Layhoon Chan: “Valencia CF want to be protagonists in change”

Mestalla hosted a special event on the morning of Monday, May 9^th, as the ‘Women and Football’ conference took place in the stadium’s VIP box. An initiative set up by Valencia CF and UN Women in their highly successful collaboration, the conference formed part of the International Workshop titled ‘Gender Equality through Football’, in which training techniques are taught to humanitarian professionals around the world.

The event was attended by Layhoon Chan, Chairwoman of Valencia CF, Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga, Dagmar Schumacher, Director of UN Women in their Brussels office, VCF Femenino captain Ivana Andrés and VCF Femenino coach, Cristian Toro. The roundtable discussion was moderated by Valencia CF’s Director of Communications and External Relations, Damiá Vidagany.

Layhoon Chan is currently the only female in a presidential position in the Spanish Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP), the first woman in charge of Valencia CF in their almost 100-year history, and also the only Chairwoman amongst clubs in the UEFA Top 20 ranking.

“We have shown that at Valencia CF we want to change the game and promote gender equality. That is why we want to be protagonists in this change,” said Ms. Chan. “All that we have done is a result of everybody’s work: La Liga, Valencia CF and the Valencian region in general. We are very proud of the work that we have done, but we want more. “What has been made clear is that Valencia CF are a progressive club. We have 200 women and 13 women’s teams at our academy.”

The VCF Chairwoman expressed her total support for women’s football, and praised the work done in this area at Valencia CF. “I am very proud of our female players. To them I say this: You are doing a fantastic job, and you are also paving the way for many other women. For next season, we are going to try to give priority to VCF Femenino, so that the women’s first team play at the Antonio Puchades (the main stadium at the Ciudad Deportiva). I am doing everything possible to take the team to a professional level. We have to take into account that this stadium has a lot of activity going on with the rest of the teams, and we are always trying to make everything fit together in the best way possible.”

Layhoon Chan also announced that there will be more economic investment in the women’s team next season, and thanked those at VCF Femenino for their daily work.

LaLiga President Javier Tebas began his speech with an apology, saying that “The first thing that we in charge of football should do is apologise to all those women who have wanted to play football over the years, and for whom we were unable to  facilitate this. It is not enough to just talk, and at La Liga we want to help with actions. There are three important strategies: The sporting side, the management side and the fans. All three are very important and intertwined.”

Tebas explained that when he joined LaLiga, there was no woman in a director’s position, but now there are five women amongst the twelve directors. He said that he has also pushed hard for women’s football with the dedication of more resources and a better structure for the competition.

“Next season we are set to invest 4 million euros and have national television coverage, which will show two games per weekend on free-to-air TV. There is a market in which the fans of football are women. It is a spectacle to be shared, and I believe that in 4 or 5 seasons we will see women’s football as a professional sport in every sense.”

UN Women’s Dragmar Schumacher explained the motives behind Monday’s event, and said that she is a fan of Valencia CF both on and off the field.

“The most important thing –and Valencia CF are examples of how to do this- is to fight against stereotypes. These types of campaigns are very powerful, because they reach everyone. There are still steps forward to be taken, as a third of women in the world still suffer domestic violence, and Valencia CF are dedicated to sending out this message of equality and respect for women.”

Ivana Andrés and Cristian Toro argued for the necessity of professionalisation, as well as expressing thanks for the initiatives of Valencia CF and UN Women.

Andrés spoke about her optimism for the future of women’s football: “Both at our club and in La Liga, there is a commitment to improving the situation. There is work being done and a very nice project in place that excites us. I think that we need this push in Spain and we need the support to be top level professionals,” she said.

“I want girls to be able to make their dreams come true, like I have done. There are still many girls who stop playing because their families look down on football. There is still prejudice, but thanks to a change in society we see more women playing football all the time. It is seen as normal, but there is still a long way to go.”

Cristian Toro, who has coached VCF Femenino since 2011, commented that “We have seen a great evolution in recent years. In terms of our club, the chairwoman has made us feel very important and is close to us, and I think that we need to continue growing in order to make this competition great.”

The coach, who prefers to avoid comparisons between men and women’s football, told those in attendance that “We are fortunate to be in a moment of change. There are more people interested in women’s football all the time, although there is still work to be done in order to achieve a professional level for the sport. We are still taking 14-hour bus trips, training at 10:30pm and combining football with jobs or study –but I think we are on the right track,” he concluded.

Following the conference there was a roundtable discussion, in which professionalisation was top of the agenda. The initiative was a resounding success –the latest in the collaboration between Valencia CF and UN Women.