Abstract:

The traditional media in Poland rarely provide information on the results of women's football matches or even a brief summary of the national team and the top women's football league in Poland. So far, only a limited number of major intenrational matches has been shown by a private, paid station that offers limited access. The exception was the broadcast of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, where the most interesting dynamics of women’s football were delivered to the home of many Polish fans by a private TV channel. Nevertheless, media coverage of women's football reamins marginalized. After an initial analysis of information pertaining to women’s football across traditional media platforms, the cuurent study employs a netnographic method to scrutinize the usage of online media coverage by examning new emerging online communication channels. It was clear to the authors that all reporting on women’s football had been pushed into the realm of new media as it has become a secondary venue that expresses opposition to male dominance in the realm of football. This article examines Internet and social media coverege of the women’s football in Poland. Specifically, it aims to provide an answer to various dimensions that shape media usage in women’s football, which include types of information/contents available on internet, the linkage beween women’s football and new media, and sociocultural dynamics within women’s football that reflect the hegemonic culture of masculinity and their implications. In order to do so, a netnographic approach was utilized to identify themes that accurately portray the interplay between women’s football and the use of new media and how it shapes dominant themes that define women’s football in contemporary Poland. This study exposes the truth about the development of football in Poland. On the one hand, strategies are being created by federations and clubs for the coming years to promote the sport, while on the other hand, behaviour is emerging that shows the glaring disproportions between men's and women's football.