Women's club teams on FIFA 23 help to 'normalise' women's football

Karen Carney has emphasised the importance of women's club sides being included in FIFA for the first time, explaining their addition helps to 'normalise' women's football.

Women's national sides debuted in the video game in FIFA 16, and the WSL and Division 1 Féminine have become the first women's domestic leagues to be included in the newly released FIFA 23.

EA Sports revealed on Tuesday that a new multi-year sponsorship deal had also been agreed with the Women's Champions League, which will see the competition added to FIFA 23 early next year.

"It normalises everything," Carney told 90min, speaking at the Women's Football Summit, presented by EA Sports. "Because if you're at home with your brother or your sister and you're playing it, it just normalises everything in sport. We've changed perceptions, but I think this is another one.

"The educational piece around it is cool. It's not just for women or young girls involved - it's for young boys, everyone involved can see what the players are about, their strengths and weaknesses and I think that's awesome. It now looks as it as just football - not men's or women's football."

Carney was part of the England team when the women's squad was first included in FIFA 16 ("I would not pick myself!") and has witnessed an assortment of on and off the field milestones that have contributed to the growth of the game in the UK; from Team GB earning mainstream attention at London 2012 and England's bronze medal at the 2015 World Cup, to the Lionesses securing central contracts for the first time in 2009 and the landmark WSL broadcast deal in 2020.

Carney admitted that popular culture milestones, such as the addition of women's domestic leagues in FIFA 23, are similarly crucial to the game's growth.

"It's massive because some people don't know about women's football as such and that's okay and that's the journey that it's on," the former England midfielder added. "But what the game does is bring it into people's homes. 10 million people are playing it in the opening week, and it's huge. It is a big milestone for Sam Kerr to be on the front cover; it's really special for her and for the sport."

Kerr appears on the FIFA cover alongside Kylian Mbappe, becoming the first women's footballer to appear on a global cover of the game - Alex Morgan and Steph Catley both appeared on the front of US and Australian editions of FIFA 16 when women's national teams were first added to the game.

EA Sports have also announced an $11m investment - the ‘Starting XI Fund’ - incorporating 'in-game, league, club and athlete investments to continue elevating the women’s game'.

Kerr believes that the ability for women's football to carve out a niche as its own game has been driven by the rapid rise in quality - and this has been key to its ever increasing marketability.

"The quality has jumped up so much. If you look back to last year and the level that female athletes were working at, it's incredible," the Chelsea striker said, speaking at EA Sports Women's Football Summit. "The training I used to do [compared] to what I do now is night and day. We have transformed into top professionals. It makes the game so marketable right now.

"There are so many of these top athletes too. It's not one or two like it perhaps used to be in America. There are so many top female athletes and top leagues which is incredible to see."

Karen Carney was speaking at the Women’s Football Summit, presented by EA Sports. FIFA 23, is available worldwide on all platforms now.