What about the women's world cup?!

[Clarew201]

Hi everyone, I read a couple of threads on the sports bit of Mumsnet and realised I was only reading about men's football. The women's world cup starts on 7th June and it's a really important year for supporting and promoting the game for women and girls. For those that don't know, a bit of history is that the women’s game was huge in the UK between the world wars (crowds of 55,000 with 14,000 waiting outside!), and large numbers of working class factory women playing in teams all over the country over many years - becoming household names and raising lots of money for returned soldiers and mining communities. Then the FA banned women from playing, for 50 years. When the FA finally lifted the ban in the 70s, women players faced horrendous treatment and the game has been struggling to come back ever since.

So it's brilliant that football is having a comeback. Here's where it's on in London londonist.com/london/sport/womens-world-cup-2019-football-where-to-watch-london-screenings

I'm rooting for Holland, what about everyone else?

I think I'll stick with the Yanks.

this tournament the goalies have been excellent

There was some question about whether Alyssa Naeher could really fill Hope Solo's shoes. That's certainly been settled.

rooting for the oranjes

Holland has a very talented team. It should be a very exciting match.

Jackie Oatley:
Good to see @BBCSport highlights of the great saves at the @FIFAWWC. Female goalkeepers have been ridiculed for years, perhaps without people realising they’d never received specialist GK training while holding down full-time jobs.

Jacqui Oatley

I will be supporting the Dutch but the USA will win.

Just registered my interest online for tickets for Womens Euro 2021 when they become available (to be played in various stadiums across England)

I've loved this world cup, other than England playing out from the back. That penalty aside, Steph Houghton is still the best centre half in the womens' game.

4 years ago I pointed out to DD2 my favourite player at the time, Eni Aluko, and mentioned that she was better known than her brother, and more capped, but earned about 5% of what he earned.

She asked me who my favourite player ever is so I told her Jack Bentley. Who nobody has ever heard of.

Now I think the sky's the limit for Ellen White, she's a Linekeresque centre forward.

If the English womens' system keeps paying women to play full time I think they could win the next world cup, not something I could say about the men.

Got to share the admiration for Ellen White (and a number of other players - they are all quality)

Apart from the last 16 minutes of Scotland's game against Argentina this has been a fabulous world cup, so much better than the astro turf in Canada (although England were amazing then).

Favourite players: Lucy Bronze (DD1) and Ellen White (DD2).

We have registered our interest for 2021.

I was really impressed with Rose Lavelle and Tobin Heath. The Dutch have play excellent defense this year, but those two are lethal together.

The US v England match drew a record television audience in the US, despite being on a weekday afternoon here. The final will draw a massive audience in the US, which is great news for women's football here.

No way was that a handball

Any one else watching?

a nice fast game. still plenty of time.
come on england!

That looked like we could have called for a penalty there

I'm still fuming re the disallowed second goal. As Dublin said, VAR is supposed to look for the 'clear and obvious'

I listened to the first half on the radio whilst stuck in traffic, got home in time to watch the second half. England weren't on their best and just couldn't get it right today sadly.
I haven't seen the disallowed goal but on the 5live they said it was the right decision.

According to the laws of the game handball has to be deliberate, i.e. a conscious movement of the arm or hand towards the ball. No way was that deliberate, imo the goal should've stood.

Must have been amateur hour on 5 Live

I think they were saying it from the defenders point of view but as the bbc kept cutting them out to go to Wimbeldon, things might have got lost in translation a bit.

Having now seen the 'handball' myself, I think it was very harsh and VAR nitpicking. Should have stood, we would have had a far better second half with everything to play for for both teams.

I still blame the waistcoat

I'm still fuming re the disallowed second goal. As Dublin said, VAR is supposed to look for the 'clear and obvious'

I didn't hear anyone complaining about the ludicrous handball penalty awarded to England against Scotland.

Ellen White didn't intentionally handle the ball, I completely agree. However she did move the ball and therefore gain advantage from the unintentional handball.

Eh?

Fran Kirby herself has spoken about that particular penalty and has said that she didn't appeal for the penalty and has reservations about how VAR is used in these marginal decisions.

Back to this hand ball decision, as ex pro footballer Dionne Dublin has said VAR is supposed to be used to query referee decisions when they have missed "a clear and obvious" transgression. Unfortunately that is not how it is panning out

I meant on here and in the media but hey ho.

Like I said, the decision was harsh but fair and I don't for a second think it was intentional.

VAR has ruined the WWC, it's been slowing games down and human error has shown through in more than one decision.

My uncle coached women's youth soccer in the US (after a career in top flight football and Premier League youth coaching in the UK), so I'm throwing my support behind the Yanks. Haven't seen too much of the tournament as I don't have BBC, but I'm staying with family at the moment and will be watching tonight with all my boys..think it's important they see women's sport getting some attention, plus my mum has melted their head with tennis these past few days, they deserve some respite

I'm firmly neutral for the final but very much looking forward to a good game.

I do think it's a shame that neither Scotland nor England reached the final, what a game that would have been!

But hopefully getting as far as each team did means that funding and interest in the women's game only increases.

Shelley Kerr was stunned that the Jamaica game brought 18k fans, pre world cup. It set a precedent, and that's something special.

The women in both teams are every bit as much household names in their home nations (in fact the Scottish women are better than the men so even more so ).

Can't be a bad thing I reckon.

as the men's teams. I forgot to finish that sentence!