Women's soccer is not a fad, it is a reality. The exponential growth of the women's section also in the Donosti Cup
Since years ago, a great work is being done to give more visibility and repercussion to women's soccer. In the Donosti Cup, women's teams entered in 1994, and in this next edition we will have 170 teams, undoubtedly a great step forward.
In recent years, women's soccer has experienced exponential growth, from the lowest categories and ages to the highest elite. All the tournaments, companies, etc. that promote women's soccer are part of this growth and, just as many boys want to look like Messi, many girls imitate and want to be like Alexia Putellas. Within this - no longer so - select group, of course, is the Donosti Cup, a tournament that fights for equality in an ideal place like Donostia and Gipuzkoa.
Going back in time, the Donosti Cup was inaugurated in 1992, but women's teams did not participate until two years later, 1994. In this 31st edition of the Donosti Cup, we will have around 13,000 players, of which more than 10,000 will be male. Despite this, the Donosti Cup continues to take steps forward in women's soccer, as in the 2022 edition we had 140 women's teams while this year we will have 170. A total of 865 teams from all continents and 22 different countries have registered, an absolute record for the tournament. Most of them are teams from the Basque Country and Spain, although we will also have, as usual, many teams from countries such as the United States, France or Japan.
Among so many teams of different gender, ethnicity and culture, we want to highlight the progress of the women's section. Fortunately, both in women's soccer and in society, steps continue to be taken towards gender equality, although we are all aware that there is still a long way to go. As for the Donosti Cup, thanks to the constant growth of the women's section, this year we will be visited by renowned clubs such as SL Benfica, Sporting Lisbon or Madrid Club de Fútbol, a team of the Liga F. In addition to those mentioned, we will also have very good and historic local teams, such as Añorga, Antiguoko, Hernani, Oiartzun, Tolosa and many others.
On the other hand, this year we will have six categories in the women's Donosti Cup, four of which are eleven-a-side soccer: G25, G19, G17, G14, G12 and G10. In addition, as far as the Champions League is concerned, four of the six finals will be played at the Reale Arena, achieving greater visibility and repercussion, undoubtedly, very good news for all soccer lovers.
