It's not foolish to ask the question. Equality of access to the sport of football is not a finance issue, it's a gender equality issue.
Female children/youths should have equal opportunity to access the sport, equal opportunity to develop their football skills as the males have and their teams receive same funding as the male counterparts. That means clubs provide same quality of facilities and coaching to females as males. The reason why the Scandi countries are strong in women's football is this gender equality of opportunity in sport is mandatory since early 1970s. While the Norway and Sweden men's teams have won zilch, their women's teams have won everything at least once. Women occupy places on the various leading Scandi FA committees, they hold positions as high as vice presidents and general managers.
The professional game is another matter and of course the economies of scales there depend on non gender related factors and equality there is not on the agenda. But once you accept the gender equality of opportunity argument, then it's beyond debate that the Irish ladies be treated with the same respect as the males, re coaching, facilities, gear and financial remuneration re match fee..
In Norway the male handball team is in the top 4 in Europe but it's the women's team that's the more successful and the more popular.
A little known fact in the history of football is that in 1920 the English FA banned women's football teams from using their pitches (a ban that lasted until 1970), because its popularity threatened the male game.
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