Being a female soccer player and trying to play professionally in France: Conditions for the emergence and development of a fragile status

This second special issue comprises four articles on the major stages in the development of soccer by and for women in France and abroad in order to understand its changes. Indeed, the development of soccer by and for women has moved away from the medical and moralistic discourses that denounced it as a dangerous and unsuitable sport. Currently, the challenge is to explore the role of national and international institutions in supporting the conditions of practice and the development of women’s practice (institutionalization process), especially at the highest level through a process that may be described as professionalization. Despite the professionalization of the D1 Arkema and its restructuring in the 2023–2024 season, there is still much work to be done to bridge the gap opened up by France’s European competitors (England, Spain). The challenge is to identify the modalities of this professionalization under construction between the costs/ benefits for women soccer players, as well as the direct and significant repercussions on the production of sports performances and their symbolic recognition as sportswomen.