Women’s Lia Walti won Super League with Arsenal and he is the captain Switzerlandcollected almost 100 top international covers.
The name of the 29-year-old player has been revealed. PFA Team of the Year After joining Gunners from Turbine Potsdam just one year ago in 2018-19 Continental Cup Win against Chelsea on Sunday.
To celebrate International Women’s Day here with the PA news agency, she wrote a letter to her childhood self about how the world has changed for women.
Dear young me,
From generation to generation, women were not allowed to play sports.
They were mocked, humiliated and not considered athletes.
When I was younger, in football tournaments, your team was always one goal ahead before the game started – because they kept you as a girl on the team.
In some tournaments, your goals were doubled because you were a girl.
The only way to hone your skills was to play on boys’ teams because there were hardly any opportunities for girls.
Women were first allowed to play football in Switzerland in 1970.
So if I told you what my life looks like today – 50 years from now – you probably wouldn’t believe me.
Today, my team and I played a Women’s Super League match in front of 50,000 spectators.
Today we are traveling around Europe for Champions League matches.
Today, our friends and family can watch our games on TV.
More people watch the Women’s Euro final in Germany today than the Men’s World Cup final.
Today, I can earn my living from my passion.
Today I don’t have to spend my savings to live the football life.
There are female idols today.
Playing football today is a career for men as well as for women.
Today, playing in big clubs is no longer a utopia, it has become a reality.
Today, I’m living the dream you dare not even dream of.
Today I dare to dream because dreams like this can come true.
Today we stand on the shoulders of women who dared to dream long ago.
It’s still not perfect, we need more, we have new dreams.
I dream of a world where everyone can do the sport they love.
A world where sport provides places of connection rather than exclusion and discrimination.
A world where everyone has their idol and feels represented.
A world where our gender doesn’t stop anyone from doing what they want.
Therefore, we must dare to keep dreaming because we are not there yet.
Love, Lia.