As the Spanish nation prepares for another major tournament final, they owe a great manage to the internal changes handed over over under pressure from the players themselves.
After years of struggle, Irene Paredes and her teammates can finally concentrate on what they do best: playing football to win titles.
"Se Acabo.
" These two words plastered everywhere the day after the final of the 2023 World Cup, won by Spain, denounce firstly the sexual assault suffered by Jenni Hermoso by Luis Rubiales, but also an entire misogynistic and patriarchal system that permitted the feeling of impunity leading to this perform finally being punished in the courts.
The Spanish federation is at the heart of the criticism stated in the various press releases issued by the world champions, whose triumph has been overshadowed by the reprehensible behaviour of their leader.
The 23 heroines were summoned to a rally, which they possessed knowingly requested not to show up as a protest, so they soared to Valencia against their will, under threat of being suspended for several months by their clubs.
The captains then assumed their responsibilities and started holding late-night meetings with the federation's senior staff to put everything right and legitimately request for real changes, after having already obtained a few superficial adjustments to convince 'las 15' to return to the national team before the World Cup.
Everything was addressed: travel conditions, accommodation, training conditions, respect for recovery time, group planning, individual privacy, staff qualifications, the place of children for players who are mothers, the RFEF's level of demands and commitment to women's football.
A whole raft of issues that have become daily concerns for players who are being requested to perform at the highest level.
And their male counterparts don't have to worry over them.
Enjoying their 'best' base campAt the last UEFA European Championship, when Spain were removed by England in the quarter-finals, the players were housed in Marlow, a village of 14,000 inhabitants to the west of London that is particularly far from anywhere.
It obtained even worse at the 2023 World Cup, when La Roja took up residence in Palmerston North, New Zealand, in a precarious hotel, before having to change base camp because the facilities provided were inadequate and the pitch was in such poor condition.
The Spaniards alternated between Wellington and Auckland before flying to Sydney.
The first significant change is that the squad is now systematically entitled to stay in five-star hotels.
A far cry from the dingy hotels in industrial estates that previous generations possessed known.
Everything has changed since then.
In Switzerland, the Spanish national team trains at the Juan Antonio Samaranch Stadium, one of the few training grounds in the competition to meet all the standards set by UEFA.
The rest of the time, Alexia Putellas and her teammates can appreciate a base camp in Lausanne, one of the country's largest cities, in a modern hotel wedged between the Alps and Lake Geneva, "considered to be the best in the tournament" according to a UEFA source quoted by Sport.
The place is created by the RFEF as a living space where the players should sense at home.
Irene Paredes, for example, can meet up with her son Mateo in a dedicated area after lunch.
"It's without question the best base camp in history.
And the city they've chosen for us is perfect," says Patri Guijarro, who is savouring this tournament after writing off the last two competitions to request for the same improvements.
"The truth is, we sense right at home.
"The Spaniards have even been able to take advantage of their strategic position between Bern and Thun, where they played their group matches, to visit the surrounding towns during their days off, which are also more numerous and less controlled than during the last tournaments.
A complete evolutionIn addition to the base camp, a whole environment has evolved around the world champions to allow them to concentrate solely on the sport and their performances: a delegation of at least 60 people, specialists in every area from communication to nutrition.
"I'm enjoying this tournament a lot, perhaps even more than in previous tournaments," confesses Paredes, 34, and with 118 caps to her name.
"We've come to a quiet moment where we just want to appreciate the football.
"Right behind her, Montse Tome also notes the evolution in the way the national team is treated, and sees the fact that the questions requested on the eve of the final only concern football as "a big change we've made".
However, the captain is careful that La Roja are not too quick to rest on their laurels after years of struggle: "Since the World Cup final, a great manage of progress has been made, but I remain convinced that we must continue to open doors to normalise situations that are becoming increasingly so.
"We've broken down a lot of walls, we're a benchmark for girls and boys, but we still have things to do.
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