims coach. However, it's difficult to imagine building stadiums specifically for women's football teams in France, where the economy is fragile.

"It's more of a cultural problem. In England, we feel that football is something very powerful."

Amandine Miquel, Leicester City coach

to franceinfo: sport

"Which leads me to believe that there isn't necessarily an immediate solution for France, because it goes deeper," says Amandine Miquel, who had hoped to discover the secret of the English women's success and bring it back to France. " Ratio-wise, I don't think there are more resources for the girls here than in France. But since the men's football economy is doing better in England, the amount allocated to the women's sections is higher."

For the French championship, the Euro 2025 represents new hope. Les Bleues have the opportunity to emulate the English and revive the wave of enthusiasm that quickly faded after the quarter-final of the 2019 World Cup held in France. "I have a very strong word for our French team. You are the showcase of our sport and the future of our league. By wearing our colors, you carry the hope of a generation," declared Gaëtane Thiney, a former French international now retired, during the Premier League Trophies presentation at the end of April. The road will require a good result against the Lionesses.