The problems of women's football must not be ignored, anymore

"Some follow the path, while others blaze the trail." With these words, Laura Giuliani commented on the retirement of Alia Guagni, her long-time teammate with the national team. A few days earlier, during her final match with Como Women, Guagni made this idea a reality by taking to the field in a never-before-seen jersey with her CV printed on the front. Her academic qualifications, experience and palmarès were all displayed in bold lettering in the classic layout of a PDF attached to a job application. This time, however, the recipients were the public, the media and public and private stakeholders in the sector, who were invited to reflect on post-career opportunities in women's football and sport more broadly.

Guagni’s choice, supported by the club, was designed to shine a spotlight—on a day so meaningful for her—on a reality shared by many female footballers: the risk of reaching the end of the line on the pitch only to find no opportunities off it, forced to start over in an environment with few alternatives. And this issue clearly isn’t confined to football, which, in fact, has been the only women’s sport officially recognized as professional in Italy since 2022. Yet thanks to the former Como defender’s gesture—and the platform she has—the debate over the Italian case has received broad international media coverage, including in outlets like the New York Times, ESPN, The Guardian, and Yahoo Sports.

Alia out

The post-retirement horizon isn’t entirely empty for Alia Guagni, who has a strong academic background, motherhood on the horizon, and a well-initiated transition. “I was lucky enough to have a plan,” she explains, “but preparing for the future while playing at the highest level is never easy.” That’s why she chose to speak up—for those without the same opportunities. “I’ve never been someone who seeks attention,” she said, “but sometimes making yourself heard is the only right thing to do, especially when it can help those who come after. We are the trailblazers, hoping for better conditions for the next generations.”

As fate would have it, her last game, against Napoli,was played on Mother’s Day. A coincidence that intertwined with her decision to hang up her boots and become a mother, following long personal and athletic reflections on when the time would be right. And after freezing her eggs. “I knew I wanted to have a child, without knowing when. So, since there are now techniques to preserve fertility, this procedure was recommended to me. In Italy, there’s far too little discussion about it, but I believe it’s something useful for many career women who are at a point where they can’t stop. No one helps you here, so I had to go to Spain.”

The issue of motherhood for female players, says Guagni, “is still a taboo in Italy: since becoming professionals, at least we’re legally protected—no one can fire you for getting pregnant—but it’s still a tough situation. Our lives revolve around the sport, but we don’t earn millions, and raising a child is hard. Unlike what I’ve seen abroad, here you go on away games without your family, you have to pay someone to travel with you, and often the facilities aren’t even equipped for breastfeeding.”

This is not the first time Guagni has denounced the backwardness of the Italian sports system in this area. And hers is a voice worth listening to: she has played for many years at a high level, not only in Italy but also in Spain and the U.S., experiencing different cultural and sporting models. Yet on her farewell day, she didn’t talk about her personal case or motherhood—instead, she focused on a message more in tune with the occasion: professional prospects after retirement.

The CV jersey

That’s how the idea for the résumé jersey was born, designed in collaboration with Como Women, the Mercury/13 group (club owners since 2024), and the creative agency LePub. On the front of the jersey, instead of a sponsor logo, were listed the elements of her CV: academic degrees (a bachelor’s and master’s degree, plus a postgraduate course), languages spoken, achievements (85 caps with the national team, one league title, two Player of the Year awards, and more), and professional experience (Firenze, Pali Blues, Tacoma 253, Fiorentina, Atlético Madrid, Milan, Como).

“A playing career has a natural end,” she said, “and ensuring a beginning after that end should be part of the journey.” We’re talking about a world where the "after" is marked by uncertainty for the vast majority of athletes—both for those who make it that far, perhaps without pursuing a dual career, and for the many discouraged by such bleak prospects, who quit early. “We wanted to highlight the challenges that a female player faces when she stops competing, without the financial means of a male footballer,” Alia adds. “These are two different worlds, we’re not asking for equal pay, we just wanted to spark a reflection on the fact that, after doing this your whole life and supporting yourself like any other worker, you find yourself looking for a new job and having to reinvent yourself with no real experience. It’s a truly difficult moment, both emotionally and financially.”

What matters deeply are the systemic roots of all this, and the barriers they create. In this discussion, it’s common to “reduce everything to a matter of money, but it’s also about opportunities: former male players have doors opened for them that are never even shown to us women, despite us having had a career in the same world, and despite many of us being educated. On TV and beyond, it’s such a broad and varied sector that the opportunities could be many—but how open is it to women? Very little. Just look at how many female coaches, trainers, pundits, or managers there are. There’s still a stereotype that women know nothing about football, but don’t we want to evolve?”

Como Women and Beyond

Como Women has been trying for years to help foster the evolution Guagni is calling for. The Beyond project, launched in 2023 and centered on training and career guidance activities, was created to help players prepare for their futures. Within this framework, various meetings have taken place with guest speakers to discuss the transition from competition to other jobs, including financial literacy; but also identity, mental health, prevention, pregnancy management for athletes, and egg cryopreservation techniques.

The club has also committed to partnering only with sponsors, such as WeAre8, that guarantee employment for former players. And the résumé jersey created with Alia Guagni is “a tangible extension of this commitment,” as stated in the official release: “a wearable manifesto that invites dialogue and opens the door to change. It’s not a protest, but a call for awareness.” And for us spectators, a reminder: every change begins with listening.