I was in a pub full of male football fans...

[PurpleSteak]

When the England women scored yesterday.

I was in the crowded pub at a ground before our local side's game. The roar that went up when the women scored was loud , completely comparable to if the male national squad had taken the lead.

Times are changing. Not long ago I doubt it would even have been on, they certainly wouldn't have been giving it much attention.

It does make me really happy to see women's football being seen as a big national event, even though I don't watch or give a toss about any sports. But it is a meaningful step forward that it has become an event in its own right; it further gives the message to girls that they can be the Main Character in life as well, something too little demonstrated historically.

Yea my 20 year old son is well into the woman's game this year too. Don't recall him mentioning it much before but definitely taken an interest this season.

Winning is exciting

DS went to local League one football match yesterday, went early so could watch the England game in the bar at the stadium, he said the bar was pretty busy and a nice loud roar when they scored and won

And DS follows a different national team when it comes to the men's game, so nice to see him cheer on the English side

Football was always a working-class game. The tickets SHOULD be free or discounted and the games SHOULD be on free to air broadcasting channels. The men's game is far too over hyped and the tickets are far too expensive for ordinary people. What exactly about the women's game isn't "real" football? Or are you implying the men are better because they have a strength advantage? Wouldn't that be true of every sport then?

DS and DH went to a ladies Euros match (unfortunately not a Lionesses one) and they said the atmosphere was great, so much more family friendly and it was great that the tickets were affordable

The Aussies won the netball.
It’s up to you lionesses.
For fucks sake give us something to celebrate.

I don't follow football but do see clips on BBC news sites and similar and read the comments sometimes. There are always utter wazzocks saying it isn't real football and it's just place holding until the menz are back and doing it properly.

Meanwhile, DD slept over with her best friends on Friday night. She and 5 16yr old boys got up and watched a match and DD - not a footie fan - said it was refreshing to hear them talk about tactics and skill and chances and all sorts, even if it did interrupt her game of chess. I work in a school and my students talk about the women's footie as much as the men's. I have real hope for the next generation.

I think the French addressed this attitude really well: French women’s World Cup ad

The WSL would never work if fair play rules applied, the demand that women get paid the same as Messi or Ronaldo is beyond delusional.
Actual money changes hands in mens football, fans pay £30 to see the games sometimes more. You can watch an entire season of Tottenham in the WSL for £70, tickets are given away to fill stadium. Is there a single broadcaster attempting to create subscriptions for womens football? No they are bolted on for free to mens football.
The financial numbers do not work, it is raising expectations that are never going to happen.
Womens football should stand on its own two feet not be an appendage to the mens game. It should also be more transparent about the large number of knee injuries and the risks of heading with a skull that is considerably weaker than a mans.
I prefer to watch netball and hockey.

If its all free who pays the wages? Where is the revenue stream?

I saw that and I expect the moves are real, but it's been speeded (sped?) up?

Dallas FC u15 5 US womens team 2

True when I watch womens football it looks like a replay that has been slowed down.

It's a different game, or it should be, like women's tennis. More about technique and less a out pure power. In some ways it makes it better to watch, but women's tennis wasn't always like that either.

It’s good to see people getting behind the Lionesses. The RL match at Wembley yesterday was televised and plenty of RL fans were keen to see it, sadly a lot of people got stuck on the M1 yesterday on the way down which meant the crowd wasn’t as big as it should have been.

Agreed, the rules should be different, smaller pitches and smaller goals. No training on 3 4 g as this puts too much stress on the cruxiate because of the acute angle of the upper legs in female anatomy.
If it was treated as a different game, heading could be outlawed. Do we really want to see the young women of today facing dementia tomorrow.
A predominantly ground based game played over 80 minutes on a smaller area would be interesting.

A plumber was changing the kitchen tap yesterday and we were chatting about this. He was saying that the women's squad were brilliant and he loved their attitude to the game.

Do we want equality to include equality in getting dementia? Heading is dangerous.

Luizaa it’s irrelevant whether the tv is free to view or not. The 4 million spectators chose to watch the football, instead of one of the other hundred channels available - or to go out and do something else entirely. That gives the lie to grumpy men trying to claim nobody was watching it.

Perhaps you might care to address the issue of safety? Why is the womens game copying all the things that we know from the mens game that are likely to have a significantly magnified impact on women
Heading and knees, there is an opportunity to develop a form of football without these risks and a game that promotes ball skills.
Rather than the appropriation of a mans game why can women use their better logic to create something different?
Look at lacrosse, one form of sport two entirely different games.

If the aim of the WSL is to create an income stream for the long term to pay women players 100k a week it is completely relevant to ask is anybody prepared to pay per view.

No doubt he also told you what a nice house you had as well, I am not sure one anecdote from someone who you are paying money to means diddly.

Well @Luizaa you have certainty succeeded in destroying a discussion about people enjoying the game with your bizarre and aggressive posting. 13 posts and the thread isn’t even two pages long. 👏