if something is popular/more promoted/etc then people who might be naturally good at it in the first place are more likely to actually try it, and people who try it and realize they are good are more likely to view it as something viable to actual dedicate their lives too. this is more the case for women's soccer than the rest of the world, but less the case for men's soccer than most of the rest of the world. 'selection' is a common term for this, how people end up doing certain things.