To ask everyone to watch the World Cup Final at 11 on Sunday?

[YetiTeri]

It doesn't matter if you don't like football, or if you don't like sport this tournament and this game is about so much more than that.

• it's about showing women's sport is worthy of investment.

• it's about giving different role models to young and particularly teenage girls.

• it's about showing rivalry in performance but not through violence.

• it's about showing our daughters they matter as much as our sons.

• it's about showing women they can be coaches and compete with men on an equal footing.

• it's about highlighting the battles women from many countries have undergone to get to this tournament.

• it's about showing homophobia has no place in team sports.

And it's about giving women a voice in their sport.

The Spanish team are there in spite of their coach and have some really disturbing stories about how players have been treated. Without any eyes on women's sport these sorts of issues are allowed to take root.

football is of a significantly lower standard than men's football. I watched the "highlights" of yesterday and the skill level is so low

I don't agree with this. The mens' game is faster of course.

But why would the skill level be lower? Skill does not depend on having a male body. Speed will be affected by it.

I am not interested because I don't like football.

As a pp has said, you need to be on the audience measurement panel to count. But you can write to the BBC and newspapers and ask them to improve their coverage of womens' sport.

There might be lots of reasons to watch but it doesn’t change the fact I find football painfully boring and would rather watch paint dry.

I hate football but I'm going to watch for all those reasons you've outlined!

Won't be watching as I have no interest in it at all.

Agree with the sentiment and were I at home on Sunday at that time would watch it.

The issues about ill-treatment in women's sport are not just confined to some football teams and should never be hidden.

I'm not, I'm asking. I make no apologies for not staying meekly in my place.

I would, but I'm at work unfortunately!

Not a chance. The whole thing has completely passed me by, thankfully. Not interested in the slightest, in any sport, and not keen on being cajoled ‘cos it’s women’

Very true - if I was remotely interested in it.

This reply is in a similar vein to your first comment.

Yes to women's RL! I was so happy to see the CC final recently. Even if it didn't go so well for me...

Totally agree!

@YetiTeri

I couldn't agree more with your post. Just going through your points:

• "it's about showing women's sport is worthy of investment. "

It's hypocritical to complain that women footballers get paid a fraction of what male footballers get if you don't watch the games so that women's football then gets a fraction of the revenue in comparison.
In short if you believe that women footballers should get paid the same then watch the sport.

• "it's about giving different role models to young and particularly teenage girls. "

In a world of social media and influencers if you believe that women and girls should be judged on their achievements and content of character and not just their physical appearance then please watch the game

• it's about showing rivalry in performance but not through violence.
Team sports create a safe strong competitive spirit amongst women and girls meaning they are les likely to get walked all over either in the workplace or in their relationships. Please watch the game.

• "it's about showing our daughters they matter as much as our sons. "

I have so many girls bored and stood on the side lines on Saturdays and Sundays watching male siblings play football or rugby. Team sports should be seen as healthy and open to boys AND girls.

• it's about showing women they can be coaches and compete with men on an equal footing.

From the days of misogyny of "explain me the offside rule" Sarina Wiegman has shown that women can be rather successful managers and leaders and not just worker bees.

• "it's about highlighting the battles women from many countries have undergone to get to this tournament."

It's harder for men to treat women as second class citizens in such countries when at the same time their country wants to celebrate their success.

• "it's about showing homophobia has no place in team sports"

Again women being judged on the content of their character and achievements rather than their sex, skin colour or sexuality.

Thank you for your post.

I won't be watching as I really don't like or understand football but do follow Women's Rugby Premiership matches and the internationals and Womens cycling. Does that allow me a bit of leeway for not watching the football?! 😎😎

Of course it does.
I have always loved watching swimming, at international and national level, and more recently at local level too. I also swim a lot and encourage other females to swim, not just competitively but also for fitness/well-being. I enjoy watching other sports like tennis, triathlons, cycling, athletics and so on. All of these are sports where we can encourage and support women (and people in general) and it's ridiculous how much emphasis people put solely on football! Of course if football is someone's 'thing' then crack on, but there are so many other sports and activities to get involved in either by supporting or actually taking part.

Nope. Loathe it.

Won't be watching as no interest, its tiring being told you have to watch or do X, Y and Z just because its women centric when if it was decent it would gather momentum. Artificially inflating interest for many things won't improve quality if people think its decent enough as is.

Absolutely this.

Agreed, I hate football I won't be watching

There are other women's sports to support

I would but I will be in Wales.

I wish them all the Best though.
Go Lionesses

It is absolutely not.

Simone Biles and Victoria Pendleton both used the platform that came from their success to call out abuse within their sport.

I'm asking that you support the female footballers to do the same. As much if not more for the Spanish team as the English.

I don't think you have any understanding of how the TV industry works.

You watching the football match is not going to make any difference unless you're on a TV audience panel. You watching is not going to give more girls the opportunity to play.

No, women's football does nothing for me, same for women's snooker & darts.

I doubt you'd have posted this thread if England went out in the first round OP, encouraging us to watch a game between Spain and Australia (say) in a tournament with all UK involvement long over.

You're excited because your team is doing well and you're extra excited because it's women and that's great but of course those of us who aren't into football and aren't English don't particularly care.

I'd be delighted to eat my words if you look me to the other threads you've started about women's sports where the participants aren't from the UK.