Women’s football takes flight in Poland

Poland was one of Europe’s early adopters of women’s football, with organized teams appearing in the 1920s. Social norms and political changes slowed progress for decades, and the first official women’s match was not played until 1981. Fast forward to 2024, and the national team secured a major victory over Austria to qualify for the 2025 Women’s EURO. While the Orlice (Eaglesses) did not progress beyond the group stage, they delivered strong performances and are currently ranked 24th in the world, led by their captain, Ewa Pajor.

Off the pitch, the Polish Football Association has made steady investments in growing the women’s game, with a strong focus on the talent pipeline and major international events. In 2025, Poland hosted the UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship. This year, it will host the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, and in 2027 the UEFA Women’s Champions League final will be held at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.

I recently spoke with Weronika Możejko, Women’s Football Development Manager at the Polish Football Association. A former player, she has spent the past three years designing and delivering programs to grow women’s football in Poland, working closely with FIFA, UEFA, and other federations. She co-creates legacy programs for major international tournaments and focuses on increasing participation and professionalization of women’s football at every level. Alongside this work, she is a well-known football commentator, contributing to Polsat Sport, Disney+, TVP Sport, and the Łączy nas piłka channel. 

Bonito: How did you first get involved in football? How old were you when you started playing, and what first drew you to the game? What position did you play? How has the women’s football landscape in Poland changed since your playing days?

Weronika: I’ve been interested in football for as long as I can remember. I loved watching matches with my dad. We would often share our thoughts and analyze the games together. I never thought I could start playing myself, because I believed football was something reserved only for boys. But in 2008, I came across the Olympic Games and the U.S. women’s national team. It felt like a completely different world to me. That was the moment when I realized that I also wanted, and could, play football and become like the players I saw on TV.

I lived in a big city, but that didn’t make things any easier, as there were basically no teams open to girls at the time. I would just take a ball and kick it around in front of my home. When I got to high school, I discovered that there were more girls who were interested in football as well. We convinced our physical education teacher to let us play football during classes. At first he was a bit skeptical, but he didn’t stand a chance against a group of completely determined teenage girls.

Eventually, I realized that school wasn’t enough, and I finally found a women’s football club. Getting to training took me around two hours one way, but I didn’t mind at all. It was my dream coming true. I played as a right-back.

I believe women’s football in Poland has changed completely since then. Most importantly, accessibility has improved. There are far more clubs open to girls, fans attend matches, and games are also broadcast on TV. That used to be unthinkable. Top men's clubs now see the potential as well, and girls no longer have to fight so hard just to be noticed and appreciated.

Bonito: You mentioned that, until recently, it was difficult to find current media coverage of women's football in Poland, but now it seems to be everywhere. What do you think has driven this growth in visibility and popularity?

Weronika: For a long time, women's football felt distant, something reserved for the U.S., and therefore completely inaccessible and almost unreal for the average fan. In 2019, the FIFA Women's World Cup in France showed Europe just how much potential there is in women's football. Suddenly, it no longer felt as far away as the U.S. Those images started to feel real and close to us.

Then came the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 in England, with Wembley filled to the brim. Images like this fire the imagination of everyone involved in the sports ecosystem: officials, sponsors and the media. The mindset has changed as well. We are talking more and more about equality and truly understanding what it means, that a girl can pursue her passion by playing football, and that the biggest stadiums in the world can be within her reach.

Reforms in competitions have certainly helped, as well as the arrival of well-known players and clubs previously associated only with men's football, and of course, strong role models like Ewa Pajor. She inspires thousands of girls to follow in her footsteps, and her story is attractive to the media, which now regularly cover her performances.

Bonito: Tell us a bit more about your role as the Women's Football Development Manager at the Polish Football Association. What are some of the priorities you're working toward and what do you find most meaningful about your work?

Weronika: In my work, I focus on delivering programs that support the development of women’s football in Poland. A key reference point is the women’s football strategy, which clearly defines the directions we should follow to ensure that women’s football takes its rightful place. Among participation-driven initiatives, I can point to football festivals for girls, which for the past two years have been travelling across Poland, as well as the UEFA Playmakers program, which introduces the youngest girls to the world of football.

More recently, I coordinated a legacy project linked to the UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship hosted in Poland. As part of this initiative, we introduced football activities for girls in schools across the region and launched the Football Leaders Academy. This is a program in which teenage female footballers work with mentors who empower them, help them develop areas they are passionate about, and show them a dual career pathway. Our goal is for these girls to remain in football even after they finish playing, to continue shaping the sport, because their perspective is invaluable. We aim to provide them with the tools to do so.

I also co-created a legacy project linked to our national team’s participation in the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 in Switzerland. It was an intense initiative, but thanks to it we know that women’s football reached people who had previously not been interested in the sport or not even aware that it existed.

Bonito: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing women's football in Poland, and how is the Association working to address them?

Weronika: We should focus on mass participation. At the moment, we have 35,000 registered female footballers. This represents significant growth compared to, for example, 2013, when our U17 national team won the Euros and there were only around 3,000 registered players. If we want to truly talk about mass participation, these numbers need to be much higher.

Every year, we organize the Tymbark Cup, which is a school-based tournament with both girls’ and boys’ teams. In the most recent edition, the number of girls’ teams increased by as much as 28% compared to the previous year, and girls accounted for 24% of all participants. That is a huge asset.

In addition, we run football festivals for girls, designed as safe spaces where girls with no prior experience can discover football with the support of players and women coaches. The UEFA Playmakers program is also growing year by year. Currently, 60 locations across Poland deliver sessions based on Disney stories, introducing girls to the world of football in a fun and engaging way.

Grant programs supporting clubs at the grassroots level further strengthen the base of the pyramid. All of this translates into steadily increasing numbers. On top of that, we now have sporting success in the form of the senior national team qualifying for the Euros. Young girls see their idols in stadiums and on screens and believe that one day they could stand where those players are today. That belief is an incredibly powerful currency.

Bonito: As a commentator, you have covered major international and European tournaments. Which match has been the most memorable for you, and why?

Weronika: I love working on the Women’s Super League because it clearly shows how women's football can become an outstanding product. Every match with packed stands feels incredible to me. I always pause for a moment, take it all in, and remind myself where it all started and how long the journey to this point has been.

The most important match I've had the chance to commentate on was the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. It was the final of the biggest event in women’s football, the highest possible honor. But I feel the same emotions when I get to commentate on a match involving the Polish national team: goosebumps during the anthem and a huge sense of responsibility to give the occasion the status it deserves and to show fans the beauty of women's football. These are moments you never forget.

Bonito: Looking ahead to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, Poland faces a challenging group that includes France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. How does this present an opportunity for the Orlice to build on their qualification for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025? Where would you ideally like to see women’s football in Poland in 10 years, at both the grassroots and professional levels?

Weronika: It’s a tough group, but I see it as a great opportunity. After qualifying for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, playing teams like France, Ireland and the Netherlands helps our team keep pushing their level higher. These matches are a real benchmark and an important step in our development, while also keeping women's football in Poland visible on the big stage.

Looking 10 years ahead, I'd love women’s football in Poland to be truly mainstream. At the grassroots level, football should be an easy and natural choice for girls everywhere, with clear pathways from school to club football. At the top level, we want a strong domestic league, professional environments and a national team that regularly qualifies for major tournaments.

If we keep building step by step, women’s football in Poland can become a stable, exciting part of the sports landscape.

Bonito: What advice would you give to other young women who dream of playing football or who want to pursue a career in the industry?

Weronika: First of all, believe that there is space for you in football. Whether that's on the pitch, in the boardroom or in the media. Football is no longer one-dimensional, and there are many different paths you can take. Don't let stereotypes or other people's doubts define your limits, and don't think you have to fit into one specific role to belong.

If you’re aiming for a career in the football industry, be curious and open to learning. Take opportunities, even when they push you outside your comfort zone, and don't be afraid of making mistakes. They are part of the process. Build your skills, but also your confidence and your network, because relationships matter in this industry.

Most importantly, stay true to yourself and remember why you fell in love with football in the first place. The game needs more women, more voices and more perspectives. If you stay consistent and believe in your path, there really is a place for you in football.