For football fans, EA Sports’ FIFA cover reveal has become a tradition, with the honour usually going to the most prominent or iconic players at the time. On Friday, FIFA confirmed that Chelsea Women’s Sam Kerr and French superstar Kylian Mbappé would be on the cover of FIFA 23.
Having Sam Kerr on the cover of FIFA 23 is a monumental achievement not only for women in sport, but also for female representation in the gaming space. It represents a shift in how the digital sports world views female athletes and is a significant step towards greater inclusivity for women in the video game realm.
It will be the first game in the series to feature both women’s club football and the Women’s World Cup. The game will include the Barclays Women’s Super League of England and the Division 1 of France.
The inclusion of female football players in these games is very important to me. Let me explain why. I grew up with a brother and developed an interest in sports, but as a girl, I always felt out of place in that world.
I used to play football almost every day, and while I felt more connected to the game, the professional world of football convinced me otherwise.
I remember the day when FIFA 16 announced that it would include female football players and that is when my journey of looking up to female football players started. It even left me wanting to take control of my favourite female players and play as them but to my disappointment, the game didn’t turn out to be what I expected.
Their face designs were of poor quality, and there weren’t nearly enough women included. Consequently, although my immediate feeling was one of excitement, the truth of this representation left me with an unfavourable impression.
The belief that this was the start of something, and that moving forward, female players will be afforded the same opportunities as their male counterparts, kept me going, though. Six years later, as women’s football has flourished, FIFA has finally chosen to include two women’s leagues, and the world is beginning to recognise the incredible skill that women in sports possess.
Sam Kerr, a popular Australian, will appear on the cover of FIFA 23’s Ultimate and Standard Editions. It has recently been confirmed that she will take centre stage for the Standard Edition in Australia as well, even though the first release only hinted that she would be on the Ultimate Edition.
For a little girl who has waited far too long for this, it is encouraging to see that initiatives are now being taken to recognise the contributions of women in sports. In the future, this will not only serve as motivation for spectators and young players but also for the LGBTQ+ community – and the present professional football players. The way people are perceived in the world of athletics is gradually changing, which gives female athletes more courage to take the spotlight.
Ten years ago, the concept of a female athlete being featured on the cover of a major sporting video game would have been ridiculed. By stating that they have no interest in seeing women included in games like FIFA, NBA, and others, some members of the gaming community still promote sexist and misogynist attitudes.
Less than one-third of all gamers worldwide, or 346 million female gamers, were from Asia three years ago. Women in the US were found to make up roughly 41% of gamers. In Asia, the number of female gamers is increasing more quickly than the number of male gamers. The number of female gamers in Asia increased by 18.8% in 2019 and was anticipated to increase by 14.8% in 2020, exceeding the estimated 7.8% growth of all gamers by a substantial margin.
The downsides of this remain, though. According to what I currently know, FIFA 23 will only have offline Kick Off and Tournament modes for women’s games. Although there isn’t a true online option, you can play these games online with friends. The fact that there are just two leagues is another disadvantage. The game’s Career Mode is extensive, so fans won’t be able to enjoy it with only two leagues included. Every single female football fan will be disappointed by this. Fans won’t be able to play FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team), and some of your favourite players from other leagues would probably not be there. However, there is optimism that it will be engaging given the revelation that the Women’s World cup will be included.
While the fans wait for FIFA to release their updates and trailers, there is optimism growing among female football fans, and concerns are being raised over whether or not they will be able to play FUT or Career Mode. While this is a significant step in the right direction, I hope that further efforts are made to advance women’s digital sports because this might be the beginning of something truly spectacular.
Image Credits: EA Sports/Twitter
