To love football but have no interest whatsover in women's football league

[Eastie77Returns]

I've been a football fan since childhood and have attended matches for years. Both DS and DD play and I'm really glad they've both taken to the sport. DD's best friend also plays and her mum sent me a message the other day suggesting we take the girls to watch a WSL game. I support a Premier League team so not always easy to get tickets whereas their women's team (one of the teams in the game the mum suggested we watch) always has availability.

I feel bad for admiting this but I have zero interest in Women's football. I have been to a few games but it's just not the same. I simply can't get as engaged as I do watching the men's game and I really don't care if the women playing for the team I support win or lose.

I admitted this to the mum and she was shocked! I got the feeling she feels I am literally letting the side (our side) down.😭

If I’m bored stiff watching WSL why should I continue taking my DC just because women are playing. It doesn’t make sense.

You may like what you like but I think this attitude a bit sad.

Surely you can see the value of going to watch WSL if your DC like it?!

Or is there someone else who will take them to watch in your place? If so, that’s fine but if by you not going they don’t get to see it too that’s not great.

edited: my mistake - I just noticed the last part of your posts which said your friend will take them instead. I guess that’s fair enough then, it’s a bit unfortunate you aren’t interested though but at least your DC still get to see it.

There's something interesting about crowds of women cheering men doing something they wouldn't cheer women for.

Whether that's rock bands or football, women being in a cheerleader role and men being in an active role is prevalent. Do I think that's healthy for girls? No I don't.

Case in point (boring so feel free to TL:DR this), DD got a Nobel Prize related present yesterday from a women we know. I said, "do you know who my favourite Nobel winner is?" She said, "is it Malala? [Name] said you'd like her". I said, "no it's Tu Youyou, the Chinese woman who perfected a really important anti-malarial". We both managed to mention women (well one girl) in important roles to DD. See it, be it. If every Nobel winner, footballer, musician, writer, politician she sees who is being celebrated is male, she won't see herself in those roles.

You can choose to go and cheer men, and teach the next generation of girls to do the same. Plus ca change. I think it's worth a bit of effort to celebrate women. And teach our girls that they are worth cheering too. It's pretty obvious girls will internalise the active/passive role message.

I’m a season ticket holder at a Championship club, and I really enjoy watching international women’s football. Partly because I will a.ways support 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 or 🇬🇧 at whatever sport we are competing in and partly because the standard of the women’s game is improving very fast. Yes, the game is slower and less physical (with the exception of the Euro 2022 final!) but the skill levels are now genuinely impressive.
Also, I believe it is very important for young girls to have positive role models based on what they can do, not how they look. I will definitely go to see a WSL game live this season.

The men's game leaves me cold. The players are whiny, overpaid and the crowds scare me.

However, I love the women's game, the skill involved and the atmosphere at matches.

Each to their own.

I don't like football, or watch it. I think the players are spoiled stupid and entitled little emperors, but I am proud of the women's game and wish them well. But I still won't watch. I don't watch ANY sport willingly.

I do exercise, for my health. But watching sport (yawn). So dull, unless you like it: I don't.

Dh has actually started watching more football since women's league started as he was never a fan of football. He says he thinks the game is more technical and enjoys it more than watching men's game. He was always a big rugby fan and says the women's rugby game is more interesting to watch. We chatted about the fact it women as is he basically being a bit pervy and he was said if he was going to perve he'd want to see boobs

If DDs best friend plays and is a good player, going to a game to support her seeing what she could aspire to would be supportive. Even if you don't find it as interesting as the men's game.

You can also wish women success and hope the women's game develops without loving it.

Dc is currently playing fifa with chosen female players as he says they are cool and have mad skills

There are not really ‘crowds of women’ at men’s football games. The numbers have improved but we are still a significant minority.

It’s interesting because many men’s football teams have invested in making their stadia family friendly in a bid to attract more women and that was seen as a positive step. Women asserting themselves and going into a male dominated area and proving they have as much right to enjoy watching a game of football as men. You seem to be suggesting that it’s a negative thing because they are choosing to watch men rather then women (although many watch both) which I can’t quite get my head around.

I’m not sure you’ve read all of my posts as I’ve written a few times that I’ve taken DD to watch WSL games. She loves them, as does her brother. She plays football. I can’t see how my privately held preferences are teaching her to be passive or only cheer on men.

And no, I won’t be a cheerleader for a group of women just because they are women
if I don’t think they are particularly skilful. So

I can't really be arsed with football and have no emotional attachment to it whatsoever so maybe I'm in over my head but this smells like internalised misogyny to me.

I love rugby but have no interest whatsoever in women's rugby.
I don't like women's football or netball either.

Happy to watch women swimming, or doing athletics, gymnastics and tennis though!

Well you don't love football then do you. You love mens football.

The women's game is more skills based and flows better. Try and recognise your subconscious prejudices for your daughters sake if nothing else.

WSL versus premier league is a whole different culture, atmosphere, etc - I get why it doesn't feel comparable to you.

Though in all honesty I think you're just not used to watching the women's game. To me it's actually more old school, less diving and fakery - and some genuine aggression as well. You don't have to watch it, I don't think you're 'betraying the sisterhood' or anything like that. But I'd give it a chance. It's a whole different type of day out, and it's such an exciting time for the sport.

I grew up playing football at a time when the women's pro game was barely televised. The more exposure and funding goes into it will be amazing, but it will lose the raw quality it has now. Getting into women's football now is a chance to see the game develop in a whole new way, I hope you do!

It would be brilliant if a new fan base not from mens football could build. Really the type of fans you see out of say Millwall, the rise in dv, the chanting and general violence and intimidation on public transport on match days, can keep their mens game.

If your daughter plays and your son follows football how come they both don't see this glaring lack of skill you do?

I’m the same.

I only really got into football because both of my sons love it (passed down from their dad) and now I love watching the matches with them. They tend to go and watch the games live but I will always have it on the TV and I really get caught up in it.

No interest at all in women’s football.

I’m sure there’s an element of misogyny or sexism in there somewhere….but I can’t help but feel excited a little about how passionate the men feel about their teams and the emotions and feelings it brings out in them. There’s this unseen wave of testosterone raging through them all.

And I may as well say it but there’s the obvious preference of men’s football over women’s football which is that the male players are strong, skilled, masculine and very nice to look at in some cases. The fact I find a good number of the footballers attractive makes their games far more enjoyable to watch than woman’s football.

I once got to meet all the players in the team that we support and some of them were so sexy….with their broad shoulders, their muscular arms, their six packs, their strong thighs etc…..

Yummy!!

And yes, I know men aren’t there to be “eye candy” and if the roles were reversed and a man was talking about female football players like this there would be outrage etc but, it is one of the reasons why I enjoy watching male sport over female sport 😂

One day I will watch a woman’s football game though to see their skills and attitude and I have no doubt that it will be a very different football game than a male’s football game would be…but I just can’t see me finding it as thrilling.

At the end of the day I just enjoy being around passionate men and seeing them display their happiness, disappointment and joy. It’s not often you see men show real emotion and I think being at a football match makes it much easier for them to show that side of themselves.

I just love the whole atmosphere that surrounds men’s football and I can’t help but think that women’s football and the fans would be a bit too dull for me.

Me too. Massive football fan and follow my team in the PL, also watch most of the games that are shown on Sky/TNT. Just no interest in women's football whatsoever though, struggle to watch and just simply nowhere near the same quality or as entertaining as the men's game not matter what anybody says. It never will be either imo

Men's football and women's football are two different games with the same rules. It's true that I get much more excited about LFC men but they were my first love. That team has let me down more than any man has ever done but they are still the love of my life. I still support the women though. I listen to their matches when I can, follow them all on the socials and post words of encouragement. I feel it's important - women's football wasn't really a 'thing' when I was a girl and I used to love playing. I'd have loved the opportunity to go to a skills class at the very least. It's great that opportunities are increasing for today's young girls and it's important to keep the momentum going.

I'm one of those that got massively inspired by the Euros success and now go to women's games semi regularly. I don't watch men's routinely.
Find some of these replies a bit sad. Don't watch if you want but come off it with 'its a different game'. It's the same rules on the same pitches, with the same aim. I'm sure the men can a run a bit faster but who gives a shit. People might have attachments to certain men's teams and that's fair enough, but it's got nothing to do with the gender of the team.

I could have written this! My DH even comes to the women's game with us and fakes excitement for our DDs sake. It's the same club as the men's PL team we support, we should feel the same excitement, but we just don't. I can't even remember any of the female players names. I really don't like this about myself. I'm ashamed as a woman!

I will add that I love watching DDs U11 team play though!

I have zero interest in paw patrol. I did not grow up with it and I think it's shite. I'm still taking my son to the cinema to see the new movie. Because it's not about me.

Absolutely same!

I am a season ticket holder for a championship side and our ground hosted the lionesses last week week then there was a normal home game two days later.

The atmosphere at the two games was so different and it was fascinating to see. The lionesses game was full of kids, old ladies dancing in the aisles to sweet Caroline, just a completely different vibe and I enjoyed it, but I also enjoy watching my team in the championship and the pints, the chanting, the roar. I don't think there is a difference in the quality of the play though.