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.😭

"Aston Villa, Brighton and Brentford compete on equal terms with the bigger teams in recent years"

Excuse me? Do you actually know ANYTHING about the History of Aston Villa?

That's a bit shit OP. Your DD is into football but you can't even be bothered to try and show her you're interested in women's football.

For her sake could you not just go?

Get yourselves down to a Championship, League One or League Two match, that's where the proper football is, where the passion is. Watching PL football on TV isn't experiencing football.

I couldn’t agree more. The Championship is the toughest, most competitive league in world football. The games are fantastic to watch, the atmosphere in the ground is often amazing, any team can beat any other, the fans are real supporters, not just spectators and you can actually get hold of tickets.

Yeah a fair bit but not an expert. Very first I went to, my team played Villa. I remember it although it must be about 30 years ago as David Platt ended up in goal. My brother went to Birmingham Uni and always had a fondness for the team. What annoyed you about my comment? I just meant you’ve been playing extremely well recently after years in the doldrums.

I know you have an illustrious history and didn’t mean to cause offence!

We talk about the game, tactics, players performance and I can do all of that without going into my thoughts on WSL vs the men’s game.

If anything, my DC probably think I have a preference for the women’s game as they get far better seats at WSL matches so they think I spend more because I prefer it. I’m reality of course WSL tickets are a fraction of the cost for a PL game so when I took them to watch the ladies play in a Champions League game I bought Club Level tickets (same seats for a mens game cost hundreds) they sat in luxury seats and had food brought to them at half time.

I encourage their interest and I am honestly not raising my kids to hate women’s football!

The lumping in with Brentford as if Villa aren't one of the bigger teams themselves was what did it xD

I agree its good to see them playing to their proper potential now they seem to have sorted themselves out, but a bad run doesn't make them not one of the bigger teams iyswim.

For those who don't know, Villa are one of only 3 teams to have been part of the founding of both the original Football league, and the Premier League. They're one of the most successful teams in English Football history, its a shame that lack of investment and bad management in recent years have made people kind of forget what an amazing history they have and think they're a mediocre team. They have more trophies and cups in the cabinet than most teams can ever dream of achieving.

I know several men who feel the same as you.

I spotted lots of men at the WSL games I attended. Admittedly most seemed to be with their daughters/female companions but there were groups of men as well.

I'm 42 and got a ST at United when I was 7.

I've been on a journey with that club and had the most amazing highs and some terrible lows.

I've travelled the country and Europe watching them play, it's made me indescribably happy and sometimes sad, I've laughed, lost my voice, made friends, had an amazing time, partied for days when we won the treble, sulked my head off on coach trips when we've lost

When you've followed a team for 35 years, its part of who you are. Nothing to do with being socially conditioned. I could very easily want glory and decide to support City, but switching teams is on my list of the things I consider the utmost treachery (never trust a person who's switched their loyalty 😂).

I can't recreate that relationship with the women's team, and why should I? Football support isn't something you can fake, nor is it something you can transfer.

I should also add that I find the lack of diversity in the women’s game a bit bewildering. I watched the virtually all white Lionnesses in the World Cup and was a bit taken aback. Obviously the team has to be selected on merit but I’m baffled because at a grass roots level I can see so many talented girls from different ethnicities playing including late teens/early 20s so it’s not a pipeline issue.

My club’s women’s team does not have a single non white player and we are in one of then most diverse areas in the U.K.

My DC are not white. When DS watches the men’s team we support he sees so many players that look like him and other ethnicities as well. Same in the national team. DD doesn’t get to experience that.

99% this. Minus point for supporting Utd😭

I can’t take people who switch allegiance seriously as football fans.

I keep hoping City will get done for financial irregularities, massive point deduction and end up relegated. A girl can dream!

This is actually a good point and it’s been discussed in the media by current and former players.https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12746475/diversity-in-womens-football-game-must-show-desire-for-change-beth-mead-comments-labelled-a-bit-uneducated

Things seemingly have got worse in the way of diversity.

In the past they had players like Alex Scott, Anita Asante, and Rachel Yankey who are now retired and the first ever women’s coach for England women’s team was black (Hope Powell) it’s a pity, but I think that’s even more reason to encourage her to participate in some ways but good for her to keep watching the men’s game too for the reasons you cite.

i am a bit the same I find the womens game not as good personally , its often slower etc
i still watch it occasionally and especially the national team but wouldn’t go to a game most likely as would rather spend my money going to a sat mens game.
we don’t have to all love it.
i find womens rugby though as good as the mens and would pay to watch that, we can all have our own likes and dislikes

I get you
It feels like we are being bullied into supporting women's football a little. Perhaps bullied is a little strong but strongly steered.

My DD plays for an U21 side of a WSL team, which is a top PL mens side.
She still trains at 2 different borrowed sites in a week and plays at a third different borrowed site for her matches. All on 4G. She never plays on grass except at some away matches.
If she is injured she has physio on a couch outside next to whatever pitch they are at in whatever the weather is.
The entire academy from U9 up has 5 FT members of staff. 5. The rest just come for training.
This is the reality of elite girls football.
The boys academy is in its own purpose built centre. Boys can board from 16 and have a chef cooking them meals. My DD eats out of a flask on my one hour plus drive 5 times a week.
This partly explains the lack of diversity. As a parent it costs money to send your DD to such an academy. Massive amounts of time and money.
The current WSL players (from UK) had an even worse experience as kids and prob played boys grass roots football for years. As did my DD. When she started there were no girls clubs in our area.
The quality is improving year on year. Those following my DD have had a longer time in an academy with proper staffing. because even since DDs contemporaries (some of whom have been there since U9) started the quality of these academies had improved. There is still a long way to go.
And when you watch a lot of PL sides you are watching the best players in the world. It's got nothing to with where you live. All those boys in those fantastically expensive academies and the vast vast majority will never get a chance. PL is driven by money. End of
And as to boys academy sides beating WSL teams. Well that's just physiology. And more money. Again.
So yes don't support women's football. That's fine..but don't harp on about lower skill levels. For a sport that was banned for 50 years and then marginalised.
These women are inspiring.

I'd be happy with that too!

Most of the audience of a women's game are kids. For me that ruins it. The atmosphere is completely different . I don't want to go and watch a match surrounded by kids. I want the passion, the chants, the tactics chatting from lifelong fans. Sitting with a load of 6 year olds that can't sit still and get bored after 30 minutes just isn't it.

That was a really good read. My DD plays in the U11 league. I love watching her team play. I don't think the women's league is any less skillful or worthy than the men's. But, I don't enjoy watching the women's team of the PL club I follow as much. Although I do sometimes take DD to watch the women and cheer with her. I think it's mainly because it just feels like it's not 'my team' It's not the team I've been supporting my whole life. I feel guilty about it. I dont love watching the U21 boys play, at the clubs academy either, but still go to the odd one with DS. So, maybe some of us who support the big clubs, are having trouble getting behind all the teams in the club we support. For me, it's not a male/female thing. It's just having trouble switching the big emotions to different teams within the club. I hope women's football continues to grow and I'll try to do better! Well done you for getting your daughter to this point.

I don't understand all the people that think women's football is technically better. If that was true why did USA get beaten by an under 15s schoolboy team when they were ranked number one in the world? It's nowhere near the same quality and very painful to watch at times.

Because males are physically stronger and faster, as soon as testosterone kicks in.

It's really not hard to understand, plenty of studies on this.

For me the main appeal of PL football is the long standing rivalry, I get as much pleasure out of seeing my home city rivals lose as I get from seeing the team I support win.
That level of passionate rivalry (perhaps even hatred isn't too strong a word) just doesn't exist in the women's game.

I think this is fine. The women's game needs new supporters. Because then there is a whole new audience for the money behind the sport to sell stuff to. Which sadly is what the sport needs.
The danger facing women's football is exactly the same trap the mens game has fallen into. That the money drives the money. So the clubs with money will.buy up good players (as indeed DDs club has) from around the world. This will reduce the chances for domestic players and make it harder for lower league men's teams to have successful women's sides. For instance clubs like Doncaster Belles were trailblazers in the women's game and they have sunk without trace.
It's all about money.

I'm the same but I did watch a nail biting end of a World Cup match which I enjoyed. Other than that it doesn't hold my interest I'm afraid.

My DD is technically much better than the 15 year old lads she used to play with and against.
It didn't matter once they were 6foot tall and twice her size
It's called testosterone.
See all the many many threads about trans gender sport for an explanation!
Oh and they are trying to make it 'more watchable'. They are 50 years plus behind the men. Look up the history of women's football for a story of staggering misogyny...

@Chchchanging I hate how much money has changed the game. It doesn't matter how well a club has played and managed to get into different tournaments, when massive investors come into the league and buy their way to the top. I hope the women get the investment they need. Side note, I don't particularly enjoy watching the men's England team play either, even though some of my teams players are playing, so it's definitely a me issue, not being able to switch my support to other teams 😅