The rise of Women's Football in recent years has been astronomical and that continued upward curve has finally been noticed.
Now, with EA Sports FC 24 set to implement Women's Football like never before, and Football Manager pledging its integration in 2024, gaming is finally catching on.
Punching in an environment where some consider it to be the "men's game", finally seeing recognition in all corners can only provide positive signs for the future.
Whilst the end goal is far from reached, representing the Women's game on our consoles could be a major step in changing attitudes and turning heads.
The Power of Gaming
We've all had that one player who became a legend for no reason other than their ability to score a boatload of goals on our consoles.
Whether it be in FIFA or Football Manager, unearthing new legends and household names has been a consistent part of any game.
Some players remain infamous in the world of football simply for their ability to delight in gaming. The likes of Victor Ibarbo, Alex Pato and Stephan El Shaarawy all had exceptional careers but their legacy is heightened by the FIFA cards that made them so dangerous.
That's why implementing women's football into gaming is so important.
It's not, and should never be, a matter of ticking a box to appear as if you're doing the right thing. It should, however, be about providing the next generation with a new wave of legends.
A lot of players that log onto EA Sports FC 24 for the first time will not know 90% of the female players that appear in their team.
However, over time, those players might start scoring goals and very quickly those names and faces become recognisable.
Attitudes and prejudices only change by weeding them out at the root and with many young people loading up FIFA or Football Manager, the impact of greater representation could be felt for years to come.
Fighting Prejudice
It's important to preface this section with the fact that I am a man writing this article and I'm aware that I have never, and will never, fully understand or appreciate the everyday battles that women face in order to be acknowledged in a fair and equal environment.
I am, however, involved in the women's game in both a voluntary and professional capacity and I have seen the impact of its rise first-hand.
Football is a sport we all love and everyone deserves the chance to play it and experience it.
For far too long, women were exiled from the game and that decision, rooted in bigotry, set us back a long way.
Whilst implementing realistic 3D models of women's players into our games won't stop inequality, it can go a long way to change the attitudes of those young boys and girls who will go on to shape the world in years to come.
I remember looking at FIFA covers of the past and aspiring to be like Rooney, with the Total 90s, sensational goal-scoring record and relentless never-say-die attitude.
Why should that feeling be taken away from young girls? Simply, it shouldn't.
We all need heroes. Whether sporting or personal, having people to look up to provides us with a form of subconscious motivation that cannot be defined.
Players like Chloe Kelly, Sam Kerr and Megan Rapinoe are heroes to the next generation of players and they should absolutely be given a platform to shine in both gaming and real life.
This isn't about storming the castle and upsetting the apple cart, this is about showcasing women's football in the same light; providing aspirational figures and inspirational targets for anyone and everyone that picks up a controller.
Representation
Sports Interactive, the developer behind the popular Football Manager series, recently released a blog detailing their steps to integrate women's football into the franchise.
For some time, there has been a push for women's football to be added to FM but nothing had yet come to fruition.
Now, for the release of Football Manager 2025, SI has promised a deep and thorough integration of the game, likely including a full database of stars as seen in the current version.
EA Sports FC 24, the start of the brand new football gaming series from EA, promised to integrate women's football like never before.
As mentioned above, women's players are set to be integrated into the popular Ultimate Team mode and a wide spread of teams, leagues and players are set to be included throughout the game itself.
Pioneers and icons of the women's game, such as Alex Scott, are also set to be included for the first time, acknowledging the past as well as the present.
All of this is a major step forward. The divide between the men's and women's game is narrowing with every passing day and attitudes will start to change once we look at the game of football as one united front, rather than a sea of multiple divisions.
These gestures may seem empty or cynically performative, but they can lead to genuine change and a wider impact is far more important than any short-term point scoring.
The Next Generation
The world is fuelled by what comes next and football is no different.
After Pele and Maradona came Ronaldo and Henry, after Ronaldo and Henry came Messi and Ronaldo and after Messi and Ronaldo came Haaland and Mbappe.
The point is, there is always a future lineage of stars waiting to take the throne and a lot of that next generation is experiencing the beautiful game through their consoles and TVs.
For too long, that has been restricted to simply understanding and appreciating the men's game.
My knowledge of leagues, players and even national flags has come almost exclusively through sinking hours of my life into FM and FIFA and that's the sort of impact this wider representation can have for the women's game.
I have no doubt that a stronger implementation will see people understand further and appreciate more the teams, leagues and stars that shape women's football.
Whilst you will always have those that are resistant to change, you will also have plenty that are willing to learn.
Football is a game that should be accessible and available to all. From our pitches to our consoles, it's vital that we all welcome in this new era and empower the continued growth of women's football.