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

Oh, and well done CountFosco's DH.

As for the women's game being cleaner... well, I'll be interested to see how Brazil play against tougher opposition. They've tended to be a very physical and on occasions bloody dirty team (they practically chopped Germany off the park in the 2007 world cup, and I saw them live, playing against Japan in the 2012 Olympics - Japan eventually won, but there were some very dubious challenges went in duringhte game).

Bbc piece on the pay gap at the World Cup
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-48530498

From the BBC article

Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg is not in the Norwegian squad after stepping away from international football in 2017 over gender equality issues

Its sex, not gender.

And this is important. If pay in women's football grows, and self ID allowed, there will be huge temptation for young men from some of the very poorest areas in the world to seek to earn the income that would lif their families out of poverty, but switching to the women's game. Womens football would be over before it started.

And perhaps the BBC ought to look at what it is paying its commentators, compared with what it paid for the men's world cup.

Glad to see my country, the Dutch lionesses, score the winner in extra time.

needmoresleep that is a real worry indeed, especially as some countries already do this (Iran if I remember correctly)

I'm watching USA v Thailand and blimey, the Americans are scarily good.

DoctorTwo Agreed, but don't forget that the USA are the favourites and Thailand are, perhaps, the weakest team in the competition.

But, yes, USA are definitely the team that everyone seems to be looking out for.

That was cruel!

I thought the French were favourites.

World rankings:
1 America
2 Germany
3 England
4 France

Going by the men being the home nation is an advantage though.

USA is always one of the favourites, they are just very good with a huge pool of players to choose from. Other countries are closing in but Thailand is not there yet.

I didn't enjoy watching that after those 4 quick fire goals at the start of the second half and knowing it would go into double numbers. I don't like it on youth level and I guess I like it even less on international level.
Saying that, they were good goals

England beat the USA in the USA in their last match.

The good Asian teams are the Japanese and South Koreans who run and run and run until their opponents drop.

The Thais come from the tropics where it is so hot and humid the game is played at a stroll.

A ridiculous mismatch.

There were some comments on Twitter comparing the total number of goals scored by US women’s team vs US men’s team. Which made me wonder if women’s soccer is supported precisely because men’s soccer isn’t a big thing in the US so there’s no sense that they are competing for audiences.

I went to the Scotland / England game in Nice with my daughters. It was great. We are supporting France (we live here) and Scotland (where I'm from).

Please support the women. They are amazing and it's certainly I game I prefer enormously over men's football which I don't have any interest in.

We watched the France / Norway match on telly last night and there was some excellent football.

Beachcomber What was it like in the stadium? (and was there any facepaint involved for the DDs)

I've only ever been to men's football matches with loads of blokes so I was just wondering if/how different the atmosphere was?

Any thoughts on the offside / VAR decision in the Australia Brazil game?

I think the goal should have stood, because the woman who scored the OG wasn't impeded or hindered by the Australian player. She hadn't even seen her, so to me it wasn't an offside incident, because she didn't hinder play.

IMO she was offside and interferring with play, no goal.

And I think the Brazilian defenders knew Kerr was there, otherwise they wouldn't feel the need to defend that ball in.

Luckily I didn't decide

There were some comments on Twitter comparing the total number of goals scored by US women’s team vs US men’s team. Which made me wonder if women’s soccer is supported precisely because men’s soccer isn’t a big thing in the US...

The difference in the quality of the opposition may be a factor.

Sahkerr was widely derided and defamed in the US as a "girls' game" in the mistaken belief it was a non-contact sport.

These days the MLS is improving leaps and bounds, with a career path open to poor black and latinos and not just the tall blonde college kids.

The US womens rugby team are also good.

I've not been into football for years but this has made me want to start watching. Just been getting myself clued up properly on the offside rule.

I think the goal should have stood, because the woman who scored the OG wasn't impeded or hindered by the Australian player. She hadn't even seen her, so to me it wasn't an offside incident, because she didn't hinder play.

See she clearly hindered play by being there and I don't believe that the Brazilian hadn't seen her, she'd have left the ball for the goalie.

Having said that, she should have left it if she knew Kerr was offside and definitely shouldn't have heeded the ball into her own goal.

I think it's harsh but I'd have awarded the goal too I think (but as agreed with what's already been said in that I'm glad it wasn't my decision to make!).

Sorry to have missed the game. GO MATILDAS!

Come on Scotland!

Ooops!

Bit lacklustre so far

Never a penalty!