UEFA unveiled a new anthem and logo for the Women's Champions League on Monday for the start of the 2021-22 season. The news comes a day removed from Barcelona's emphatic 4-0 win over Chelsea to capture their first-ever UWCL title. It is also the latest in advancements to the tournament with the addition of a group stage and the quadrupling of prize money that was announced recently.
🗣“This new anthem represents the beginning of something new, the new UEFA Women’s Champions League. It’s also representative of the growth of an entire sport.” @NaddelKe
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL) May 17, 2021
🎶 Introducing the new official #UWCL anthem! Take a unique look behind the scenes of its creation.
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"I really hope the players love it and they can feel and see that this anthem has been designed with the help of players for players. We really had one goal in mind, which is to make them feel invincible when they go out in that very special moment when they play the most important games in their career," UEFA's chief of women's football Nadine Kessler said in the release.
Time for action
The introduction of a new anthem and branding is just the latest stage of a reconstruct in European women's football. The latest additions go in line with UEFA's Time for Action strategy, a five-year strategic framework with the aim of supporting, guiding and lifting both women's football and the position of women in football across Europe. The timeline aspires to double the reach and value of UEFA flagship women's competitions by 2024.
The UEFA women's football strategy aims to reach the following goals by 2024:
- Double the number of women and girls playing football in UEFA's member associations to 2.5 million
- Change the perceptions of women's football across Europe
- Double the reach and value of the UEFA Women's EURO and the UEFA Women's Champions League
- Improve player standards by reaching standard agreements for national team players and putting safeguarding policies in place in all 55 member associations
- Double female representation on all UEFA bodies
The time is now
The anthem follows the same principles as the UEFA Men's Champions League anthem, which is sung in UEFA's three official languages -- English, French and German by the Groot Omroepkoor (Dutch Broadcasting Choir). An extract from the final verse can be found below and empathizes the pride and honor the players will feel, when they step onto the pitch before an important European club encounter. It will be played before kick-off, as the players line-up. Take a look at the lyrics below:
