The country’s vice-champion was confused by a question she heard during her job search: I did not hide the fact that I actively play football

The girl became fascinated with football during the 2010 World Cup, and from the fall of that year, her daughter’s parents had to look for a girls’ football club.

Since 2013, L. Ruzgutė has been a member of MFA “Žalgiris” and she has been noticing positive changes in the context of women’s football for more than a decade.

“Not as fast as we would like, but there are positive changes. Of course, we still have room to improve compared to trends in other countries, there are problems that need to be solved.

But we can be happy that those conditions have changed since 2013. I remember the first training sessions, there were very few girls’ groups, in one group both very young and the oldest students of the academy played.

Now we have teams of all age groups, coaches who work with girls of different ages. This is true not only in ours, but also in other clubs. This means that more and more girls are playing football, which has a positive impact on the national team.

Over the course of a decade, the infrastructure, the quality of training, its quantity, the financing of clubs and the opportunities to invite Legionnaires have changed. But I think that those stereotypes accompanying women’s football will still haunt a certain part of society.

A decade ago, parents really didn’t want to let their daughters play football, because their legs would turn out, so it’s better for a girl to sing or dance. Now I believe and see that parents are more open and prefer to let their girls play football. The problem lies not in the children, but in the attitude of the parents, they need to change and we see positive things”, observes L. Ruzgutė.

The decisions of the federation also issue changes.

“I remember we used to get 43 euros for being called up to the national team. For example, if you travel from Gargžda, that payment was not enough for the travel expenses.

Now the situation has changed and the members of the national team have better conditions and greater motivation to come to the national team, I mean that there is also a bonus system for the results”, said L. Ruzgutė, who has worn the national team shirt many times.

“But there is a long way to that equality. I have many questions about why the women’s national team cannot play at the Darius and Girėnas stadium. After all, they also represent Lithuania, defend the country’s honor in international competitions. Yes, I understand there is another interest, viewership metrics.

But these are tournaments of the same weight, selections for the world and European championships. If we look at the ranking, the women’s team (FIFA-103) is higher than the men’s team (138). I don’t know why women can’t play in Kaunas, but I hope that the situation will change”, said L. Ruzgutė.

Now she combines football with work in an international group of pharmaceutical companies.

“We are fighting back against such a problem that a football player in Lithuania cannot make a living from sports activities. You have to combine that with work, the younger ones combine football with studies. A new stage of choice, when you graduate and you have to weigh what to do next, are there any opportunities to continue playing the football you love?

It’s good that joining the team opened up opportunities to get free studies and free housing. This makes it easier to make a decision and allows you to continue your career,” said L. Ruzgutė.

The next stage, according to her, comes after graduating from university.

“At that time, girls have to combine sports with professional activities. Not everyone can do it. I believe that everything is possible and if you really want to, you can match it. Of course, it depends on the nature of the work.

I think many employers should be happy that they have active employees who can play and promote the name of Lithuania in international competitions, represent the national team”, said L. Ruzgutė.

According to her, there is no shortage of challenges when combining work and football.

“After a working day, I rush to training with two backpacks. On the weekends, matches await, where only sports remain in the plans.

If it’s an away match, then the whole day is spent with the team and you return home late in the evening. Before the match, there is also an appropriate routine, pre-match training, rest. It takes a lot of personal time.

Well, somehow women have the desire and dedication to combine football and work”, smiles L. Ruzgutė.

While looking for a job, she encountered a strange attitude from employers when she mentioned in job interviews that she was an active player in the Women’s A League.

“I can tell an interesting story that reflects the public’s attitude towards women’s football. I’m only in my first few weeks at my current job and I’ve been on about 20 interviews prior to my job search…

• 0:44 min. start of the season, trip to Šiauliai and competition with “Gintra”
• 5:55 min. Newcomers and legionnaires of “Zalgiris”-MRU
• 7:10 min. a victory the captain is not proud of
• 9:10 min. can the legionnaires playing in Lithuania be called professionals?
• 11:23 min. what was the situation a decade ago and how has women’s football changed today?
• 18:23 min. how do you balance football and your professional career?
• 24:25 min. national team camps and life, how to balance?
• 29:00 min. is the women’s national team unwanted at the Darius i Girėnas stadium?
• 30:30 min. The Baltic League and the situation of women’s football in Latvia and Estonia?
• 32:20 min. Lithuanians vs Legionnaires
• 34:40 min. women’s football and wages
• 36:10 min. the dream is to become a champion
• 41:10 min. women’s national team and European Championship selection