International Women's Day 2025: The unmistakable and continuing progression of the women's game

Oliver Walker-Peel (@olliewalkerpeel)

Last weekend, International Women's Day was celebrated around the globe, and from a women's Cerebral Palsy Football perspective, there is much to be excited about.

Following the 2024 Women's World Cup in November, which fans worldwide watched in their thousands, the future is undeniably promising for players and fans alike.

For Australia star Georgia Beikoff, who was part of the ParaMatildas team that triumphed at that tournament, there is hope for the future of the sport, particularly given the new teams making strides on the biggest stage.

"I'm really excited to see where CP Football will go for females," Beikoff said.

"It has only been three years and we are seeing lots of other teams pop up, like the Irish.

"Last year, they were only a team for a few months and they came third. Most of us girls on the 'ParaTillies' were saying, 'That was us three years ago, imagine what they are going to be like next year.'

"It is really exciting that we are growing, and it means the competition is going to be greater as well, which is really cool."

Ireland captain Heather Jameson has helped spearhead her national team's performance, powering the country to third in its first competitive international tournament.

Aisling Conway's team overcame Japan 6-1 in the bronze medal match, with Jameson scoring a brace, but her advocacy and leadership off the pitch might be just as important as her involvement on it.

Playing a crucial role in forming the program, the rest of the squad has joined her in making history on it, something the Garristown local is grateful for.

"It was always on my radar, something I wanted to set up," Jameson recalled.

"Once the women's game came around, I said, 'Look we really, really have to be a part of it', but it was always a part of the conversation.

"The girls, I am so immensely proud of them and the team for what we have accomplished in such a short space of time."

While Beikoff and Jameson have grabbed the headlines for their exploits as players, many women at the highest level of CP Football are excelling in other capacities.

Tricia Taliaferro's name will forever live in the record books, becoming the first coach to lift the IFCPF Women's World Cup trophy in 2022.

Her USA team defeated Australia 4-2 in that year's final, a crowning moment for someone involved in the women's game right from the start.

Making it to the deciding game again two years later but ultimately falling short, Taliaferro noted the development of other nations at last year's tournament, with an expectation that it will continue.

"The most noticeable thing that I noticed in the last World Cup is teams are now more tactical," Taliaferro started.

"It's not just a physical, who has got the best athlete, it is tactical awareness, how are you approaching the game, what is the game plan?

"I would expect that to continue as the game grows."

Margaret Domka was no stranger to refereeing games at the highest level even before her involvement with IFCPF, taking her successes in the 11-a-side game to the smaller pitches.

Domka was selected as the only American official at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, joining IFCPF three years later in 2018.

Like many referees, Domka has officiated at the highest level of the men's and women's games since then, a position she hopes more women will take up in the future.

"Coming from the referee's side, one of the things I'd love to see is more of our really elite-level referees from around the world getting involved with the sport as well.

"We know that we have got a number of male referees on the international level who are serving in their own country's professional leagues, who have been FIFA referees.

"I would love to see more female referees coming into this and embracing it also."

Whether as players or otherwise, there are so many women in our game making an incredible impact, and with so many ways for the next generation to make their mark and be inspired, there is no chance of that stopping any time soon.

With August's IFCPF Women's Intercontinental Cup the next stop for our athletes to shine, the next chance to see those on the field is only months away. If you have yet to become acquainted with the women's game, there is a perfect opportunity to do so on the horizon.