tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/womens-football-5770/articlesWomen's football – The Conversation2024-03-07T17:23:54Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2251992024-03-07T17:23:54Z2024-03-07T17:23:54ZCopa 71: how the first women’s World Cup was erased from footballing history<p>The young Gail Emms, who would later become world badminton champion, was great at sport. At school, she once proudly gave a detailed presentation about how her mother, Janice, had played football for England in a World Cup in the early 1970s. Her teachers enjoyed the story but thought Gail was fantasising. There was no official record of any such event taking place. </p>
<p>However, Janice Emms did indeed play for an England football team in Mexico City in 1971 – and in front of a crowd of 90,000 at that. The women and girls concerned hid their involvement because football’s world governing body, Fifa, disapproved, and England’s Football Association (FA) sought to ban those who had participated in this “unsanctioned” tournament. </p>
<p>The players involved seldom talked about Mexico later, even among themselves. But those who had been there would never forget it.</p>
<p>Copa 71, a new documentary film about this long-forgotten landmark tournament, lists US soccer star Alex Morgan and tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams as executive producers. It premiered recently at the British Film Institute and, to some acclaim, at the Toronto International Film Festival. </p>
<p>Released on March 8, it interviews some of those involved and emerges at a moment when the women’s game is experiencing unprecedented commercial and popular success. The Women’s World Cup is now a major money-spinner and a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/04/womens-world-cup-2023-hailed-as-most-successful-in-history-at-halfway-point">global TV event</a>, and Fifa has even <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023/news/bareman-women-will-play-vital-role-in-football-s-future">embraced</a> women’s football as the “future” of the game. Times have changed.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tXx5usO4v2E?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The extraordinary story of the 1971 Women’s Football World Cup.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>‘British Independents’</h2>
<p>In the early 1970s, Italian drinks company Martini Rosso identified untapped commercial and marketing potential in women’s football. It argued for a privately funded international tournament in Mexico in 1971 – promising to pay for the kit, travel and accommodation of any Europeans willing to be involved. </p>
<p>Six countries took part, including four from Europe. In England, there was little point engaging with the FA on such matters: women’s football had been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jun/13/how-the-fa-banned-womens-football-in-1921-and-tried-to-justify-it">banned</a> there for 50 years, and it was barely on the national agenda again. So, a Mr Harry Batt from Luton was contacted instead. </p>
<p>Early women footballers remember Batt fondly as a chain-smoking, rather sweary bus driver in his sixties. He and his wife, June, had started up the Chiltern Valley Ladies football club in 1969. An unlikely moderniser, Batt had recognised the demand among young women in his area for a chance to play, and built a successful and competitive regional club. </p>
<p>So, when the man from Martini Rosso came calling and asked Batt if he could put a squad together to represent England in Mexico, he jumped at the chance. Batt’s scratch team of so-called “British Independents” ranged in age from the 13-year-old Leah Caleb to a handful of more mature women players. Parental approval was needed for some squad members even to travel.</p>
<p>Did Batt really know what he was doing? His inexperienced and youthful team had only ever performed in charity matches or on uneven park pitches in front of a smattering of dogs, friends and family members. Children played alongside adults because of the paucity of women players; there was nowhere decent even for female players to change. </p>
<p>In Mexico City, this patchwork 14-player squad – by now re-labelled as England – played between daft pink-and-white goalposts in some of the largest stadia in the world, in front of enormous and enthusiastic crowds. The England women suffered injuries and lost their matches, but respect for them abroad grew.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An image of a crowd gathered outside a large football stadium." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580231/original/file-20240306-18-fgv5q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">In 1971, Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca was the world’s largest football stadium, hosting 112,000 fans for the women’s final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Women%27s_World_Cup#/media/File:Mexico_stadium_1986.jpg">Karl Oppolzer/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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<h2>Disappearing from view</h2>
<p>And Batt’s reward for all this promoting of women and girls’ football in the international spotlight? A rebuff from Fifa and a lifetime ban from the FA. Thanks for nothing.</p>
<p>The New York Times had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/27/archives/soccer-goes-sexy-south-of-border-womens-world-cup-aimed-at-the-2.html">billed</a> the Mexico tournament as “Soccer Goes Sexy South of Border”, with women’s football depicted as “a mixture between a sports event and a beauty contest … the shorts will be as close as possible to hot pants”. </p>
<p>But in fact, these international women footballers appear to have been as revered in Mexico as were men players. Some 112,000 fans watched Denmark defeat Mexico 3–0 in the final. Autograph hunters and TV presenters followed every step of the visiting England team. </p>
<p>After this sort of adulation, coming home was a real let-down. Mexico ‘71 had barely registered in England.</p>
<p>It took the dinosaurs at the FA another decade, under protest, to take the <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team/Legacy/History">women’s game</a> in-house, and a blundering Fifa 20 years to organise the first official Women’s World Cup, in <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/chinapr1991">China</a>. So many wasted years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225199/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Thousands of fans packed out stadiums for the 1971 women’s World Cup, but it has been virtually erased from history.John Williams, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2112932023-08-29T10:53:46Z2023-08-29T10:53:46ZHow our female athletes feel forced to choose between a ‘strong’ or ‘feminine’ look<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543056/original/file-20230816-22-9oq39z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C8%2C5946%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-female-soccer-football-player-long-1399325561">Master1305/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As I watched the Fifa Women’s World Cup, I was probably one of many who couldn’t help but feel inspired by the women on the pitch, showing their elite fitness and ability. However, many female athletes have spoken out about the pressures they feel in regards to their bodies and the way they look. </p>
<p>Good mental health is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8656946/">vital to sports performance</a>. So it is crucial our athletes feel positive about their body image and mental health if they are to achieve their potential.</p>
<p>Professional young athletes <a href="https://researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10182/8952/Thomas_BSRM%28Hons%29.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y">make sacrifices</a> for example forgoing family commitments and social life and enduring financial hardship, that alter their life course. </p>
<p>They dedicate their lives to sport achievement, but pressures from media and their own coaches about their physique is in some cases making them more concerned about looking right than their performance.</p>
<p>Recently, legendary US climber <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/beth-rodden-climbing-body-image/">Beth Rodden</a> spoke about the pressure she felt to have a six-pack for photoshoots, and Olympic athletics champion <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/may/25/jessica-ennis-fat-london-2012#:%7E:text=Jess%20Ennis%20said%20she%20thinks,it's%20definitely%20a%20funny%20one">Jessica Ennis-Hill</a> was once called “fat” by an official at UK Athletics. The 2022 Whyte Review into allegations of abuse in British gymnastics found that coaches often publicly shamed <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/amp/british-gymnastics-whyte-review-reveals-abusive-culture-as-young-people-starved-body-shamed-and-punished-12635062">young gymnasts</a> about their weight. </p>
<p>These world-class athletes are not anomalies. A <a href="https://newsroom.bt.com/top-british-sports-women-say-body-image-insecurities-rife-in-sport/">2014 BT sport survey</a> found that 80% of the 110 elite female athletes who took part felt pressure to conform to a “certain image and body type”.</p>
<h2>Double standards</h2>
<p>My own research <a href="https://www.academia.edu/41374005/Tessa_Allan_and_Alison_Owen_2019_For_athletes_there_are_many_">interviewing female athletes</a> found they are hit by a double standard. One of the participants, Sarah, said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>For athletes, there are many pressures to be strong and fit, but also have that feminine look. I feel that athletes are put into … two categories … either they are labelled that they don’t try hard enough, as they don’t look strong or fit and muscly, or they are shamed for looking manly and it’s ‘too much’.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I interviewed five female athletes to talk in-depth about their feelings around their body image. They each performed in a different sport: football, netball, rowing, korfball and sailing, showing how widespread the problem is. </p>
<p>The athletes in my study felt that these exacting standards led to intense pressure. They were battling between looking a certain way (perhaps due to cultural <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=J5tIEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT9&dq=cultural+pressures+body+image&ots=My0C1iaDfu&sig=7BZJQW17Ygu1YAdlNzC1JIZ-t1M#v=onepage&q=cultural%20pressures%20body%20image&f=false">pressures</a> such as maintaining a slim and toned physique), but also keeping up their athletic ability and fitness. </p>
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<img alt="Cheerful team of female soccer players celebrating victory and carrying on of teammates who is shouting out of joy" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544270/original/file-20230823-27-mz7suq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544270/original/file-20230823-27-mz7suq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544270/original/file-20230823-27-mz7suq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544270/original/file-20230823-27-mz7suq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544270/original/file-20230823-27-mz7suq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544270/original/file-20230823-27-mz7suq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544270/original/file-20230823-27-mz7suq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Female athletes should feel free to focus on their sport.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cheerful-team-female-soccer-players-celebrating-2157299721">Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Other research has also found female athletes get conflicting messages about their bodies. For example, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1740144516302534?via%3Dihub">2017 study</a> of female Swedish athletes found that the participants felt they were forced to choose between a body that performs well in their athletic field, or a fashionable body. </p>
<p>There are pressures on men too. Olympic diver <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/tom-daley-disordered-eating-body-image-b1933932.html">Tom Daley</a> has spoken out about the body image issues he experiences as a result of pressure from the sports industry. However it does seem that on the whole, women tend to feel <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736585319308111">more pressure</a> around their appearance.</p>
<p>The athletes in my study also talked about how they felt male and female athletes experienced different pressures. Sarah said: “I still can’t understand why women are judged so harshly on their appearance and the men aren’t.” </p>
<p>The participants mentioned objectification too, with one participant, Monica, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think that in sport … women get objectified more than men by the public and media. Also, I think there is more focus made about women’s clothing and image in the media in sport than there is for men.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Pressure from all sides</h2>
<p>All of the athletes in the study talked about the media and its portrayal of athletes. Sarah talked about Jessica Ennis-Hill: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The media has many negative body image stories surrounding female athletes … Jess Ennis-Hill has always been an inspiration to me and I was shocked to find stories of her being classed as overweight, from her BMI. It’s clear that she is one of the fittest and healthiest women and yet the media has to try and shame her in some way.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In 2022, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35833724/">researchers</a> interviewed 47 people involved in the female football industry in England, including players and coaches and found that players “under-fuel”. This means they are not eating enough to meet their energy demands. </p>
<p>The study found that women and girls were under-eating due to misunderstandings about carbohydrates and fear of weight gain. The researchers suggested that “carbohydrate fear” is made worse by pressure from social media and coaches. It is <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/5/12/5140">well documented</a> that eating disorders have a negative effect on both physical fitness and sport performance.</p>
<p>Most people feel some degree of pressure about the way they look. However studies have shown that for athletes, these pressures can be even more intense. It is really important for people working in the sporting industry to ensure that the people they work with are protected from body image pressure, which could <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144520304277">affect their results and abilities</a>.</p>
<p>As my interviewee Monica said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It makes me sad and angry … to see such influential, strong, successful women be put down in the media for their body image. It’s not what we, or the media, should be focusing on … we should celebrate them as athletes … They didn’t sign up to be treated like failed supermodels.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211293/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Owen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Imagine what female athletes could achieve if they were free from body pressure.Alison Owen, Lecturer in Health Psychology, Staffordshire UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2117672023-08-24T12:23:17Z2023-08-24T12:23:17ZThe Lionesses had a terrific World Cup, but women’s football in England is on shaky economic ground – new research<p>Despite the disappointment of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66562418">losing to Spain</a> in the final, England’s women’s football team had a very good World Cup, on and off the pitch. Viewing figures <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66567881">were huge</a>, media coverage was unprecedented and excitement about potential <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/37390/12944457/england-women-whats-next-for-the-lionesses-after-run-to-world-cup-final">future achievements</a> seems high.</p>
<p>So women’s football in England looks to be strong and in safe hands. And at first glance its domestic top tier, the <a href="https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/en/News/barclays-FA-WSL">Women’s Super League</a> (WSL), certainly looks healthy. </p>
<p>League match attendance <a href="https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/en/Article/barclays-womens-super-league-new-records-20222909">records have been broken</a> recently, as they have for the women’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65448989">FA Cup</a>, and <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/barcelona-real-madrid-women-champions-league-sets-new-world/blt962372895786d457">Champions League</a> tournaments. The increase in coverage has continued at pace, with a ground breaking <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/22/a-huge-step-forward-wsl-announces-record-breaking-deal-with-bbc-and-sky">broadcast deal</a> with the BBC and Sky worth £8 million a season.</p>
<p>Across the league, club revenue increased by 590% from 2011 to 2019. And those clubs were extremely <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7088182528523522048/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android">well represented</a> by key players at the World Cup, including the likes of England’s Mary Earps (Manchester United), Australia’s Sam Kerr (Chelsea) and Sweden’s Stina Blackstenius (Arsenal). </p>
<p>But without wishing to rain on the Lionesses’ parade, our <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SBM-10-2022-0088/full/html">latest research</a> indicates some worrying times ahead – and some critical concerns about the WSL’s financial sustainability.</p>
<p>For while income in the league has dramatically increased, we found that so too has debt for clubs – which has skyrocketed by an average of 1,351%. This is an alarming level which could ultimately jeopardise the entire league’s financial stability and the survival of some major clubs.</p>
<p>This debt is mostly connected to loans to the women’s sides from the men’s clubs they are linked to, rather than a reflection of increased interest rates or expensive infrastructure projects. </p>
<p>Our research also found other signs that the financial sustainability of the WSL has been in decline. Club profits have fallen from a small average of £4,000 in 2010 to average losses of £1.4 million in 2019. </p>
<p>This is a worrying trend which indicates that the women’s leagues could be heading in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1071503/Assessing_the_financial_sustainability_of_football__web_accessible_.pdf">same direction as the men’s</a>, with greater financial risks and increased chances of clubs going into administration or disappearing altogether. </p>
<h2>Financial pressure</h2>
<p>Our research also found a noticeable split emerging within the WSL, with the most successful teams’ finances apparently not linked to success or failure on the pitch. Instead, these teams are better at using their strong brand identity to secure corporate sponsorship and a loyal ticket buying fan base. </p>
<p>For the sides lower down the league, however, the state of their finances was linked with league position, so that their income very much depends on how well they play. Poorer form appears to be matched by less corporate sponsorship, fewer flagship events in men’s stadiums and fewer season ticket sales. They end up being much more reliant on the traditional business model of football, which depends on match day attendance and sponsors.</p>
<p>WSL clubs’ wage bills are also under more pressure – even though the women players earn a fraction of their male colleagues (very little information is available about exact sums). This follows the traditional football club business model, in that a large proportion of income ends up going on wages – often considered a good thing for athletes and club performance. But when wage bills become unaffordable, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58649432">clubs can go under</a>.</p>
<p>There is hope though. Since we began our recent our analysis, the first of its kind in women’s professional sport, England’s female footballers have continued to inspire new interest <a href="https://www.arsenal.com/news/il-makiage-partners-arsenal-women">and investment</a>. We discovered areas of serious concern – but also strengths in the women’s game which <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-english-womens-football-could-become-a-billion-pound-industry-and-where-the-money-comes-from-to-make-it-happen-209754">can be built on</a>. </p>
<p>After <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/raising-the-bar-reframing-the-opportunity-in-womens-football/annex-b-methodological-note">the independent review led by journalist Karen Carney</a> paved the way for much needed change, our research tells us the situation is more precarious than the WSL may have realised. It is now vital that the league heeds Carney’s recommendations, learns from others’ mistakes and ultimately chooses a sustainable path with room to grow. </p>
<p>Women’s football in England has enormous potential – but the players, the fans and the people who govern the game should know that a much stronger economic basis throughout the league has become an urgent requirement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211767/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Philippou is affiliated with the RAF FA.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Beth Clarkson is a leadership and workforce development consultant to the Premier League and holds academic positions at both the University of Portsmouth and University of Liverpool.</span></em></p>Women’s Super League clubs face troubling levels of debt.Christina Philippou, Principal Lecturer, Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of PortsmouthBeth Clarkson, Football Consultant & Visiting Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Governance in Women's Football, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2117982023-08-21T15:34:36Z2023-08-21T15:34:36ZLionesses can return home with pride – but here’s what the FA needs to do to win with the stars of the future<p>England reached the 2023 Women’s World Cup final but couldn’t overcome a Spanish side who were tactically intelligent and dominant in possession, losing 0-1. </p>
<p>But vocal support for the Lionesses was unwavering as the minutes counted down and devastation looked increasingly likely. Watch parties across the country on Sunday morning were full of passion. </p>
<p>Fans roared when goalkeeper Mary Earps saved a potentially game-killing second-half penalty and held their breath when star performer Alex Greenwood received medical attention. Support of England’s World Cup journey has been phenomenal.</p>
<p>As my colleagues and I have recently found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795211041024">from research</a>, greater visibility for the women’s game leads to more scrutiny – and more pressure on those in charge. </p>
<p>Those in leadership positions in women’s football at the Football Association should now turn their attention to building on this support, keeping interest in women’s football high – and most importantly, giving England’s women the best chance of going one step further at the next World Cup and the one after that. </p>
<h2>Winning with kids?</h2>
<p>The Spanish team was defined by their youth – they were the <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/2023-womens-world-cup-final-spain-vs-england-by-the-numbers">youngest team</a> to reach a Women’s World Cup final since 1995. But England were a young team too. Their average age of just under 26 years makes them the <a href="https://theathletic.com/4567465/2023/06/01/england-womens-world-cup-squad-stats/#">youngest England squad</a> to reach a major tournament since 2009. </p>
<p>On the face of this, it seems that both countries have a bright future as these players develop in experience. But the best national teams in the world are <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/world-cup-now-is-spain-or-england-better-set-up-for-long-term-success">consistently successful</a> at youth as well as senior levels. </p>
<p>This demonstrates the strategic importance of a talent pipeline, and with it the quality of talent identification and player pathways in the domestic women’s game. The Spanish women’s team are current holders of the under-20 Women’s World Cup title and have won the last two under-17 Women’s World Cup tournaments. Spain star Salma Paralluelo has won both these competitions, and now the World Cup too. </p>
<p>Many of the women in England’s team have stories of adversity overcome on their path to become professional footballers: <a href="https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/health-fitness/millie-bright-mary-earps-fun-facts">low wages</a>, travelling to <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2022/Jul/06/england-womens-beth-mead-grassroots-story-20220607">remote training facilities</a> and <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/inside-savvy-lionesses-plan-bs-30735315">working multiple jobs</a>. Making the path to becoming a Lioness smoother and focusing on developing young talent will be vital. </p>
<p>Keeping girls playing football is the first step. Before the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 win, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/chloe-kelly-lionesses-girls-football-association-pe-lessons-b2137347.html">only 63% of schools</a> in England offered equal access to football for both boys and girls. Following an <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12664938/england-women-pen-open-letter-to-government-calling-for-all-girls-to-be-allowed-to-play-football-at-school">open letter</a> from the tournament-winning England squad, the government pledged equal access. England’s injured captain Leah Williamson recently published a book aimed at persuading girls to keep following their passions. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">England player Leah Williamson introducing her new book “You Have the Power.”</span></figcaption>
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<p>The second step is ensuring the structures that girls play in best supports a senior career in professional women’s football. Training environments vary a lot between clubs, but girls in club academies will generally train once or twice a week and play up to one competitive fixture each week. </p>
<h2>Investing in youth</h2>
<p>This is a far cry from the men’s game, where boys will train and play far more regularly. They receive high quality sport science support to help them train effectively. The long-term strategy of the <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/youth/EPPP">Premier League’s elite player performance plan (EPPP)</a> has improved the quality and consistency across audited men’s academies over the past ten years to become a world-class youth development system. </p>
<p>While the levels of investment might be vastly different, there are strategic principles that the women’s game can learn from the men’s.</p>
<p>Shortly before the Women’s World Cup, the Football Association announced 20 club licenses were being awarded to some Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship clubs under a new player pathway named <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2023/Apr/28/FA-Professional-Game-Academy-licenses-awarded-to-twenty-clubs-as-part-of-revamped-player-pathway">FA professional game academies</a>. These will replace the current Women’s Super League academies. </p>
<p>Clubs have been awarded either a category one license, meaning that the FA will support the development of two age groups, or a category two licence (one age group supported). </p>
<p>The revamped pathway offers some youth level consistency at the very top. It is a fantastic step in the right direction to support high-performing players who come from the FA’s <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/england/youth/womens-talent-pathway/Emerging-Talent-Centres">Emerging Talent Centres</a> into women’s academy football. But with only 20 clubs signed up, my fear is that this investment and change doesn’t go far enough.</p>
<p>My latest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-10-2022-0088">research</a> with colleagues shows women’s football in England is <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/a-crossroad-for-womens-football-new-study-reveals-critical-concern-for-leagues-finances">at a crossroads</a>. Revenue is increasing – but so is debt. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-review-of-womens-football-published#:%7E:text=fully%20professional%20environments-,Former%20England%20and%20Great%20Britain%20footballer%20turned%20pundit%20Karen%20Carney,broadcast%20slot%20for%20women%27s%20football">Strategic improvements</a> to domestic governance, commercialisation and financial sustainability are needed. But as well as improving the professional game, more attention must be paid to the youth system. </p>
<p>Unless there is an overhaul of the youth development system in the women’s game, stories of adversity in our Lionesses will continue – and our ability to consistently produce international tournament-winning squads at youth and senior levels will by no means be a given.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211798/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Beth Clarkson is a leadership and workforce development consultant to the Premier League and holds academic positions at both the University of Portsmouth and University of Liverpool. </span></em></p>To maintain the Lionesses’ achievements go one step further at future world cups, English football needs to invest in girls playing at academy level.Beth Clarkson, Football Consultant & Visiting Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Governance in Women's Football, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2105502023-08-20T20:04:26Z2023-08-20T20:04:26ZJust the beginning: 7 ways the Women’s World Cup can move the dial on women’s sport forever<p>So, that’s it then. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosted on Australian and New Zealand soil for the first time, came to an end on Sunday night as Spain beat England 1-0 in the final, after the Matildas lost 2-0 to Sweden on Saturday to finish fourth, their best ever result.</p>
<p>On top of the historic result, the Matildas captured the hearts of a nation. They broke television streaming records, with the semi-final match against England becoming the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/17/matildas-re-write-history-books-as-semi-final-smashes-tv-ratings-records">most-watched program</a> since the current rating method was established in 2001.</p>
<p>Jubilant scenes erupted at live sites, pubs and homes across the nation. One viral video even captured a flight full of international travelers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2023/aug/13/the-moment-a-plane-full-of-passengers-erupts-over-the-matildas-win-except-one-video">tuning in mid-air to watch the Matildas’ penalty shootout</a> against France.</p>
<p>The Women’s World Cup has also delivered an estimated <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/fifa-womens-world-cup-matildas-create-7-billion-boost/64a76441-124c-480e-8b65-bcb84119290c">A$7.6 billion boost</a> to the Australian economy.</p>
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<p>Through countless instances such as these, we’re experiencing not just a great sporting moment, but a great cultural one too.</p>
<p>But, as anyone in and around women’s football knows, the Women’s World Cup needs to be more than a four-week football festival.</p>
<p>It needs to move the dial on the treatment of, and investment in, women’s sport, including with the following big-ticket items.</p>
<h2>1. Celebrate and extend the cultural shift</h2>
<p>The “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235791144_France_Media_Coverage_of_the_Athens_Olympic_Games_by_the_French_Press_The_Olympic_Games_Effect_in_L'Equipe_and_Le_Monde">Olympic Games effect</a>” often sees coverage of women’s sports increase during the Olympics, where people are cheering on not their usual men’s or women’s teams, but their country.</p>
<p>But the Women’s World Cup has generated something incredible: women inspiring girls, women, boys, and men with feats that simultaneously position gender front and centre and inspire changing attitudes around the skills, capability, and value of girls and women.</p>
<p>Encouraging and continuing this cultural shift will be equally, if not more, game-changing.</p>
<p>For starters, it will ensure young girls have idols to look up to – which women’s football greats such as Brazil’s Marta <a href="https://keepup.com.au/news/womens-world-cup-news-scores-broadcast-details-brazil-france-panama-jamaica-italy-argentina-south-africa-sweden">missed out on</a>. </p>
<p>We must cement such a shift with good policy and investment to promote further inclusion. This should have implications beyond sport, including extending to improving women’s representation in boardrooms.</p>
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<h2>2. Acknowledge no single event can fix everything</h2>
<p>In speaking about AFLW, but in a sentiment equally applicable to football, sports journalist Neroli Meadows noted that <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/television-boom-for-womens-football-20160331-gnvewc.html">one day the concept of women not being able to play football</a>, or their playing being seen as a novelty, will be as foreign a concept as women not being allowed to vote.</p>
<p>The 2023 Women’s World Cup has gone at least partway to achieving that normalisation.</p>
<p>But it’s imperative not to overplay what the team and the tournament have brought. No single sport event can <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/business-and-human-rights/publications/fifa-2023-womens-world-cup-human-rights-risk">neatly address all gender equality issues</a> (we’ve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2019.1575262">heard such optimism and hype</a> around women’s sport and its gender-equality-advancing ability before).</p>
<p>So while it’s important to celebrate the wins, it’s equally important to recognise the tournament isn’t the endgame but an important next step.</p>
<h2>3. Use the data to align value with investment</h2>
<p>Until recently, the absence of investment in women’s football and the failure to broadcast matches meant the resulting data have only ever shown us what women’s football is not.</p>
<p>That lack of data is also <a href="https://www.codesports.com.au/football/world-cup/why-fifa-is-standing-its-ground-on-tv-rights-valuations-for-the-2023-womens-world-cup/news-story/f4b8b51eac305c20778cb816ed30717e">why broadcasters were able to lowball FIFA</a> when it was trying to sell the 2023 Women’s World Cup broadcast rights. It’s also why Channel 7 was able to secure the rights to screen 15 matches <a href="https://www.mediaweek.com.au/sevens-best-buy-womens-world-cup-rights-james-warburtons-bargain-matildas-score/#:%7E:text=Reports%20have%20speculated%20that%20Optus,rights%20to%20screen%2015%20matches">for just A$4–5 million</a> (since described as “the deal of the century”).</p>
<p>It’s likewise why women’s football hasn’t been considered important enough <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/reason-not-all-fifa-womens-world-cup-matches-are-on-free-to-air-tv/7f4svhq7z">to warrant inclusion under anti-siphoning laws</a>, which facilitate events of national significance being broadcast on free-to-air television to ensure maximum accessibility.</p>
<p>That cannot be allowed to happen again. The astonishing viewership data and record ticket sales must be leveraged into real commercial and gender-equality change possibilities.</p>
<h2>4. Invest in gender-specific research and gear</h2>
<p>A spate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries extinguished the tournament dreams of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-05/acl-injuries-see-best-footballers-miss-2023-womens-world-cup/102318716">some of the world’s top women’s footballers</a>. </p>
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<p>Oft-cited research confirms women are <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/sports-injuries-gender">up to eight times more likely</a> to suffer ACL injuries than men. But there remains little women-specific research into ACL injury causes, much less prevention. Addressing this glaring absence is urgent.</p>
<p>This is symptomatic of wider issues around research overlooking women. For example, it was only last week that the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/08/menstrual-discs-may-be-better-for-heavy-periods-than-pads-or-tampons-study">world’s first study into period product absorption that used actual blood</a>, not saline or water, was released. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-much-of-what-were-told-about-gym-exercises-and-resistance-training-is-from-studies-of-males-by-men-205753">New study: much of what we're told about gym exercises and resistance training is from studies of males, by men</a>
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<p>The need to address other barriers is similarly important. For example, poorly fitting kits contribute to a high attrition rate for girls and women from sport. A <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/news-events/news/vu-teams-up-with-puma-on-sport-uniform-recommendations">Victoria University study</a> confirmed what most girls and women already knew: done well, uniforms imbue comfort and confidence. But done poorly, they cause discomfort and self-consciousness and can put girls off wanting to continue sport.</p>
<p>Girls and women want flexibility and self-determination in uniform selection, and shorts and T-shirt options rather than skirts or dresses. Also, breathable dark material that masks sweat – so we should get rid of white shorts.</p>
<p>There’s also a glaring need to consider kits beyond outfield players: women referees remain overlooked. </p>
<p>Likewise, women’s goalkeeper kits have been <a href="https://keepup.com.au/news/matildas-goalkeeper-kit-mackenzie-arnold-mary-earps-england-nike/#:%7E:text=Kit%20manufacturer%20Nike%20opted%20against,their%20kits%20designed%20by%20Nike">unavailable for purchase</a> this Women’s World Cup, despite many ‘keepers nation-inspiring defensive efforts. If ever there were something that summed up how women’s football simultaneously excels while being thwarted, this is it.</p>
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<h2>5. Appoint women to senior positions, but avoid the 'glass cliff’</h2>
<p>England coach Sarina Weigman was the only woman coach in the final four, and women remain a long way from holding apex positions such as the president of FIFA.</p>
<p>This tournament needs to open the door for women to be making decisions for women’s sport.</p>
<p>At the same time, we need to be measured and sustainable in the approach we take. We need to steer clear of the “glass cliff” <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00433.x">phenomenon</a> – where women are awarded senior positions only during tumult and the men who usually hold those roles are abandoning ship. </p>
<p>Establishing solid, steady training and mentoring programs and networks is a must.</p>
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<h2>6. Pay them properly</h2>
<p>Providing <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/a-matildas-public-holiday-won-t-fix-football-s-funding-failures-20230813-p5dw6l.html">a public holiday</a> if the Matildas were to have won the final is all well and good. But there remains one key missing element for them, as it is for all women’s sports: pay and prize money commensurate with their contributions and talent.</p>
<p>Having achieved pay parity in 2019 and now earning base payments and bonuses for progressing to the knockout stages, the Matildas are in a slightly better position than their netball peers the Diamonds. The latter <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-just-won-the-netball-world-cup-why-isnt-there-room-for-multiple-womens-world-cups-in-our-sports-media-211413">won the netball World Cup</a> last week but received no pay and no bonuses for their efforts.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-just-won-the-netball-world-cup-why-isnt-there-room-for-multiple-womens-world-cups-in-our-sports-media-211413">Australia just won the netball world cup. Why isn’t there room for multiple women’s world cups in our sports media?</a>
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<p>However, FIFA Women’s World Cup prize money, still a fraction of the men’s prize money, remains the elephant in the room. Total prize money for this year’s women’s tournament was <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-much-will-the-winners-of-the-womens-world-cup-take-home/8atcu9phr">US$110 million</a> (A$165 million), while the total for the 2022 men’s edition was US$440 million (A$688 million). </p>
<p>FIFA has paid lip service to achieving prize money parity in coming years, but there’s little to stop it getting there now — especially off the back of record ticket sales.</p>
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<h2>7. ‘Correct the internet’</h2>
<p>Women’s contributions have traditionally been devalued or overlooked (a phenomenon known in science as the “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/285482">Matilda effect</a>”). This has happened across many domains, including women’s football.</p>
<p>For example, often the historical record has seen football records such as the world’s leading international goalscorer misattributed to men. This is actually Canadian forward Christine Sinclair, having scored 190 international goals, not Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s scored 123.</p>
<p>Former New Zealand international footballer Rebecca Sowden has launched a campaign to “<a href="https://www.teamheroine.com/correct-the-internet#:%7E:text=So%20Team%20Heroine%20created%20Correct,just%20a%20couple%20of%20clicks.">correct the internet</a>”, aided by a gender-bias-correcting approach <a href="https://blog.google/products/search/how-were-making-it-easier-to-find-results-on-womens-sports/?fbclid=IwAR0avwymBtqZBrxIHxisBxxvSWgSrt9tnv0y1JFt6ZuMT1GiC7hv4cuqNS0">Google announced</a> in July.</p>
<p>Efforts such as this aim to accurately place the women at the centre of this cultural and sporting revolution, appropriately affording them their place in history.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210550/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Crawford has worked in and around football for more than a decade, including having previously worked for Football Federation Australia/Football Australia.</span></em></p>We’re experiencing a great sporting and cultural moment. But the Women’s World Cup needs to be more than a four-week football festival.Fiona Crawford, Adjunct Lecturer at the Centre for Justice, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2116812023-08-18T04:32:05Z2023-08-18T04:32:05Z‘Wouldn’t want to be on any other team’: the queer joy of watching the Matildas at the ‘outest’ World Cup ever<p>When we sat down with friends to watch the Matildas take on England, the two of us played it cool through the pre-match period, as if this was a game like any other. </p>
<p>There was the usual chatter while the mascots ushered our now familiar Matildas onto the field. But at half-time – three pizzas and a bottle of viognier in – we were a little subdued and trying to find distraction.</p>
<p>To mask our own anxiety, we found ourselves commenting on the tension observable in others: the stadium crowd oddly tamped down, the ashen face of Australia’s coach Tony Gustavsson. </p>
<p>We rose as one when Sam Kerr delivered her sensational goal in the 63rd minute, but not long after that the game was over. Our girls huddled down and then took the mandatory lap of honour, stunned and wide-eyed as if they, too, were unable to take in what had just gone down. </p>
<p>We are still coming to emotional terms with the 3-1 result. But the matches on the field weren’t the only World Cup story we were interested in. In our group chat and on social media, another game was taking place: queer DIY commentary on the <a href="https://www.autostraddle.com/2023-world-cup-gay-players/">outest World Cup ever played</a>.</p>
<p>In this virtually expanded world, the Matildas can never lose. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/connection-camaraderie-and-belonging-why-the-matildas-could-be-making-you-a-sports-fan-for-the-very-first-time-211526">Connection, camaraderie and belonging: why the Matildas could be making you a sports fan for the very first time</a>
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<h2>Queer women talking</h2>
<p>While women have long been associated with gossip, the World Cup has given this <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/gossip-was-a-powerful-tool-for-the-powerless-in-ancient-greece">ancient form</a> of political and psychological processing a queer twist. </p>
<p>Watching the games and talking about the Matildas is one thing, but the online alt-commentary on the game has been a joy – even for those with little prior relation to social media or, truth be told, sport.</p>
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<p>The barrier to entry is low: you can start with the group chat. Ours began organically with six fellow researchers of queer popular culture and media with varied attachments to football. </p>
<p>Our running commentary kept pace with the on-field action and included selfies at games and venues – but it chiefly focused on queer subtextual and para-athletic details such as height of knee socks, brow styling, headbands and ribbons.</p>
<p>Anyone still struggling with the outcome of Wednesday’s match might find solace, as we did, in learning about the children’s book that accompanies the <a href="https://www.who.com.au/hayley-raso-hair-ribbon">ribbon Hayley Raso was originally gifted by her grandmother</a> to match her jerseys. </p>
<p>That’s the kind of thing lady-amateurs process while the professional commentators beam in on the corporate media channels. They talk about the on-field action, while we tap into the expansive alternative universe of queer social media commentary.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/felt-alienated-by-the-mens-game-how-the-culture-of-womens-sport-has-driven-record-matildas-viewership-211524">‘Felt alienated by the men’s game’: how the culture of women’s sport has driven record Matildas viewership</a>
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<h2>Learning the code</h2>
<p>Our chat has been wide-ranging and quizzical as some of us learn the new code.</p>
<p>It has shifted between pure sports commentary – fuelled by our Angel City FC expert, who has a side hustle as a <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/angels-international-a-2023-womens-world-cup-weekly-digest/id1697636848">queer sports podcaster</a> – and non-FIFA-approved content sourced from TikTok and Instagram as others like us caught on to the magic of the tournament. </p>
<p>We knew we weren’t alone when comedian <a href="https://twitter.com/Brocklesnitch/status/1689201301027229696?s=20">Bec Shaw asked why</a> other sports communities weren’t more like ours: up-to-date with game strategy and player performance histories, but also invested in the soapy off- and on-screen melodrama. </p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@penrithpanthers/video/7267896472358735122?_r=1&_t=8etnIBtIztx">Penrith Panthers</a> and a huge number of other mainstream clubs came online with their reactions. Under their club social media accounts, these teams demonstrated their unequivocal, unquestioned passion for elite sports performance outside of their own codes and genders. </p>
<p>In this respect, they were in line the rest of the world, fully under the spell of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/16/womens-world-cup-gay-players-lgbt/">Matildas’ version of queer authenticity</a>.</p>
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<p>As queer viewers, our emerging expertise was not limited to the play. </p>
<p>We began trawling through the <a href="https://wosochart.github.io/TheWosoChart/">now infamous “woso chart”</a> (“woso”, of course, short for women’s soccer), modelled on the <a href="https://the-l-word.fandom.com/wiki/The_Chart">relationship chart</a> from The L Word, which maps all the intimate relationships, breakups and rumours (aka replays and substitutions) between players. </p>
<p>But, like game plans, diagrams can’t capture the real life drama. For that you need to turn to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@brooke22blm/video/7261540065082363144?_r=1&_t=8egIZGHyHv0">Brooke’s TikTok serial</a> where she lesbian-splains the intricacies of girl-on-girl attachments to a sweet young hipster who believes they are all just friends.</p>
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<p>One of the beautiful things about this World Cup has been the diverse engagements of fans around elite team sport and all its dimensions. </p>
<p>As comedian <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=696463095638285&set=a.160115612606372">Mel Buttle captured beautifully</a>, these virtual and actual conversations about women’s sport between friends, colleagues and strangers were unimaginable only a few years ago. </p>
<p>It has been queerly thrilling to be at the centre of this global shift – and to understand that all the feelings we have had along the way have been shared at scale with people we mistakenly think are not like us.</p>
<h2>Queer closing fixture</h2>
<p>There are not many moments in everyday life where you see euphoria and despair in such painfully close proximity, as we did on Wednesday night.</p>
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<p>As one of us said from the house in Tempe where we were babysitting a next-generation sports star while his two mums were making the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/police-detain-two-men-after-railway-box-cut-causing-matildas-train-chaos-20230817-p5dx5r.html">overlong journey back from Homebush</a>, “It feels like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/mar/03/partying-v-politics-has-sydney-worldpride-found-the-right-balance">World Pride</a> is over.” </p>
<p>But here’s the good news. It’s not. After the final whistle, the cameras find Kerr. She puts it straight into the top corner for queer Australia with her powerful proclamation, “Wouldn’t want to be on any other team”. </p>
<p>Nor would we. We can’t imagine this World Cup without our virtual team huddle.</p>
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<p>It’s not too late to join us. The third-place playoff will be the <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@chuckchuckcharlie/video/7266886505124171051?_r=1&_t=8etlY5A2p17">“gayest” FIFA final ever</a>. </p>
<p>Just pick up your devices and come find us in the virtual dugout, where <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@3a_skating/video/7266528856264199426?_r=1&_t=8eto1JlBAQL">pop cultural crossovers</a> keep the Matildas effect forever in play. </p>
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<p><em>Thanks to our chat-buddies Cherine Fahd, Annamarie Jagose, Sarah Kessler, Alice Motion, Maddy Motion and Karen Tongson, who all play for <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/our-research/centres-institutes-and-groups/sydney-social-sciences-and-humanities-advanced-research-centre.html">SSSHARC FC</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211681/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lee Wallace receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victoria Rawlings receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. </span></em></p>Like the rest of Australia, we have been following the world cup with growing emotional intensity. From the group chat to TikTok, the online alt-commentary on the game has been a joy.Lee Wallace, Professor, Film Studies, University of SydneyVictoria Rawlings, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2115242023-08-16T20:06:00Z2023-08-16T20:06:00Z‘Felt alienated by the men’s game’: how the culture of women’s sport has driven record Matildas viewership<p>Wednesday night saw the end of the Matildas’ nation-gripping FIFA Women’s World Cup pursuit, losing 3-1 to England in the semi-final in Sydney.</p>
<p>While it was an emotional finish to Australia’s exciting run, the match only further highlighted the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/13/matildas-world-cup-shootout-tv-audience-likely-the-biggest-since-cathy-freeman-race">record-breaking audiences experiencing the fan culture</a> of women’s football.</p>
<p>This fandom has a notably different flavour from traditional men’s sports fan culture, and could be the defining legacy of the tournament.</p>
<h2>A space for all</h2>
<p>Women’s football, and most women’s sports, allow space for different fan cultures to come together in a safer and more inclusive environment.</p>
<p>These cultures have been developed over time by those who have felt excluded by traditional sporting environments that can promote toxic elements of masculinity and require fans to behave in particular ways.</p>
<p>Fans in many male sporting cultures are expected to have a prior knowledge, understand rules and intricacies of the game, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.smr.2018.12.003?casa_token=YMUIrh1mKoYAAAAA%3AC8y47h7mAl7y9xYkZGJpFJWb7sWIp-jQ7LTZUtAaKCoiWWu13RkczFTdCm3ji3YHNFnG5UrJzh1hfS8">wear particular merchandise</a> and use specific language to show support. If fans don’t comply with these set behaviours, they can feel like they don’t belong.</p>
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<p>Research has shown this is a particularly <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ssj/25/4/article-p516.xml">complicated experience</a> for women. To fit in and feel part of men’s sporting fan culture, they have to modify parts of their gender identity.</p>
<p>Women’s sports create an environment where fans can come as they are, not as who they think they should be. This welcomes everyone to the game, especially people who might have previously <a href="https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/kb/sexuality-and-gender-perspectives-on-sports-ethics#sex_and_gender">looked at sport and thought it wasn’t for them</a>.</p>
<h2>A history of exclusion</h2>
<p>It is no accident these spaces are welcoming, and speaks to the history of active exclusion women have faced in football.</p>
<p>Women’s international football took off in Australia in <a href="https://scholarly.info/article/book_author/marion-stell/">the mid-to-late 1970s</a>, with the first recognised game between Australian and New Zealand. <a href="https://theconversation.com/gorgeous-goal-getters-1970s-media-coverage-of-soccerettes-was-filled-with-patronising-sleaze-208953">Coverage was scarce</a>, and even when it was present, it was often sexist and demeaning.</p>
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<p>The timing of this growth of the game is no coincidence, aligning with the FA’s (English Football Association) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jun/13/how-the-fa-banned-womens-football-in-1921-and-tried-to-justify-it">lifting of the 50-year ban of women’s football in England</a>. The FA didn’t have the power to ban women from playing entirely, so in 1921 it ruled that women’s games couldn’t be played on FA-affiliated grounds.</p>
<p>This hindered the development of football not only in the UK, but around the world, as other nations echoed similar positions.</p>
<p>That there was an international team representing Australia in 1979 is credit to the women, and supportive men, <a href="https://sirensport.com.au/interview/women-in-boots-and-the-story-of-the-79ers/">who built spaces for women and girls to play</a>.</p>
<p>In creating new clubs, teams, and competitions, they created environments demonstrating values that were the opposite of those that had previously excluded them.</p>
<h2>Fans returning to the sports they love</h2>
<p>These welcoming cultures aren’t exclusive to football. Many women’s sporting clubs in Australia have played key roles in contributing to the growing audiences that elite codes are experiencing today. Women’s sporting codes aren’t just attracting new fans but are also re-engaging fans formerly lost to sport.</p>
<p>Research I conducted into the <a href="https://textjournal.scholasticahq.com/article/37823-how-the-aflw-fan-space-has-created-new-fan-narratives-in-alternative-storytelling">developing fan culture of the AFLW</a> found many fans came to women’s Australian rules football because they were interested in the code but felt alienated by the culture of the men’s game.</p>
<p>Fans shared that AFLW offered a more inclusive culture, and they didn’t have to navigate how to support athletes accused of domestic violence or sexual assault and fear racist or homophobic language. Fans also felt they could do things <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-29/aflw-fans-not-loyal-to-one-particular-team/101578318">such as change teams and support multiple teams</a>. People were fans of the competition more broadly and also wanted to generally support women playing the sport they love.</p>
<p>These findings aren’t just bound to Australia. There were distinctly different fan experiences at the men’s and women’s European Football Championships held in 2021 and 2022. Both finals were played in England and featured the hosts.</p>
<p>The men’s final was marred by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/03/england-fan-disorder-at-euro-2020-final-almost-led-to-deaths-review-finds">fan violence, altercations with police</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/racism-in-sport-why-it-comes-to-the-surface-when-teams-lose-164413">racism</a>, while the women’s competition presented a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/26/such-a-joy-viewing-parties-for-womens-euros-score-with-football-fans">safe, friendly and inclusive environment</a>, .</p>
<p>Fans of women’s sport around the world are rejecting traditional masculine norms of sports fandom, and developing a counter fan culture.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/racism-in-sport-why-it-comes-to-the-surface-when-teams-lose-164413">Racism in sport: why it comes to the surface when teams lose</a>
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<h2>Inclusive supporter groups</h2>
<p>Trailblazing volunteers, administrators, coaches and athletes built these spaces for women and non-binary folk to play. But there are also passionate fans on the ground continuing to drive the fan culture.</p>
<p>One group bringing the noise this Women’s World Cup is <a href="https://www.matildasactive.com/home">Matildas Active Support</a>, which states “inclusivity is at our core”. The group coordinates meet-ups pre and post-match, leads chants at the games and brings fans together on social media. The group welcomes <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-16/meet-matildas-active-supporter-group-creating-safe-space-fans/102472952">everyone to their events</a>, whether that be singing at the top of their lungs or quietly taking it all in.</p>
<p>Diverse fan support like this adds to the <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jsm/37/2/article-p102.xml">family-friendly</a> atmosphere at women’s football, where families with children feel more comfortable to attend, and women in particular <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/two-women-attended-a-matildas-game-alone-both-left-with-a-new-friend-20230804-p5du1h.html">feel safe to attend matches alone</a>.</p>
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<h2>Fans the legacy of this world cup</h2>
<p>It’s important women athletes are visible in the media to show the next generation what is possible, and the Matildas are definitely achieving this. But the visibility of fandom and the culture that surrounds women’s football is just as crucial to drive women’s sport forward.</p>
<p>This Women’s World Cup is an opportunity for stakeholders to learn more about the different ways fandom is experienced, and how to connect with diverse fans to continue to grow the audience beyond the tournament and in other women’s sports.</p>
<p>What’s been clear over the last month is that record numbers of women’s football fans have rejected traditional masculine forms of sporting fandom for more inclusive, safe, and friendly expressions.</p>
<p>These fans have been seen. They now must be heard to continue to build on this momentum for women’s sport.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211524/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kasey Symons consults to and conducts research for a number of organisations across Australia. Her research has received funding from organisations including the Victorian Government, and national and state sport governing bodies including the Australian Football League and its clubs and the National Rugby League. Dr Symons is also one of the co-founders of Siren: A Women in Sport Collective.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Bowell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fans of women’s sport around the world are rejecting traditional masculine norms of sports fandom, and developing a counter fan culture.Kasey Symons, Postdoctoral research fellow, Swinburne University of TechnologyPaul Bowell, PhD candidate researching digital technology, women’s sport and sociomaterial perspective, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2115262023-08-15T20:03:41Z2023-08-15T20:03:41ZConnection, camaraderie and belonging: why the Matildas could be making you a sports fan for the very first time<p>With over seven million Australians hooked onto the world cup viewing, many who have never really been interested in sports have recently found themselves screaming at the TV, cheering in pubs and hugging complete strangers.</p>
<p>Have you found yourself in this new legion of sports fans, and wondering how you got here?</p>
<p>It is likely down to many factors. There is of course the incredible talent on display, the <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/world-cup-2023-matildas-captain-sam-kerr-gives-prized-gameworn-top-to-young-fan/b9e35f75-6d11-4148-af3a-ac3cd0c95c0c">kindness</a> players are showing on and off the field, and women and girls relating to players <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-15/matildas-world-cup-sam-kerr-mary-fowler-inspire-diverse-fans/102713288">who look like them</a>.</p>
<p>But it is also to do with the visibility and exposure of the game; the influence of our families and friends; the ways we are hardwired for connection; and the addictive nature of neurotransmitters.</p>
<p>Like many Australians, we will be sure to not miss tonight’s game when Australia plays England in the semifinal – but first, here’s a look at all of these new emotions you may be experiencing.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-handing-out-their-own-flyers-to-sell-out-games-how-the-matildas-won-over-a-nation-211338">From handing out their own flyers, to sell-out games: how the Matildas won over a nation</a>
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<h2>The social contagion</h2>
<p>With Australia as a host nation – and the incredible success of the Matildas – there has never been more visibility and focus on women’s football in Australia. </p>
<p>Positive emotions and behaviours are contagious. Psychologists refer to “<a href="https://positivepsychology.com/emotional-contagion/">emotional contagion</a>” or “social contagion”, which describes how emotions, attitudes and behaviours spread through groups and crowds. </p>
<p>In general, people just want to feel good! We enhance that feeling by forming positive social connections with other humans, sharing in a common experience, having a common goal and putting aside our differences. </p>
<p>Being on the same side means we have something to share and celebrate in and, more importantly, someone to do it with. </p>
<p>You’re likely feeling like you are part of something greater, and that has us all reaching for more by getting together to watch the next game.</p>
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<p>Another reason you might find yourself getting behind the world cup is everyone loves a good story – and this competition has them in spades.</p>
<p>This world cup has had its share of ups and downs: superstar Sam Kerr’s injury; the crushing low of defeat to Nigeria; the high of the must-win-game against Canada; the electric edge-of-your-seat drama of the penalty shootout against France. </p>
<p>We all share in these highs and lows.</p>
<p>Sports can help <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11110513">create positive social cohesion</a> by bringing people together. There is something very comforting about winning or losing as a group - whatever the result, we aren’t doing it alone! </p>
<p>Sports <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-sport-can-break-down_b_7927724">breaks down barriers</a>, forms <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11110513">pro-social bonds</a> and <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/north-and-south-korea-have-shown-us-the-unifying-power-of-sport/">helps people unite</a> through a common goal. We get lost and escape into a world of togetherness, which feels great! </p>
<p>The ability to laugh, cry or hold hands with people (both strangers and friends) in nervous moments is felt deep in our body. It is undeniable, palpable and reinforces our connectivity. These heightened emotions fast track our sense of belonging to a group. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, there is something very primitive going on deep in the brain that may explain this phenomenon.</p>
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<p>Our brains <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-are-wired-to-connect/#">are wired</a> to work in groups or tribes. Historically, working together towards a common goal improved our ability to survive.</p>
<p>In a contemporary setting, when we belong to groups we unite through the notion of achieving a common vision. The “self” blends with the social. We evaluate our environment and look for links of commonality to achieve social harmony. </p>
<p>This comes back to the notion of feeling good. When you are sharing a sporting event – watching together or talking about it after – you are sharing a safe space you can relate, engage and belong to.</p>
<h2>Shared experiences</h2>
<p>The reality of what sports can do to unite and change the way we connect is palpable through this world cup. </p>
<p>We are all sharing a common experience which enables us to talk to complete strangers at the bus stop, on the train and when we are ordering our coffees at the local café. </p>
<p>This shared experience enables us the confidence to strike up new conversations: sharing our pride, our fears and our emotions. </p>
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<p>We fast track our connections with people through sharing our vulnerabilities. Connections that could generally take years to form are happening in seconds. The moments to form those connections are more frequent as the success of our team continues. </p>
<p>Matilda’s defender Claire Hunt <a href="https://www.matildas.com.au/video/230810huntpresser">spoke</a> of the collective belief the team has in their abilities. This collective belief has spread out from the team and their diehard supporters to become a source of national pride.</p>
<h2>We belong</h2>
<p>Sports creates a connection to something greater than yourself, an ability to ride the highs and lows of a team as you journey with them for the entire match! </p>
<p>Notice the feeling of your heart beating through your chest (and that feedback coming through your smart watch as the high pulse rate alert is screaming at you!); feeling like you want to vomit and cry from the anticipation; the <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/oct05/mirror">tensing of your muscles</a> during every attempt at goal.</p>
<p>Through Australia’s collective love, support and excitement behind the Matildas, we are in the process of forming our identity and becoming part of a family. </p>
<p>We relate to people, we connect to people, we belong. </p>
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<p>These feelings have powerful effects on our wellbeing. Belonging <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203148211-19/role-emotion-engagement-coping-development-motivational-resilience-ellen-skinner-jennifer-pitzer-heather-brule">enhances self-esteem</a>, improves <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213499186">psychological and behavioural functioning</a>, and improves <a href="https://psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2019/june/making-sense-of-belonging">the quality and meaning</a> of our lives. </p>
<p>As our energy starts to rise, we begin to release <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/happy-hormone">positive endorphins</a> such as serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline. Dopamine <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-to-pleasure">enhances</a> our feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. Adrenaline <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/adrenaline-junkie">makes you feel alive</a>. These neurotransmitters increase our sense of wellbeing.</p>
<p>They are addictive and we are left feeling that we want more. </p>
<p>Even as a newly minted fan, you are now part of the Matilda’s family and they’re counting on the Aussie social contagion to push through those cramping muscles, tired bodies and sweaty palms. </p>
<p>You are about to be a part of history and those neurotransmitters won’t want to miss it for the world!</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-protect-your-voice-while-barracking-for-the-matildas-and-how-to-treat-a-hoarse-voice-after-211499">5 ways to protect your voice while barracking for the Matildas – and how to treat a hoarse voice after</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211526/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Have you found yourself liking sport for the first time and wondering how you got here? Here’s what might be going on – and why it might be the best thing for your wellbeing.Sarah Tillott, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross UniversityDiarmuid Hurley, Lecturer, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2113382023-08-11T08:01:13Z2023-08-11T08:01:13ZFrom handing out their own flyers, to sell-out games: how the Matildas won over a nation<p>As the Matildas prepare for their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup sudden-death quarter final against France, they have become the hottest sporting property in the country. For example, formerly uninterested major media just days ago <a href="https://sport.optus.com.au/news/womens-world-cup-2023/os61076/matildas-record-shirt-sales-helicopter-fifa-womens-world-cup-2023">hired a helicopter</a> to spy on one of the team’s training sessions.</p>
<p>The expensive, paparazzi-style move was designed to gather exclusive footage of the team, particularly of injured Matildas captain Sam Kerr.</p>
<p>That conservative media was going to such lengths to gain footage of the team speaks volumes of the starkly different landscape the current Matildas are operating in, and the evolution of a team that’s gone from few resources and relatively anonymity to equal pay and national treasure status.</p>
<h2>No longer an afterthought</h2>
<p>More people watched the <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/fifa-womens-world-cup/matildas-set-new-tv-ratings-record-while-sinking-denmark-in-fifa-womens-world-cup-c-11520596">Matildas’ Round of 16 match against Denmark</a> on Channel Seven, the highest rating show of the year to date, than watched the men’s NRL and AFL grand finals last year.</p>
<p>Channel Seven is also <a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/channel-7s-extraordinary-matildas-decision-for-world-cup-quarterfinal/news-story/ddd00fa51e40971c940f720be2ad9f0d">delaying Saturday’s news bulletin</a> to broadcast the Matildas’ quarter final, while the AFL will be broadcasting the match in the stadium before the men’s West Coast Eagles versus Fremantle derby.</p>
<p>This is all particularly interesting given <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-03/fifa-boss-threatens-women-world-cup-blackout/102295974">FIFA had to castigate broadcasters for undervaluing the broadcast rights</a> in the tournament lead-up.</p>
<p>What’s more, Matildas jerseys are <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/football-australia-celebrates-landmark-fifa-womens-world-cup-and-record-breaking-success">outselling the Socceroos’ jerseys by two to one</a>. It’s worth remembering they were unavailable to buy until recent years because manufacturers didn’t deem there to be a market for them.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fans-are-finding-out-just-how-disappointing-merchandise-for-womens-football-is-211248">Fans are finding out just how disappointing merchandise for women's football is</a>
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<p>More than 1.7 million tickets have been sold, exceeding FIFA’s stretch target of 1.5 million. And the total crowd figure record of 1,353,506 set in 2015 <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/womens-world-cup-attendance-record-exceeded-last-16-2023-08-06">had been surpassed</a> with 12 games to spare.</p>
<p>That’s a far cry from the Matildas’ early years, when players had to produce and hand out flyers to try to attract people to watch their games, or phone television stations and beg them to broadcast matches. When the team travelled to the 2003 world cup, not a single journalist turned up to the airport press conference.</p>
<p>It’s also quite the contrast from the traditional media coverage approach that relegates women’s sport to an afterthought. A <a href="https://news.usc.edu/183765/womens-sports-tv-news-coverage-sportscenter-online-usc-study">30-year study</a> of women’s sports coverage, published in 2021, determined major media generally adopt a “one and done” approach: a box-ticking exercise, providing a token women’s sports story before a succession of in-depth men’s sports stories.</p>
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<h2>So, how did we get here?</h2>
<p>It was 1988 when the intrepid Matildas ventured out to their inaugural “world cup” – a pilot tournament FIFA only staged after <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20190626-ellen-wille-mother-women-football-norway-fifa-world-cup-france">concerted pressure</a> from other organising bodies and women footballers themselves. </p>
<p>There were some significant changes considered or implemented – ones that would not have been tabled for the men’s game. Matches were truncated from 90 to 80 minutes; there was some patronising discussion of whether women would play with a <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/fifa-women-s-world-cup-official-history-fifa/book/9781787393530.html">smaller ball</a>; and with the tournament absent any true FIFA badging, the players had to pay $850 each for the privilege of participating. They pulled that fee together by fundraising through lamington drives, car washes, and casino nights.</p>
<p>Still, the Australian team quickly made history by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=466728760806708">defeating Brazil</a> in an upset victory in the tournament’s first match, setting the tone for an upwards trajectory.</p>
<p>However, the 1995, 1999, and 2003 tournaments were not, by the Matildas’ own standards, considered breakout successes. A harsh red card for Sonia Gegenhuber in the team’s first group-stage match against Denmark in 1995 cruelled the team’s chances from the outset. And 1999 saw <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-26/meet-alicia-ferguson-cook-matilda-wwc-record-fastest-red-card/102272428">Alicia Ferguson awarded the fastest red card in history</a> for an ill-timed tackle two minutes into the game against China.</p>
<p>The Matildas’ sustained upward course arguably began in 2007. The World Cup that year was the first womens’ tournament for which SBS broadcast all the games. It also became the first time the Matildas <a href="https://www.matildas.com.au/news/day-westfield-matildas-made-history-2007-fifa-womens-world-cup">progressed to the knockout rounds</a>.</p>
<p>Although laundry and internet costs weren’t yet covered, that era also marked the beginning of the players receiving (albeit nominal) daily allowances and playing contracts of up to approximately A$10,000. Administrators were able to leverage that 2007 success into the establishment of the W-League (now renamed the A-League Women’s), the domestic semi-professional football league that helped the Matildas become the first Australian team (women’s or men’s) <a href="https://www.matildas.com.au/news/westfield-matildas-win-afc-asian-cup">to win the Asian Cup</a>. It’s also a development pathway for the current Matildas.</p>
<p>2011 marked the emergence of the Matildas’ “golden generation”, with then-youthful players Caitlin Foord and Sam Kerr attending their first Women’s World Cup.</p>
<p>All the focus has been on Kerr in recent years, but at the time, Foord was tipped to be the player to watch, and was named the tournament’s best young player.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fifa-womens-world-cup-professional-women-athletes-are-still-fighting-for-equitable-sponsorship-209781">FIFA Women’s World Cup: Professional women athletes are still fighting for equitable sponsorship</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Striking for pay parity</h2>
<p>To understand the groundbreaking success the Matildas are now experiencing, we must look at the lonely stand they took across the road from governing body Football Federation Australia’s office in 2015.</p>
<p>They were off contract, unpaid, and without medical insurance. Now lapsed, they had been on contracts of around A$22,000 a year: in the ballpark of Australia’s poverty line.</p>
<p>So the Matildas went on strike for two months to draw attention to the imperiled nature of their footballing careers, which demanded full-time, elite-athlete commitment and results, but with part-time, amateur pay.</p>
<p>The headlines that followed encapsulated the exasperation many felt (and still feel) at the inequity women athletes experience. This included the <a href="https://junkee.com/the-matildas-have-gone-on-strike-because-oh-my-god-can-we-just-pay-them-properly/65061">Junkee headline</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Matildas Have Gone on Strike Because, Oh My God Can We Just Pay Them Properly?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Matildas achieved <a href="https://www.matildas.com.au/news/historic-cba-close-footballs-gender-pay-gap">pay parity</a> with the Socceroos in 2019, but the groundwork for that achievement was laid with that 2015 strike.</p>
<p>The year 2017 also marked an important moment in the team’s evolution. It was when the team <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/sep/12/matildas-break-new-ground-as-fans-scramble-for-tickets-on-resale-market">sold out Penrith Stadium</a> with a then-record crowd of about 17,000.</p>
<p>The crowd figure signalled there was an engaged audience and market there – it had just been under-catered for.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fifa-womens-world-cup-gender-equity-in-sports-remains-an-issue-despite-the-major-strides-being-made-209778">FIFA Women's World Cup: Gender equity in sports remains an issue despite the major strides being made</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Fast forward to 2019. Off-pitch distractions imperilled the Matildas’ group-stage world cup results. The team was steered through the tournament by temporarily installed coach Ante Milicic, after incumbent coach Alen Stajcic had been sacked for reasons still not entirely clear.</p>
<p>With the rise of European nations that had invested heavily in women’s football, Australian football had stood still. The Matildas’ opening loss against debutantes Italy put the team under pressure. However, the players then produced the “Miracle of Montpellier”, winning 3-2 against superstars Brazil to salvage their tournament – before being bundled out by Norway on penalties in the round of 16.</p>
<p>This year, the media’s initial focus was on Kerr’s troublesome calf and then late substitution decisions by coach Tony Gustavsson. Under pressure following a shock loss to minnows Nigeria, the Matildas recorded a resounding 4–0 victory over reigning Olympic champions Canada.</p>
<p>Now, in a few pressure-filled hours, Australia’s most successful football team have the potential to make history: to progress to the semi finals for the first time ever.</p>
<p>A win would see Matildas’ media coverage and fandom enter uncharted, euphoric territory. But with record crowds, viewership, and merchandise sales, and with several of their players now household names, in many ways the Matildas will already have won before they even set foot on the pitch.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211338/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Crawford has worked in and around football for more than a decade, including having previously worked for Football Federation Australia/Football Australia.</span></em></p>Whatever happens in the quarter final against France, in many ways the Matildas have already won before they even set foot on the pitch.Fiona Crawford, Adjunct Lecturer at the Centre for Justice, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2114132023-08-11T04:11:49Z2023-08-11T04:11:49ZAustralia just won the netball world cup. Why isn’t there room for multiple women’s world cups in our sports media?<p>With the Matlidas progressing to the quarter finals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Australia’s sports media is focussed on this global mega event and the <a href="https://enlighten.griffith.edu.au/will-gender-equality-be-the-legacy-of-the-2023-fifa-womens-world-cup/">potential it has</a> to change the women’s game.</p>
<p>Broadcast numbers are <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/fifa-womens-world-cup/matildas-set-new-tv-ratings-record-while-sinking-denmark-in-fifa-womens-world-cup-c-11520596">setting records</a>, stadiums are packed, Matildas jerseys are <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/the-key-money-metric-where-women-outshine-the-men-20230717-p5dox1">flying off the shelves</a> and the media is paying attention.</p>
<p>But why aren’t Australia’s netballers afforded the same media focus? On August 6, the Australian Diamonds <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-07/australia-wins-back-netball-world-cup-send-brazill-out-on-high/102695996">won the Netball World Cup</a> for the 12th time with a 61–45 victory over England in Cape Town.</p>
<p>While some Australians celebrated this moment in the early hours of Monday morning, many sports fans would have been unaware the final was even happening among the level of coverage the football is currently receiving.</p>
<p>One contributing factor was time zones. The recent netball world cup was held in South Africa, and Australian audiences suffered from an unpalatable time difference. </p>
<p>However the specific challenges traditional women’s sports encounter within the greater complexities of the women’s sports world cannot be ignored. </p>
<h2>Barriers for traditional women’s sports</h2>
<p>Australian netball has seen <a href="https://supernetball.com.au/news/ssn-breaks-season-crowd-record">recent growth</a> in broadcast and ticket sales. The 2023 final of Australia’s professional netball league was the <a href="https://www.mediaweek.com.au/2023-suncorp-super-netball-season-breaks-viewership-records-across-foxtel-and-kayo/">most watched</a> Super Netball match ever on Foxtel. And yet the media attention afforded to netball pales in comparison to women’s sporting codes aligned with traditional men’s sports. </p>
<p>At the FIFA world cup, the sports media is showcasing the thriving and inclusive fan culture, the history of women’s football and stories from grassroots and community football. </p>
<p>These stories offer a point of difference to men’s football and highlight obstacles overcome compared to the men’s code. </p>
<p>The narratives of progress for women’s football demonstrate a “dream finally being realised” and a bridging of historical gaps. </p>
<p>For netball, there are no comparative narratives to tell. While there is <a href="https://www.ammna.com.au/">men’s netball</a> and a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-30/australian-mens-netball-team-return-to-court-four-years-on/101487782">national men’s netball team</a> in Australia, the history of netball as a sport designed for women provides a perception it does not experience the same challenges as other women’s sports playing “catch up”.</p>
<p>Netball is taken for granted and is largely out of mind for sports media. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/gorgeous-goal-getters-1970s-media-coverage-of-soccerettes-was-filled-with-patronising-sleaze-208953">‘Gorgeous goal getters’: 1970s media coverage of ‘soccerettes’ was filled with patronising sleaze</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Netball and Australian sport culture</h2>
<p>Netball was <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0952336052000314593">historically</a> designed for women and girls based on the original rules of basketball adapted to suit the “ideal qualities” placed on women in the late 19th century. </p>
<p>The sport removed dribbling to limit physical exertion and maintain appropriate dress standards, ensured no contact, restricted movement on the court and, at certain periods, <a href="https://sirensport.com.au/netball/5-moments-in-the-history-of-netball-you-may-not-know-about/">enforced silence</a> on participants.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=807&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=807&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=807&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1015&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1015&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542246/original/file-20230811-25-g5255y.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1015&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Schoolgirls playing netball in 1923.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+280/1/42/137">State Library South Australia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unlike the global game of football, netball remains popular only in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2022.2178768">a handful</a> of Commonwealth countries.</p>
<p>Netball has the <a href="https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZjJkNzA5MmEtZTJmNy00NGRjLWJiNWUtNTljNTVhYmU2MGZlIiwidCI6IjhkMmUwZjRjLTU1ZjItNGNiMS04ZWU3LWRhNWRkM2ZmMzYwMCJ9">highest participation rate</a> of any team sport for women and girls in is Australia. Most Australian women are directed to and encouraged to play netball at some point in their lives. </p>
<p>Despite this prevalence, there has been <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2023.174977">little research</a> on netball, the game’s origins and cultural significance in Australian sporting culture.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-good-temper-and-pluck-to-fierce-international-rivalry-the-story-of-netball-94408">From 'good temper and pluck' to fierce international rivalry: the story of netball</a>
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<h2>Women’s sports media coverage</h2>
<p>Coverage for women in sport consistently makes up <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X1114000117">less than 10%</a> of the overall sports media coverage in Australia. </p>
<p>Even with no live sport during the height of the COVID pandemic, men’s sport stories <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2021.1925724">still dominated</a>. </p>
<p>Despite netball’s popularity and high participation rates, a study of nine Australian newspapers’ coverage of the 2017 Super Netball season revealed <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1329878X18798696">only 4.58%</a> of total sports media coverage was dedicated to the sport.</p>
<p>The most coverage the game generates is when it is in crisis: the 2020 controversy surrounding the competition’s only Indigenous player at the time, Jemma Mi Mi, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/sep/22/super-netball-queensland-firebirds-jemma-mi-mi-indigenous-round">not given court time</a> in the league’s Indigenous round, despite featuring in the marketing; Netball Australia’s <a href="https://www.espn.com.au/netball/story/_/id/34140246/netball-australia-confirms-huge-financial-loss">financial position</a> and subsequent <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-24/netball-australia-hancock-prospecting-explainer/101569486">proposed sponsorship</a> with Hancock Prospecting; and the folding of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/may/25/collingwood-to-withdraw-from-super-netball-at-end-of-2023-season">Collingwood Super Netball Team</a>. </p>
<p>The Australian domestic netball competition is arguably the best in the world and attracts the world’s best netballers. But if not for independent women’s sport and dedicated netball media platforms, passionate freelancers and champions driving netball coverage at their mainstream media mastheads, it’s sobering to think where that 4.6% of coverage would sit.</p>
<p>While more Matildas become household names, few could name the Diamonds co-captains, Steph Wood and Liz Watson, and know Wood has <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/more-sports/steph-wood-announces-retirement-from-international-netball/video/80d297a659566ef03fa769d390399de9">just retired</a> from international competition . </p>
<p>Few are discussing the fact World Netball does <a href="https://www.codesports.com.au/netball/netball-world-cup-2023-diamonds-players-will-get-no-pay-and-no-bonus-despite-winning/news-story/27c84d3a502d0554432a9c7a739a7b5e">not offer prize money</a>, and what the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-19/athletes-heartbroken-vic-commonwealth-games-cancelled/102615610">current uncertainty</a> of the Commonwealth Games means for athletes who do not have their sport included in the Olympics. </p>
<p>As we reflect on the exciting gains this global mega event can offer women’s football, and the stories which are being told about the barriers these players have faced in a traditionally male sport, we must also reflect on what barriers exist in other women’s sports.</p>
<p>Netball plays an incredibly powerful role in connecting many women to sport in Australia. Media coverage is important to continue to celebrate the athletes at both a grassroots and a professional level. But it also has an important role to play in calling attention to the challenges and change netball needs to continue to drive the code forward alongside other developing professional women’s sports.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-world-cup-five-issues-holding-back-the-female-game-209358">Women's World Cup: five issues holding back the female game</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211413/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kasey Symons consults to and conducts research for a number of organisations across Australia. Her research has received funding from organisations including the Victorian Government, and national and state sport governing bodies including the Australian Football League and its clubs and the National Rugby League. Dr Symons is also one of the co-founders of Siren: A Women in Sport Collective.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bess Schnioffsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>On August 6, the Australian Diamonds won the Netball World Cup for the 12th time – but it received a fraction of the coverage the Matildas are getting.Kasey Symons, Postdoctoral research fellow, Swinburne University of TechnologyBess Schnioffsky, PhD Candidate, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2112482023-08-10T16:25:33Z2023-08-10T16:25:33ZFans are finding out just how disappointing merchandise for women’s football is<p>England goalkeeper Mary Earps was named <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mary-earps-lionesses-world-cup-30656656">player of the match</a> in England’s victory over Nigeria in the Fifa Women’s World Cup. She has played a <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team/squad/mary-earps">key role</a> in England’s recent successes, not just at the World Cup but in previous tournaments. Her performances have <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-08-07/fans-petition-over-england-goalkeepers-shirt-tops-33000-signatures">made her a hero</a> to her fans. </p>
<p>But Earps’ fans are unable to emulate her by wearing a replica of her goalkeeper shirt: it is not being <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12320083/England-star-Mary-Earps-blasts-Nike-hugely-hurtful-decision-not-goalkeeper-shirt-sale-Womens-World-Cup-not-available-Euro-2022.html">put up for sale</a> by team kit manufacturer Nike. Earps has said that her goalkeeping shirt not being available to buy is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66263104">“hurtful”</a>, and a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/stand-with-us-in-support-of-mary-earps-and-all-female-goalkeepers-around-the-world">petition by fans</a> calling for the shirt to be produced has reached over 35,000 signatures. </p>
<p>We are <a href="https://www.sportbusiness.com/2022/09/katie-sveinson-umass-what-do-women-sport-fans-want-fan-clothing-that-doesnt-suck/">currently researching</a> the availability of kits for women’s football fans, together with colleague <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/staff_profiles/WSU/doctor_jess_richards">Jess Richards</a>. The merchandise and clothing available to female fans and male fans of women’s teams is often limited, undesirable or just not available.</p>
<p>Female fans have expressed dissatisfaction with merchandise offered in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.smr.2018.12.003">varying shades of pink</a>. A women’s Manchester United shirt with a low neckline produced in 2015 was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-33759788">criticised for sexualising fans</a>. </p>
<p>Or women may feel obliged to buy a shirt that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.smr.2018.12.003">doesn’t fit them</a> if women’s cuts (shirts made to fit the shape of a female torso) of men’s team shirts are unavailable. </p>
<p>Here, we’ve looked at the kits women can buy on the official online stores for six teams to explore some of these issues.</p>
<h2>World Cup clothing</h2>
<p>The official online store for England football kits currently highlights the women’s home kit on their <a href="https://www.englandstore.com/en/">home page</a>. Fans can buy a men’s cut – a shirt fitted to the shape of a male torso – of the Lionesses’ shirt, including personalised versions with player names on. </p>
<p>But female fans have fewer items available specifically for them in the store. There are no women’s fit versions of the men’s national team jersey. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1642753797087989760"}"></div></p>
<p>The same is <a href="https://boutique.fff.fr/fr/france-national-team-women/t-47051587+ga-68+z-993655-482366522">true for France</a> – men can buy a men’s fit of the women’s team kit, but there is no women’s fit of the men’s team jersey currently available. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://shop.irelandfootball.ie/collections/kits">their official online shop</a> the Republic of Ireland offer women the women’s national team jersey in two different fits. They do also have the women’s national team goalkeeper kit for sale. However, the men’s team shirts are available in both long and short sleeved versions, but the women’s team shirts only come with short sleeves. </p>
<p>The online store for <a href="https://www.canadasoccerstore.com/en/">Canada Soccer</a> also features the women’s kit prominently, but the high-end “authentic jersey” is only available for the men’s team, and only in men’s sizes. A women’s fit of the men’s jersey is not available at all. </p>
<p>US soccer fans hoping to emulate women’s team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher are currently only able to buy <a href="https://store.ussoccer.com/collections/shop-by-player-1-naeher">outfield shirts</a> with her name on it on the official kit website. The only goalkeeper jersey on offer is for the men’s national team and it is only available in a men’s fit. The store has many more items for men than for women, even for products replicating the women’s national team kit.</p>
<p>In 2020 in Australia the away version of the Matildas’ kit, produced by Nike, was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/23/ffa-to-make-womens-cut-available-after-matildas-kit-release-mistake#:%7E:text=FFA%20to%20make%20women%27s%20cut%20available%20after%20Matildas%20kit%20release%20mistake,-This%20article%20is&text=The%20new%20Matildas%20away%20kit,on%20shelves%20until%20next%20year.">not initially available in a women’s cut</a>. <a href="https://shop.footballaustralia.com.au/collections/kits">Football Australia</a> now has equal availability in terms of the replica jerseys and there are more items for women than for men. But the replica shirts that are currently available for the men’s team are only offered in men’s sizes. </p>
<p>Buying merchandise and especially <a href="https://www.sportbusiness.com/2022/09/katie-sveinson-umass-what-do-women-sport-fans-want-fan-clothing-that-doesnt-suck/">replica shirts is important to fans</a>. It is a way to show loyalty to a team and helps to develop a sense of identity. </p>
<p>The fan clothing worn by women can affect whether they feel they are considered as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2020.1809380">“authentic” fans</a>. Sporting culture continues to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-sports-world-is-still-stacked-against-top-women-175462">dominated by men</a>. </p>
<p>Subtle differences in how women’s sport is treated, such as those we have found here, show that <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-sports-world-is-still-stacked-against-top-women-175462">women are still disadvantaged</a>. It is important that fans continue to push for equal opportunities on and off the pitch.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211248/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Beth Clarkson consults on leadership and workforce development for the Premier League and supervises sports management projects for the University of Liverpool.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katie Sveinson and Keith Parry do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The merchandise and clothing available to fans of women’s teams is often limited, undesirable or just not available.Keith Parry, Head Of Department in Department of Sport & Event Management, Bournemouth UniversityBeth Clarkson, Senior Lecturer in Sports Management, University of PortsmouthKatie Sveinson, Assistant professor, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2083612023-08-09T14:15:34Z2023-08-09T14:15:34ZWomen’s World Cup: why are there so few female coaches in football?<p>The enthusiasm and excitement surrounding the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023">Women’s World Cup</a> – fielding a record 32 teams – shows that women’s football is in a healthier state than ever.</p>
<p>According to the FA’s women’s and girls’ football <a href="https://www.thefa.com/news/2022/nov/08/inspiring-positive-change-women-girls-football-strategy-update-20220811">strategy update</a>, across all levels the number of registered female players in England increased by 17% between October 2021 and 2022, while there was a 30% increase in the number of female teams. The number of female referees has increased by 21%, and female coaches have risen by a whopping 75%.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62339532">women’s Euros</a> final in July 2022 enjoyed a sell-out 87,000 crowd at Wembley – and a TV audience of 17.4 million – to see England win its first major trophy since the men’s World Cup in 1966. The FA <a href="https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/">Women’s Super League</a> (WSL), which turned professional in 2018-19, is now shown live on a weekly basis by both Sky Sports and the BBC. And the women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley in May – when Chelsea beat Manchester United – drew a record domestic crowd of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65564608">77,390</a>.</p>
<p>In Spain, Barcelona are setting the standard for world record attendances, with 91,648 fans watching their Women’s Champions League game against Wolfsburg in April 2022. A few weeks earlier, 91,553 fans turned up to see El Clásico – the much-anticipated fixture against their big rivals, Real Madrid.</p>
<p>However, only 12 of the 32 countries that have been competing in the Women’s World Cup are coached by women: England, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland, Brazil, China and Panama.</p>
<p>A similarly low number exists in the WSL, and across Europe in France and Spain. Italy, with two female coaches among ten top-division posts, and Germany, with just one of 12, fare even worse.</p>
<p>So, why is there such a dearth of female coaches in women’s football? With the female game on the up, and coaches such as current England boss <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team/squad/Sarina-Wiegman">Sarina Wiegman</a>, and Chelsea Women’s manager <a href="https://www.chelseafc.com/en/teams/profile/emma-hayes">Emma Hayes</a> now well-known faces, why is there such a problem in elite women’s football – and why does it matter?</p>
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<h2>Women need women for inspiration</h2>
<p>Many would argue there’s a need for female coaches at the top levels of women’s football to act as an inspiration for young, aspiring female coaches (and players too, of course). Any young woman considering a career in coaching might be put off by the dominance of male coaches in top roles in the women’s game.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/iscj/aop/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0007/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0007.xml">research</a> led by my NTU colleague Jyoti Gosai has suggested there are a range of factors affecting female coach recruitment, progression and retention in the UK, which combined, make this a complex issue with no simple answer or obvious solution.</p>
<p>These include (at various levels): individual confidence and knowledge; difficulty connecting with other coaches in what may still be seen to be an “old boys’ club”; male-led coach education programmes; and gender role assumptions in wider society. These myriad factors present a minefield when attempting to identify solutions to this complex issue, especially when the barriers may be insidious and hard to recognise.</p>
<p>Some of Gosai’s additional <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/iscj/aop/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0005/article-10.1123-iscj.2022-0005.xml?rskey=3hkwg0&result=1&content=abstract">research</a> explains the challenges female coaches face through the “Goldilocks dilemma”. Drawing on anecdotal evidence, many female coaches appear to encounter stereotypical gender bias through three distinct elements.</p>
<p>The first of these suggests when female coaches act in ways that are consistent with gender stereotypes (for example, when they are nurturing), they are often viewed as less competent coaches. However, when female coaches act in ways that are inconsistent with gender stereotypes – meaning assertive and decisive – they’re considered unfeminine. As such, they are never “just right”.</p>
<p>The second element relates to the high competence threshold – women coaches in elite sport face higher expected standards but lower pay than male coaches. And the final element identifies how female coaches can be perceived as competent or likeable, but rarely both. It is possible to be good but not liked, or liked but not good – but not the two together. These insights shed interesting light on the issue.</p>
<h2>A bright future?</h2>
<p>We know more girls and women are now watching and playing football. And more are refereeing and coaching. At the elite level, for the first time we now have a generation of players who are full-time professionals, just like their male counterparts. So what does the future hold for elite female coaches? </p>
<p>Some of the current crop of elite female players will naturally be expected to move into coaching when their playing careers come to an end. Young women and girls getting into football can now see a pathway – whether that’s playing, officiating or coaching, and role models are becoming highly visible at every level. Coaches such as Wiegman and Hayes are changing entrenched mindsets. Through their knowledge, skills and profiles, they are helping to show that female coaches can understand and teach the game as well as any man.</p>
<p>In early 2021, my <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-female-coaches-can-help-bring-professional-mens-football-into-the-21st-century-155529">Conversation article</a> about how female coaches can help bring professional men’s football into the 21st century suggested that women have much-needed qualities that could benefit the men’s game. This followed the story of Hayes being linked with the manager’s job of the men’s team at AFC Wimbledon, potentially becoming the first woman in men’s professional football.</p>
<p>In the end she didn’t take it, but in June 2023 this huge barrier was finally breached – Premier League side <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/01/lydia-bedford-blazes-trail-for-women-as-new-brentford-under-18s-head-coach">Brentford appointed Lydia Bedford</a>, the former Leicester City Women’s manager, as head coach of their men’s under-18 team. This was followed in July by Hannah Dingley becoming the <a href="https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2023/july/historic-appointment-for-dingley/">first woman</a> in Britain to coach a professional men’s first team, when she took up the post of caretaker manager at Forest Green Rovers. </p>
<p>One day soon, we could be seeing female coaches in the men’s game at Championship or Premier League level, as well as dominating team management at the next Women’s World Cup in 2027.</p>
<p>But for that to happen, deeply entrenched stereotypes need to be broken down. This may take time, but at least progress is being made on various fronts for the girls and young women coming through. They deserve the game’s, and society’s, best efforts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208361/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Just 12 of the 32 teams at the Women’s World Cup have female coaches. The game needs to break down some deeply entrenched attitudes to bring more women in as managers at all levels.Pete Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching, Nottingham Trent UniversityJyoti Gosai, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2088912023-08-04T13:54:29Z2023-08-04T13:54:29ZWomen’s World Cup: what still needs to be done to improve the lot of elite female footballers<p>The <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023">Fifa Women’s World Cup</a> is just 32 years old and on its eighth official edition, while the men’s competition began 93 years ago and has enjoyed 22 tournaments.</p>
<p>After the success of the 2019 WWC in France, the women’s competition has progressed to new heights for 2023 in Australia and New Zealand. There are <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49184181#:%7E:text=The%20Women%27s%20World%20Cup%20will%20increase%20from%2024,the%20process%20opens%20on%204%20October%20this%20year.">more teams than ever competing</a>, in front of the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023/media-releases/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-tm-breaks-new-records">biggest TV audiences</a>, with each player to be paid directly, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/07/fifa-2023-womens-world-cup-australia-new-zealand-fee-payments">guaranteeing prize money for the first time</a>.</p>
<p>It’s fair to assume that this Women’s World Cup is probably the most significant women’s sporting event in history, although this won’t be the last time we hear that phrase. The trajectory of women’s sport is <a href="https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/about-documentary">continually rising</a> – and arguably there has never been a better time to be involved in sport as a woman.</p>
<p>But for so long women have fought for a more equal footing within the male-dominated world of sport, and researchers have long highlighted the <a href="https://books.emeraldinsight.com/book/detail/the-professionalisation-of-womens-sport-by-ali-bowes/?k=9781800431973">lack of equality in the game</a>. So, as participation levels rise, TV viewing figures increase and sponsorship income improves year on year, we might ask: what’s left to achieve for women in football?</p>
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<p>Alongside other researchers, I have written about the <a href="https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/women%EF%BF%BDs-football-in-a-global-professional-era/?k=9781800710535">gender gap</a> in professional and elite-level women’s football in the last few years. This body of work pays attention to some key – and in many ways overlapping and interlinked – issues in women’s sport, including equal pay, injury, menstruation and maternity rights.</p>
<p>One of the most significant developments for women’s sport is the <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-80071-052-820230013/full/html">discussion on equal pay</a> in football, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14660970.2021.1977280">advanced mainly</a> by the US women’s national team.</p>
<p>This World Cup has seen the <a href="https://fifpro.org/en/who-we-are/what-we-do/foundations-of-work/collective-action-fifpro-celebrates-players-improved-women-s-world-cup-pay-and-conditions/">biggest investment of money from Fifa</a> yet: US$152m (£118m) to ensure that all players are paid and prize money is increased and on a “<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-world-cup-prize-money-equal-pay-142958181.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJkNUU2zeIuTwaYlfa4w7yVRFrmraWk2tEOmxXtg2nhBCPf4_TXou7cnjOA0R0P_y9tBH3swhVijtZ-VQd7ttQUG3k_yfwa6oIOrU2qhZeixMtHSn144AXirq_WY_GNJ71faGZz9gZ7AisV7ezmcxRfcw0wd4m9zcoXRkzj5UZTh">pathway to equality</a>” with the men’s tournament. Fifa has also ensured that standards across staffing, base camps, accommodation and travel are delivered to the same level as the men’s competition.</p>
<h2>Facilities and healthcare</h2>
<p>However, despite the starry heights reached by the qualified teams, a recent report by the world players’ union <a href="https://fifpro.org/en/">Fifpro</a> found that there remain <a href="https://fifpro.org/en/who-we-are/what-we-do/foundations-of-work/new-fifpro-report-warns-of-uneven-women-s-world-cup-qualifying-across-confederations">stark inequalities in women’s football</a> across the globe.</p>
<p>A total of 362 women across teams attempting to qualify for this World Cup were surveyed, with 70% reporting poor gym facilities, 66% reporting poor or non-existent recovery facilities, and 54% saying they were not provided with a pre-tournament medical. </p>
<p>In addition 66% players had to take unpaid leave or vacation from work and almost 33% did not receive any compensation. So there is work to be done in the elite women’s game.</p>
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<h2>Injuries</h2>
<p>Given the <a href="https://fifpro.org/media/iv2cvxt5/2023-qualifying-conditions-report_en_web.pdf">findings</a> from Fifpro on facilities, pitches and payment, it comes as no surprise that injury has become a hot topic of interest within women’s football. According to sports medicine specialists, women are <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12926431/future-of-football-why-acl-injuries-have-been-on-rise-in-womens-game-and-the-technology-and-solutions-to-fix-it#:%7E:text=Football%2Dfocused%20studies%20suggest%20women,likely%20to%20return%20after%20recovery.">six times more likely</a> to rupture their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and for this World Cup, <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-80071-052-820230013/full/html">nine of the top players</a> are <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/35730/12748748/inside-the-wsl-why-are-acl-injuries-so-common-in-womens-football">absent with the injury</a>.</p>
<h2>Gendered environment</h2>
<p>The field of sport science has been heavily criticised for its <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/wspaj/29/2/article-p146.xml?alreadyAuthRedirecting">male-dominated approach</a>, where only 6% of research looks exclusively at women. Only now are we seeing a drive to develop female-specific equipment in <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65985681">response to player concerns</a>, as scientists start to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12283-022-00384-3">address the gender imbalance</a> in sports technology.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/17/984.full">powerful piece</a> published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine highlights a gendered environment approach to understanding ACL injuries. This work describes how the social construction of gender affects the ACL injury cycle across the whole life of the athlete.</p>
<p>This includes how boys and girls learn to move (often differently) alongside inadequate training and competition environments for girls, and gendered cultural body norms – often women competing in sport are considered “unfeminine”, with athletic, muscular bodies traditionally associated with masculinity. </p>
<p>In some countries, like Brazil, for example, female players in the past have <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/equityDiversityInclusion/2012/07/the-body-image-of-female-athletes-diversity-in-sport/">struggled to be accepted in the face “cultural disapproval”</a>. It’s an interesting and useful approach that highlights the complexity of women and girls’ involvement in sport.</p>
<h2>Proper football kit</h2>
<p>Menstruation, menopause and female hormone profiles across puberty, have been thought to have some impact on <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-020-01319-3">sports performance </a>and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/03635465980260050301?casa_token=vanOJh635i8AAAAA:7K0VbM-p8AiFY-dE0RRTmWXlj9EbkMnWU-jXcq3zoGNAOf7vAVPaSr1Qkl17CgRcAHAAp4rrYptz">injury</a>. However, we’re only now seeing changes made to player uniforms – <a href="https://www.femtechworld.co.uk/news/ditching-white-shorts-only-touches-on-the-support-women-need-in-sport-say-experts/">namely no white shorts</a> – in response to player fears around menstruation and leaking, to take one example.</p>
<p>This is part of a broader shift in sportswear manufacturers finally creating women-specific kit instead of the “<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/women-s-world-cup-from-hand-me-downs-to-period-proofing-the-matildas-kits-reflect-the-evolution-of-women-s-football/ar-AA1ezeqQ">hand-me-down men’s kit” culture</a> many ex-players experienced.</p>
<h2>Women’s bodies and experiences</h2>
<p>This World Cup will see a number of players <a href="https://keepup.com.au/news/mom-squad-behind-us-quest-for-world-cup-glory/">taking to the pitch as mothers</a>. Despite the increasing number of professional women footballers, their employment rights as mothers have often been overlooked. This has led to numbers of women quitting the sport early to have children, and research has shown that players have <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.730151/full">struggled</a> to combine professional football careers with motherhood.</p>
<p><a href="https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/033101649cc3c480/original/f9cc8eex7qligvxfznbf-pdf.pdf">Fifa regulations launched at the end of 2020</a> provided players with paid maternity leave for the first time. However, we know in some cases <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.730151/full">players have concerns</a> about taking maternity leave. </p>
<p>For example, would their clubs think they are less committed to the sport? Would their bodies recover to their pre-pregnancy form? Here, access to health support and adequate facilities, as well as being properly paid, becomes key, as well as broader cultural change within the sport to normalise pregnancy and motherhood.</p>
<p>It’s clear that women’s football has never been in a better place, and the World Cup is currently a fine showcase for it, but it’s crucial that the female game to continues to strive for improvement in areas that fundamentally affect the lives and careers of its players.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208891/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ali Bowes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As participation levels rise, TV viewing figures increase and sponsorship income improves year on year, what’s left to achieve for women in football?Ali Bowes, Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Sport, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2078842023-08-03T11:47:45Z2023-08-03T11:47:45ZWomen’s World Cup: how better sports diplomacy can help women’s football grow<p>The 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup is set to be the biggest yet. Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the event is projected to have over <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/37821468/2023-womens-world-cup-ticket-sales-pass-1-million-exceeding-2019-total">a million spectators</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com.au/news/lifestyle/four-billion-eyeballs-inside-australias-enormous-world-cup-plans/">2 billion television and digital viewers</a>. </p>
<p>Fifa plans to use the event to “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14660970.2023.2214512">unlock the commercial value</a>” of women’s football. But there is a delicate balance to be struck between aims of economic growth, and the use of sports diplomacy to further gender equality, which is <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003093862-15/gendered-focused-review-sports-diplomacy-verity-postlethwaite-claire-jenkin-emma-sherry">very important</a> to a tournament such as the Women’s World Cup. </p>
<p>The cancellation of a sponsorship deal between Visit Saudi – the tourism arm of the Saudi Arabian government – and the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, for example, shows that Fifa have some way to go in finding this balance. And research <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-2023-FIFA-Womens-World-Cup-Politics-Representation-and-Management/Beissel-Postlethwaite-Grainger-Brice/p/book/9781032459035">backs this up</a>.</p>
<p>Fifa president Gianni Infantino in 2021 <a href="https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/president/news/fifa-president-advocates-sports-diplomacy-as-an-effective-tool-for-social-change">described sports diplomacy</a> as: “Harnessing the power of football to benefit society, through the teamwork of our partnerships, is sports diplomacy in action.”</p>
<p>Often happening out of the spotlight, these acts of diplomacy (which include <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17460263.2019.1667420">communication, representation and negotiation</a>) are critical for the organisers, including the international federations that sanction such events.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003093862-15/gendered-focused-review-sports-diplomacy-verity-postlethwaite-claire-jenkin-emma-sherry">Research shows</a> that sports diplomacy is particularly important when hosting an international women’s sporting event. This is because international sports organisations have traditionally been seen as an “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34361/chapter-abstract/291492779?redirectedFrom=fulltext">old boys’ club</a>” with powerful sporting administrations drawn from elite and affluent male networks. And so careful sports diplomacy is needed to navigate this environment in order to try to equalise the position of women’s events.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-world-cup-fifas-threat-to-ban-european-broadcasters-is-not-a-skilful-move-205095">Women's World Cup: Fifa's threat to ban European broadcasters is not a skilful move</a>
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<h2>Fifa’s ethical sponsorship struggle</h2>
<p>The deal with Visit Saudi <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1133238/fifa-football-australia-visit-saudi-deal#:%7E:text=%22Football%20Australia%20and%20New%20Zealand,International%20and%20Human%20Rights%20Watch.">was first reported</a> in early 2023 and quickly drew criticism around <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64979989">the discrepancy</a> between Saudi Arabia’s record on women’s rights and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2022.2117839">Fifa’s stated aim to promote gender equality</a>. </p>
<p>Saudi Arabia has been heavily criticised by the international charity <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/02/16/saudi-arabias-newest-sportswashing-strategy-sponsorship-womens-world-cup">Human Rights Watch</a> for the country’s record regarding rights of women and LGBTQ+ people. These reported actions contrast significantly with the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2021.1980780">gender progressive and inclusive underpinnings of the tournament</a> crafted by Fifa.</p>
<p>Other countries with contested human rights records have previously invested in sport sponsorship deals, such as <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2023/03/14/more-sports/rwanda-sportswashing-investments/">Visit Rwanda</a>. However, Saudi Arabia and its investment strategies in sport have been heavily scrutinised, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-24/liv-golf-saudi-arabia-and-sportswashing-adelaide/102255808">most recently around men’s professional golf</a>.</p>
<p>By March, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/womens-world-cup-saudi-arabia-sponsor-b2294950.html">New Zealand and Australia’s football federation</a> officials, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-21/sports-minister-anika-wells-athlete-voice-sponsorship-visit-saud/102112686">national government</a> officials and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/08/alex-morgan-saudi-sponsorship-transgender-rights">high-profile players</a> had voiced concern and threatened protests if Fifa was to formalise the sponsorship deal – a form of sports diplomacy in its own right.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/06/fifa-u-turn-saudi-sponsorship-womens-world-cup-football-australia">After the subsequent U-turn</a> by Fifa on the sponsorship deal, Infantino described the situation as “<a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/37637220/visit-saudi-sponsor-women-world-cup-infantino">a storm in a teacup</a>”. </p>
<p>He claimed there was a double standard, as many nations – including Australia – have longstanding trade deals with Saudi Arabia. He said: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRsXdtVPLJs">For us, [nations] are all the same</a>.”</p>
<h2>A balancing act</h2>
<p>But there’s an argument that Fifa does need to be held to a different standard when brokering economic deals, especially when it needs to expand global sponsorship to fund the growth of the Women’s World Cup.</p>
<p>For Infantino and Fifa, the Saudi deal represented economic growth and support for the women’s game. But <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003093862-15/gendered-focused-review-sports-diplomacy-verity-postlethwaite-claire-jenkin-emma-sherry">research has highlighted</a> the need for international sports organisations to better hear and listen to female voices. </p>
<p>Not considering this when exploring Saudi Arabia as a sponsor, or managing different expectations through sports diplomacy, meant the deal led not to growth for women’s football but rather a public backlash.</p>
<p>That’s why effective sports diplomacy amid a delicate balance of economic growth, claims of equality and global affairs needs to be a focus for Fifa if it is to smoothly navigate this historic journey for women’s football – and for equality. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fifa is facing a bumpy road to balancing money and moral aspects of growing the Women’s World Cup.Verity Postlethwaite, Doctoral Prize Fellow, Sport, Business and Society Research Group, Loughborough UniversityClaire Jenkin, Senior Lecturer in Sports Development, University of HertfordshireLindsay Sarah Krasnoff, Research Associate, Centre for International Studies & Diplomacy, SOAS, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2107822023-08-02T20:35:28Z2023-08-02T20:35:28ZThe upside to Canada being knocked out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540556/original/file-20230801-27-ngl6ol.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C34%2C4624%2C2897&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada’s Vanessa Gilles reacts at the full-time whistle after losing their Group B soccer match 4-0 against Australia at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, on July 31, 2023. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Scott Barbour</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-upside-to-canada-being-knocked-out-of-the-fifa-womens-world-cup" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Heading into the Canada versus Australia Women’s World Cup match on July 31, I thought about who I <em>should</em> cheer for. As a proud Canadian and supporter of our women’s team, the answer seems obvious.</p>
<p>But as an academic specializing in the intersection of sport, ethics and international affairs and in the process of developing a <a href="https://www.balsillieschool.ca/research/projects/womens-world-cup/">politics-based web resource for the Women’s World Cup</a>, the answer becomes more complicated.</p>
<p>Canada faced Australia with a chance to advance to the knockout phase at the Women’s World Cup. <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/women?dateId=ranking_20230609">Ranked seventh in FIFA</a> and <a href="https://canadasoccer.com/news/risehigher-canada-wins-historic-gold-medal-at-the-tokyo-2020-olympic-games/">the reigning Olympic champions in soccer</a>, the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team <a href="https://www.tsn.ca/canada-settles-for-0-0-draw-with-nigeria-in-fifa-women-s-world-cup-opener-1.1986491">tied Nigeria to open the tournament</a>, before a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9857309/canada-ireland-fifa-womens-world-cup/">comeback victory over Ireland</a> put them on top of the Group B table.</p>
<p>But unfortunately, the Canadians lost 4-0 to Australia, leading to their <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/worldcup/canada-australia-2023-womens-world-cup-recap-1.6922758">unexpected elimination from the World Cup</a>. Canada’s failure to progress out of the group stage is a disappointment for many.</p>
<h2>A 21st century powerhouse</h2>
<p>The Canadian women’s soccer team has represented Canada well on and off the pitch. They have been a <a href="https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/the-history-of-the-canadian-womens-soccer-team-from-mens-hand-me-downs-to-gold-medal-game">21st century powerhouse</a>, winning bronze medals at the 2003 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in addition to their 2020 gold medal. </p>
<p>Current team members such as Christine Sinclair, Kadeisha Buchanan, Janine Beckie, Ashley Lawrence and Jessie Fleming have become household names as well as <a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2023/07/31/canada-eliminated-group-b-womens-world-cup-loss-australia">stars on the global stage</a>. </p>
<p>Canada also has a relatively well-established women’s game, both in terms of participation and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9839306/fifa-womens-world-cup-canada-poll/">interest in the national team</a> compared to most countries. With the <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/stephanie-labbe-vancouver-whitecaps-bring-women-s-pro-soccer-to-canada-this-is-a">introduction of a professional league</a> slated to kick off in 2025, the future for the women’s game is bright in Canada and the influence of its top players continues to grow.</p>
<p>The national team’s collective success has also drawn significant attention to women’s sport in Canada and <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/article/quinn-earns-respect-as-leader-on-and-off-the-field-for-canada/">transgender rights in sport</a> more broadly. </p>
<p>The team’s efforts to achieve gender equity <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/article-soccer-canada-women-dispute/">by challenging Canada Soccer’s lack of support and compensation</a> also has wider implications for Canadian society, and will hopefully <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/qualtrough-minister-sport-abuse-process-1.6922513">lead to an improved soccer system</a>.</p>
<p>But the big picture implications of Canada’s loss go beyond national pride.</p>
<h2>Australian women’s soccer</h2>
<p>Like Canada, soccer is a <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/sites/ffa/files/2022-01/FA_National%20Participation%20Reports_2021.pdf">popular sport amongst women and girls in Australia</a>. The professionalization of the <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/history/aleague-women">A-League Women</a>, Australia’s women’s soccer league, provides top players with a path for pursuing professional soccer.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/19/sport/womens-world-cup-of-firsts-spt-intl/index.html">co-hosts of the first Women’s World Cup in the southern hemisphere</a>, the performances of both Australia and New Zealand could have significant implications for the future of women’s soccer.</p>
<p>If both co-hosts were to be eliminated in the group stage, it would reduce the chance to generate interest in women’s soccer and raise awareness about gender issues in sport worldwide. Considering the significance of the tournament’s location, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/07/31/sports/womens-world-cup-scores-results">having at least one home nation progress is important</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Four women in pale turquoise soccer uniforms stand with their arms around one another, looking excited" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540558/original/file-20230801-27-zixz6q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540558/original/file-20230801-27-zixz6q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540558/original/file-20230801-27-zixz6q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540558/original/file-20230801-27-zixz6q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540558/original/file-20230801-27-zixz6q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540558/original/file-20230801-27-zixz6q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540558/original/file-20230801-27-zixz6q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=486&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ellie Carpenter (left to right), Charlotte Grant, Mary Fowler and Clare Polkinghorne of Australia celebrate after winning their Group B soccer match 4-0 against Canada at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, on July 31, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Scott Barbour</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With New Zealand <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/30/football/new-zealand-switzerland-womens-world-cup-spt-intl/index.html">failing to move beyond the group stage</a>, the burden of upholding the Women’s World Cup’s legacy now rests on Australia.</p>
<p>One aspect of this responsibility is continuing to promote women’s soccer to a wider audience. FIFA, for example, has gambled on <a href="https://www.rapidtvnews.com/2023072464006/new-asia-deals-as-women-s-world-cup-kicks-off.html#axzz899sMzxwY">increased viewership across Asia</a> to <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/fifa-internal-report-warned-of-australia-new-zealand-womens-world-cup-time-zone-issues-as-infantino-threatens-blackout-12871617">offset time zone challenges</a> faced by European and North American audiences.</p>
<h2>Nigerian women’s soccer</h2>
<p>The other team to advance from Group B are the Nigerian Super Falcons, who <a href="https://apnews.com/article/womens-world-cup-ireland-nigeria-match-summary-70388c317d6258262eeab9a7b7328567">progressed after a draw with Ireland on July 31</a>. Nigeria’s pre-tournament was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/11/anger-and-recrimination-as-nigerias-world-cup-preparations-unravel">plagued by equal rights and equitable pay battles</a> with their national federation.</p>
<p>In fact, Nigerian team members <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/is-it-because-we-are-women-matildas-opponents-could-boycott-cup-opener-over-pay-dispute-20230708-p5dmpp.html">threatened to boycott</a> their opening match against Canada over the dispute.</p>
<p>Nigeria’s battle for equality happens in a country that, according to most measures, <a href="https://www.balsillieschool.ca/research/projects/womens-world-cup/#wwctables">ranks near the bottom of World Cup nations</a> (and globally) for women’s rights, opportunities, health and economic security. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black women in a black soccer uniform dribbles a soccer ball away from two white women in white soccer uniforms" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540559/original/file-20230801-23-eeb52n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540559/original/file-20230801-23-eeb52n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540559/original/file-20230801-23-eeb52n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540559/original/file-20230801-23-eeb52n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540559/original/file-20230801-23-eeb52n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540559/original/file-20230801-23-eeb52n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540559/original/file-20230801-23-eeb52n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ireland’s Ruesha Littlejohn, left, battles for the ball with Nigeria’s Antionette Payne during the Women’s World Cup Group B soccer match between Ireland and Nigeria in Brisbane, Australia, on July 31, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, Nigeria is ranked 168th in the world on the <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/thematic-composite-indices/gender-inequality-index#/indicies/GII">UN’s Gender Inequality Index</a>. They are tied for last with Haiti for the lowest index score amongst World Cup participants. </p>
<p>So, while the Canadian women’s fight for equality has more national implications, Nigeria’s women’s soccer team’s gender battles may have broader implications that reach farther beyond sport.</p>
<h2>Upsides and downsides</h2>
<p>Despite the big picture, long-term implications for Australia and Nigeria progressing in the tournament, my interest on July 31 remained on a Canadian victory. As the Australians dominated the game, I simply felt disappointment. </p>
<p>This is the most fascinating thing about sport — its layers. People watched the game from a variety of perspectives: I watched through a pro-Canadian sport fan lens; neutrals may have watched for the athletic spectacle; commercial partners hoped for favourable returns on their investments; social activists might have hoped for Nigeria to progress to change attitudes about women at home; English supporters would want the easiest knockout phase opponent to play next; and FIFA likely crossed their fingers for the co-host to win.</p>
<p>Sport can be an escape and an ideological battleground, an arena that both brings us together and creates enemies. It can be a form of play and a political tool. And with the growth of women’s soccer, the non-sport aspects of its major events will only expand — for better and worse.</p>
<p>So while the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/campaigns/football-unites-the-world">FIFA Women’s World Cup is an opportunity to “unite the world”</a> and to <a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/campaigns/football-unites-the-world/unite-for-gender-equality">“unite for gender equality” through soccer</a>, it is also a tool for political soft power, commercial investment and nationalistic fervour.</p>
<p>The upside of the World Cup is also its downside — <a href="https://balsilliepapers.ca/bsia-paper/the-significant-insignificance-of-international-sport-in-a-global-crisis/">it’s complex, tension-riddled and layered</a>. In the end, Australia and Nigeria have advanced and Canada will contemplate a future after Sinclair. But there’s still good reasons — maybe even better reasons depending on your vantage point — for Canadians to keep paying attention.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Elcombe received funding from the Balsillie School of International Affairs to support the World Cup and Global Politics project.</span></em></p>The implications of the Canadian women’s soccer team’s World Cup loss goes beyond Canadian national pride.Tim Elcombe, Professor, Kinesiology & Physical Education; Fellow, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2105282023-08-01T22:27:03Z2023-08-01T22:27:03ZWomen’s World Cup: The epidemic of ACL tears in female soccer players is about more than just biology<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540285/original/file-20230731-25-w0j3d7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3418%2C2279&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada forward Janine Beckie watches after attempting a shot during the first half of a SheBelieves Cup women's soccer match against the United States, Feb. 16, 2023, in Orlando, Fla.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/womens-world-cup-the-epidemic-of-acl-tears-in-female-soccer-players-is-about-more-than-just-biology" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Over <a href="https://twitter.com/aclwfc/status/1680694763547230208">25 of the world’s top female soccer players</a> are missing the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup because of ACL tears, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/womens-world-cup-acl-injuries-1.6904291">including Canada’s Janine Beckie</a>.</p>
<p>Female athletes are <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106099">two to eight times more likely to tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) compared to males</a>, and their odds of returning to sport within five years are 25 per cent lower. If we trust the research, we should brace ourselves for two to three ACL tears during the World Cup itself.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two blonde soccer players fight for a ball, one wearing light blue and jumping into the left shoulder of one wearing red and black" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540576/original/file-20230801-22-9l0og9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540576/original/file-20230801-22-9l0og9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540576/original/file-20230801-22-9l0og9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540576/original/file-20230801-22-9l0og9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540576/original/file-20230801-22-9l0og9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540576/original/file-20230801-22-9l0og9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540576/original/file-20230801-22-9l0og9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ellie Carpenter of Australia and Jordyn Huitema of Canada vie for the ball during Group B soccer action at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, July 31, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Scott Barbour)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Greater awareness of the ACL epidemic in women’s soccer is shedding light on gender disparities in sport and highlighting the need for immediate action to create a more equitable playing field.</p>
<h2>Dreaded aftermath of the ACL tear</h2>
<p>The ACL is a thick band of connective tissue found in the middle of the knee joint. It plays a vital role in controlling knee joint motion and telling the brain about knee position. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A medical diagram shows the location of the ACL, a ligament behind the knee cap that can tear during quick changes of direction" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540549/original/file-20230801-16682-emuheh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540549/original/file-20230801-16682-emuheh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540549/original/file-20230801-16682-emuheh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540549/original/file-20230801-16682-emuheh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540549/original/file-20230801-16682-emuheh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540549/original/file-20230801-16682-emuheh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540549/original/file-20230801-16682-emuheh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">ACL tears are dreaded due to their long recovery time and potential for reinjury.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>ACL tears typically happen with movements that involve pivoting and quick changes of direction like pressing or tackling. People usually feel or hear a pop when they tear their ACL and experience significant joint swelling within a couple of hours.</p>
<p>For athletes, the treatment of an ACL tear involves physical therapy, exercise or surgery, where the ACL is reconstructed using a piece of tendon harvested from the quadricep or hamstring muscles. <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/24/1445">Under ideal conditions, recovery from an ACL tear takes nine to 12 months</a>.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671231169199">30 per cent of female athletes who tear their ACL do not return to sport</a>, and even if they do, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967117724196">15 per cent experience a re-tear</a>. Even after treatment and returning to sport, people that tear their ACL are <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-105496">six times more likely to develop early onset osteoarthritis</a>, a degenerative joint disease characterized by pain and loss of function.</p>
<h2>Greater risk for female athletes</h2>
<p>While past research has focused on differences in anatomy, biomechanics and monthly hormonal cycles, these <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-103173">biological factors do not paint a complete picture</a> of why female athletes tear their ACL more than their male counterparts.</p>
<p>The environments in which female athletes learn and play sport also contribute to the risk. The gender stereotypes that permeate sport often undervalue females’ athletic abilities, which can lead to fewer and inferior opportunities and resources. For example, at the 2021 NCAA March Madness, male athletes had access to a full gym, while female athletes were provided with a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMkRJ2LswFp/">few light dumbbells and yoga mats</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black woman wearing a two-piece black workout set focuses as she pulls up a barbell" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540517/original/file-20230801-18-1847vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/540517/original/file-20230801-18-1847vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540517/original/file-20230801-18-1847vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540517/original/file-20230801-18-1847vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540517/original/file-20230801-18-1847vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540517/original/file-20230801-18-1847vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/540517/original/file-20230801-18-1847vx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gender stereotypes discourage women and girls from weight training, despite its protective benefits against ACL tears.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Girls and women with muscular and bulky body types are seen by some as unattractive, which can also impact access and enthusiasm for weight training. This gender stereotyping is a problem because <a href="https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-99-16">weight training is important for preventing ACL tears</a>.</p>
<p>The rapid professionalization of women’s soccer has also led to higher physical demands on female players and an increased risk of injury. However, the sporting environment hasn’t kept up, lacking resources, facilities and coaching tailored to meet the needs of female athletes. </p>
<p>Shorter, condensed seasons with match congestion combined with limited strength training programs — and in some cases limited access to skilled coaches and medical teams — further contributes to the ACL problem. </p>
<h2>Addressing the epidemic</h2>
<p>Solving this problem requires every member of the soccer community. To begin with, investing more resources and expertise into women’s soccer is crucial. This means a national professional league, pay and resource equity, investment in long-term welfare and prioritizing training opportunities for female coaches, trainers and medical staff.</p>
<p>There is also an urgent need to fund research focused on female health, injury prevention and long-term health. This research should be conducted collaboratively with players, coaches and sport federations so that everyone has an invested interest in acting on the findings.</p>
<p>We know that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101587">injury prevention warm-up programs can reduce the number of ACL tears</a> and despite <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/03/women-taking-pill-less-likely-suffer-acl-injury-study-finds">flashy misleading headlines</a> there is no evidence that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106519">contraceptives decrease the risk</a>. Every single female athlete who plays soccer, from the grassroots to professional levels, needs this knowledge so they can make informed decisions.</p>
<p>To foster lasting change and promote the health and success of female soccer players, we must confront the gender inequities that have long persisted in the sport. By showcasing the talents of female athletes in media, we can challenge gender stereotypes, demonstrate that female athletes are not lesser than their male counterparts and create more opportunities for growth. </p>
<p>Only through collective effort and a commitment to addressing all the root causes of ACL injuries in female athletes can we build a future where all athletes have an equal chance to excel in the beautiful game.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210528/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jackie Whittaker receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Arthritis Society, and Michael Smith Health Research BC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Le received funding from the Arthritis Society and Canadian MSK Rehab Research Network.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linda Truong receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. </span></em></p>Gender disparities in sport extend to injuries too. Female soccer players are at greater risk for ACL tears than males and it is clear immediate action is needed to address the non-biological factors for the injury.Jackie Whittaker, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of British ColumbiaChristina Le, Physiotherapist and Researcher, University of AlbertaLinda Truong, PhD Candidate, Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2093582023-07-26T16:43:03Z2023-07-26T16:43:03ZWomen’s World Cup: five issues holding back the female game<p>The 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup is probably the most highly-anticipated women’s football tournament ever. Part of this hype and enthusiasm might suggest that women’s football has finally “made it” and that catching up with the men’s game is just a matter of time. But there are ongoing issues that continue to jeopardise the women’s game.</p>
<p>Football is a huge part of society in many countries around the world – from the top levels of the professional leagues down to kids playing in the park – but the game is still primarily seen as a male endeavour. This influences how women’s football is organised, represented and equipped in ways that continue to restrict its success, safety and sustainability.</p>
<p>As the tournament rolls out, we want people watching and talking about it from an informed perspective. Here are five problems that women’s football is still struggling to overcome.</p>
<h2>1. Players and teams are having to fight for fairness</h2>
<p>Before the tournament began, key players from top teams such as <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/france-captain-wendie-renard-steps-back-from-national-team-in-protest">France</a>, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/explained-spain-womens-team-mutiny-why-players-resigned/blt64e6bb94121c2d5d">Spain</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/manasipathak-1/2023/06/22/canada-want-pay-dispute-resolved-before-womens-world-cup/">Canada</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/16/jamaica-accuse-federation-letting-team-down-womens-world-cup">Jamaica</a> were protesting about poor support, resourcing and coaching by either refusing to play or openly criticising their federations and <a href="https://theathletic.com/4554817/2023/07/14/nigeria-womens-world-cup-waldrum/">seeking advice from Fifpro</a>, the international players union. </p>
<p>As we have seen in the first few days, this means that many of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/20/mary-earps-angry-england-goalkeeper-shirt-womens-world-cup">key stories</a> of the tournament so far have been about the drama that is happening off the pitch, rather than the dramatic performances on it. </p>
<h2>2. Serious injuries are decimating squads</h2>
<p>Many players will be missing during the World Cup due to a disproportionately <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2023/7/3/players-missing-out-on-2023-womens-world-cup">high number of serious injuries</a> that could have been prevented. Research needs to prioritise injury prevention in female athletes, as our <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-reveals-gender-bias-in-sport-research-its-yet-another-hurdle-to-progress-in-womens-sport-196027">current knowledge is largely based on men</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63636201">Female-specific equipment</a> is also needed. The notorious anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear (in the knee) and other serious injuries decimating squads have, in part, been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/dec/17/football-boots-designed-for-women">connected to overly long studs</a> (cleats) on football boots which are designed for men. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/female-football-players-are-at-much-higher-risk-of-career-ending-acl-injuries-the-science-on-why-198121">Female football players are at much higher risk of career-ending ACL injuries – the science on why</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/27/female-players-pain-wearing-football-boots-european-club-association-study">Recent research</a> has also found that 82% of female players reported pain and impaired performance from the available footwear. New “female” football boots are <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12898271/nike-unveil-womens-led-football-boot-phantom-luna-ahead-of-2023-womens-world-cup-to-combat-injuries">becoming available</a>, but whether these are just female-branded or have substantive science-led changes in design <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/14/new-womens-football-boots-big-step-forward-or-marketing-ploy">remains unclear</a>.</p>
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<h2>3. The European broadcasting deal came too late</h2>
<p>The media broadcasting rights for five European nations, including England, were only agreed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/fifa-agrees-womens-world-cup-broadcast-deal-top-european-nations-2023-06-14/">less than six weeks</a> before the tournament began. </p>
<p>This fiasco arose from a blunder by Fifa, whose decision to decouple the men’s and women’s tournament broadcast rights was hyped to show the women’s game had “made it”. But it has proved premature and the low broadcast bids, which Fifa considered “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/sports/soccer/infantino-womens-world-cup-blackout.html">unacceptable</a>”, suggest the <a href="https://rm.coe.int/bis-factsheet-gender-equality-sport-media-en/1680714b8f">male dominated</a> broadcast media remain unconvinced women’s football has much value in its own right.</p>
<p>The delays meant broadcasters had much less time to promote the event and build audience demand and attention than they usually would for major sport tournaments. </p>
<p>It also raises questions about the quality of broadcasts that will be available, which matters because it influences audience <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110660883-017/html">perceptions</a>. Broadcast quality can either make women’s football look great or sub-standard – especially compared to the <a href="https://www.sportspromedia.com/features/womens-sport-media-tv-equality-dazn-ata-football-togethxr/?zephr_sso_ott=szwWse">men’s coverage</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Many teams have been poorly supported and prepared</h2>
<p>Many national federations have failed to provide adequate support, facilities and investment to adequately prepare teams. Coaching methods and management of some women’s teams have been <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/southafrica-jamaica-canada-nigeria-womens-30376728">heavily criticised</a>, alongside <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/sports/football/607279-fifa-womens-world-cup-super-falcons-coach-slams-nigerias-poor-preparation.html">cancellation of training camps</a> and <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/37885898/women-world-cup-players-face-vast-pay-disparities-fifpro">non-payment</a> of players’ appearance fees. </p>
<p>The England team have <a href="https://theathletic.com/4708877/2023/07/21/england-lionesses-bonuses-dispute/?source=weeklyemail&campaign=602288&access_token=7733694&redirected=1">made public their frustrations</a> with the Football Association (FA) and its piecemeal negotiations, as they learned that unlike the US and Australian teams, they will <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66087187#:%7E:text=This%2520year%252C%2520for%2520the%2520first,if%2520they%2520win%2520the%2520tournament.">not be receiving expected pay bonuses</a> on top of Fifa prize money.</p>
<p>The FA also introduced new measures to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/02/england-women-football-association-womens-world-cup">restrict their participation</a> in lucrative PR opportunities in the buildup to the tournament to ensure they were rested, only to <a href="https://theathletic.com/4708877/2023/07/21/england-lionesses-bonuses-dispute/?source=weeklyemail&campaign=602288&access_token=7733694&redirected=1">change their minds</a> when it was too late for players to take advantage. Given that international tournaments make up a large proportion of these players’ earnings, they need to know where they stand – and much further in advance.</p>
<h2>5. Same old patronising marketing strategy</h2>
<p>The marketing of the tournament has been underwhelming and over-reliant on conventional “inspiration” themes <a href="https://sport.optus.com.au/news/womens-world-cup-2023/os49371/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-official-mascot-tazuni-australia-new-zealand">aimed at young girls</a> – strategies that have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/apr/11/englands-euro-2022-triumph-had-little-impact-on-inner-city-girls-report-finds">little proven impact</a> on participation and are often seen as patronising.</p>
<p>The global branding and promotion of the women’s game is typically fixated on two ideas. First, that only young girls are interested. Second, women footballers should be presented as role models for young girls. </p>
<p>This strategy is not accurate, as it obscures the existing adult audience for women’s football. Nor is it desirable or sustainable, as it doesn’t consider attracting wider audiences – men, boys, women without children – to the women’s game.</p>
<h2>Showing support</h2>
<p>These five problems indicate why progress in women’s football should not be taken for granted. Being aware of the issues can help us look past the hype and be mindful that the game is still in a precarious position.</p>
<p>But it is important that as we watch the Women’s World Cup we talk about it with our friends, post about it on social media and show big media corporations that there is a market for women’s football.</p>
<p>Join in the social pressure campaign to get proper support for the women’s game. Momentum gained from this summer’s tournament will only be maintained if we hold Fifa, governing bodies and the media to account to replicate the high standards that women have been producing on the pitch.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The higher profile of the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the excitement around it should not fool people into thinking the female game ‘has made it’.Beth Fielding-Lloyd, Principal Lecturer in Sport Studies, Sheffield Hallam UniversityLindsey Mean, Associate Professor, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Arizona State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2100142023-07-21T09:53:30Z2023-07-21T09:53:30ZWhy does the FA give the Lionesses less social media support than England’s men? It needs to up its game for the Women’s World Cup<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538072/original/file-20230718-29-fcx261.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6042%2C3933&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fan-hand-smartphone-photographing-football-match-2154874343">Piotr Piatrouski/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>During the 2022 European Championship, The Football Association’s (FA) @England account tweeted about the women’s team 80% less than the dedicated @Lionesses account did. According to my research, the FA appears to be reserving it’s much more widely followed @England account for the men’s team – this questions the FA’s perception of the women’s team and its significance. </p>
<p>In my research, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10126902231160662">published in May</a>, I undertook a comprehensive analysis of the FA’s use of social media during the England men’s and women’s respective 2020 and 2022 European Championship campaigns.</p>
<p>I found that the FA’s current social media strategy seems to treat the @England account as the default men’s account while mostly promoting the women, albeit significantly, through a smaller, distinct profile. This needs to change if the men’s and women’s national teams are to be promoted equally.</p>
<p>This was the first study to compare coverage of men’s and women’s teams through their own governing body’s social media accounts. I analysed a total of 2,942 tweets posted to the FA’s <a href="https://twitter.com/England">@England</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Lionesses">@Lionesses</a> Twitter accounts during the two tournaments. </p>
<p>Women’s sport has witnessed significant growth in recent decades. But studies have consistently revealed disparities in the portrayal of men and women athletes by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1012690217716574?journalCode=irsb">traditional media outlets</a>. Social media has provided a way to bypass these traditional media gatekeepers, helping to bridge the gap between men’s and women’s sports. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="England women's fans holding an England flag and wearing matching bucket hats." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538075/original/file-20230718-27-vfgw7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538075/original/file-20230718-27-vfgw7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538075/original/file-20230718-27-vfgw7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538075/original/file-20230718-27-vfgw7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538075/original/file-20230718-27-vfgw7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538075/original/file-20230718-27-vfgw7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538075/original/file-20230718-27-vfgw7z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">England supporters prior to the UEFA Women’s Euro England 2022 final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-31st-july-2022-england-2184828365">Michael Tubi/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>The positives</h2>
<p>But my study found some improvements too. The FA tweeted more frequently from the @Lionesses account during the women’s competition than they did from the @England account during the men’s tournament. This shows a positive advancement in their portrayal of the women’s team and demonstrates a divergence from <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038038518797505">conventional media practices</a> that restrict coverage of women’s sports and downplays their accomplishments.</p>
<p>The tweets from the @Lionesses account portrayed the team as professional athletes, a departure from the mediated approach that <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2167479515588761">has traditionally reduced women athletes</a> to roles such as girlfriends, wives and mothers. The FA’s improved depiction of the team aligns with their efforts to rectify past missteps. These include their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/06/england-women-twitter-world-cup-mothers-partners-daughters">highly criticised tweet</a> following the 2015 World Cup that suggested that following the event, the players would return to roles as mothers, partners and daughters.</p>
<p>These findings reflect a positive shift towards more favourable and extensive coverage of women’s sports in the UK. The FA’s proactive approach during the women’s tournament signifies their awareness of this trend and their commitment to ensuring widespread access to updates and information for those interested in women’s football.</p>
<p>Despite the financial precariousness of women’s football becoming increasingly apparent during the pandemic, throughout a four-week period in July 2022 the Lionesses took centre stage. </p>
<p>My findings underscore the significant impact that sports organisations can have in promoting gender equality through their social media presence. But it also highlights the importance of equality-driven governing bodies ensuring that their social media usage aligns with their values and effectively reflects gender parity.</p>
<p><em>The FA declined to comment when approached about this story.</em></p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steph Doehler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If the FA aims to promote both their men’s and women’s national teams equally, my findings suggest they should reassess their current social media strategy.Steph Doehler, Associate Lecturer, School of Education, Childhood, Youth, and Sport, The Open UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2076862023-07-19T17:14:52Z2023-07-19T17:14:52ZBrain injuries may affect women worse than men – introduction of concussion spotters to Women’s World Cup could prove vital<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537815/original/file-20230717-224833-1nr3qo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C6%2C4486%2C2984&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kelley O'Hara of the USA playing in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup final. O'Hara was substituted for a head injury at half time. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kelley-o-hara-usa-lieke-martens-1445105285">Romain Biard/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The matches at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup will be watched by <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fifa-concussion-spotters-womens-world-cup-r5cttkbcp">concussion spotters</a> for the first time. These medical staff will attempt to identify potential concussions that may have been overlooked by the officials on the pitch. </p>
<p>The role of the concussion spotter may be particularly vital in the women’s game because there is evidence that concussion has a worse impact on women.</p>
<p>Their use at the Women’s World Cup comes after a <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-concussion-rules-may-be-putting-players-lives-at-risk-195150">similar trial</a> at the men’s competition in Qatar in 2022. However, while those in the men’s game were present at the stadium, in this tournament concussion spotters will work remotely, watching incidents on a screen, which may have an impact on their effectiveness.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/symptoms-causes/syc-20355594">concussion</a> is a traumatic brain injury that affects your brain function. Immediately after the injury, concussion can lead to dizziness, confusion, and vomiting, but it is important to remember that sometimes there may be no initial symptoms. Losing consciousness only happens in about <a href="https://www.centracare.com/blog/2022/march/hit-your-head-look-for-these-warning-signs-of-co/#:%7E:text=Only%20about%205%2D10%25%20of,and%20forth%20within%20the%20skull.">10% of conscussions</a>. </p>
<p>Concussion can have longer-term effects, too. Research suggests that repeated concussions can lead to <a href="https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/current/research-news/rugby-concussions-and-mental-health/">poorer mental health</a> and that repeated head injuries can result in <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-concussion-rules-may-be-putting-players-lives-at-risk-195150">degenerative brain diseases</a>. </p>
<p>My own research has found that people who had <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20597002221142379">experienced a concussion</a> struggled with switching between tasks more than people with no history of concussion. Task switching is important for daily life as well as in sport – it allows us to quickly adapt to different situations.</p>
<h2>Concussion in women</h2>
<p>What’s more, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0363546509332497?casa_token=PSiaYFA0CzAAAAAA%3AqrgtYGzDAB_tuxMXRIOmuxAGngTDLWF96-aukO3-EfhvTlOxhBiLSrad4aBXEB7OBefaWhUswFq4268">research has found</a> that women reported more concussion symptoms than men. Some studies suggest that it takes women <a href="https://www.sportsmed.theclinics.com/article/S0278-5919(10)00053-0/fulltext">longer to recover</a>. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/article-abstract/2779117">large-scale study</a> of teenage footballers found that concussion was almost twice as likely in girls than their male counterparts. The research also found that boys were over one and a half times more likely to be removed from play immediately. </p>
<p>In American football, the National Football League (NFL) introduced ATC (athletic trainer certified) spotters in 2012. Their <a href="https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/behind-the-scenes/atc-spotters/">primary job</a> is to alert the sideline medical staff of potential concussion. The NFL spotters are independent to ensure they prioritise the players’ health over the team’s fortunes. They cannot cover a game if they have worked full-time in the past for a team involved, and they must not have been employed by an NFL team in the past five years.</p>
<p>A 2019 <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/54/8/852/420841/Engaging-Athletic-Trainers-in-Concussion-Detection">report</a> found that the use of ATC spotters improved the real-time detection of concussed players in the NFL.</p>
<h2>Power to the spotters</h2>
<p>Since 2015, ATC spotters have the ability to stop the game with a medical time-out. This can be enforced if there is <a href="https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/behind-the-scenes/atc-spotters/">clear visual evidence</a> that a player is obviously disorientated, or if a player is trying to stay in the game and not receive medical attention. </p>
<p>The importance of this became clear when, on just the second day of the 2022 men’s World Cup, an incident showed that, even with the concussion spotter system in place, team staff were allowing injured players to continue. </p>
<p>Iranian goalkeeper <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-concussion-rules-may-be-putting-players-lives-at-risk-195150">Alireza Beiranvand</a> collided with his teammate, ultimately leading to his withdrawal from a group match against England. But first, the Iran coaching staff allowed the player the opportunity to carry on playing. Beiranvand fell over when attempting a goal kick – at which point he was finally deemed unable to continue. </p>
<p>Having independent medical staff is imperative given the pressures that club doctors are sometimes under to let a footballer play on. FIFA’s medical director <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/06/fifa-to-bring-in-concussion-spotters-for-qatar-world-cup">Andrew Massey has spoken out</a> about how difficult it is for club medics to make a decision to remove a player with a possible concussion.</p>
<p>In 2019, Massey was part of Liverpool FC’s medical staff when star player Mohamed Salah sustained a heavy blow to both head and body and was substituted. Liverpool were fighting for the Premier League title and given Salah’s importance to the team, Massey has admitted to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/06/fifa-to-bring-in-concussion-spotters-for-qatar-world-cup">possible consequences</a> of the substitution being in his mind. </p>
<p>Increased efforts to develop concussion protocols in the game is a positive step. We are increasingly learning about the significant effects of head injuries in sport, and the focus on the issue at major tournaments will help widen this understanding. The spotters will be discussed in commentary and broadcasts around the world. </p>
<p>This increased exposure should help alleviate poor attitudes towards concussion in sport. Although the current power of concussion spotters may be debatable, it is a step in the right direction. </p>
<p>As the tournament commences, the concussion spotters will have a keen eye on the players – but many people, like me, will be paying attention to the spotters, too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207686/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Walker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Football is starting to take concussion seriously – but there’s more to do.Daniel Walker, Lecturer in Psychology, University of BradfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2097542023-07-18T17:11:46Z2023-07-18T17:11:46ZHow English women’s football could become a billion pound industry – and where the money comes from to make it happen<p>A long-awaited official <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1169802/Raising_the_bar_-_reframing_the_opportunity_in_women_s_football.pdf">review of women’s football</a> in England sets out ten recommendations designed to transform and develop the sport at every level. The review, which was chaired by former international player Karen Carney, covers everything from playing standards to diversity goals and equal access to sports for girls.</p>
<p>As a whole, its aim is to create a better version of the sport that exists now, with more women and girls playing better football in a healthier environment, and more people watching and enjoying it. </p>
<p>These kind of changes will come at a price. But <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/13/review-women-football-overhaul-future">Carney predicts</a> it will be a price worth paying, and could turn women’s football in England into a “billion pound industry”. </p>
<p>Those costs though are considerable (and something I looked at as an adviser to the review on finances). Even at the grassroots level of women’s football, building and maintaining good quality pitches and changing rooms is an expensive undertaking. </p>
<p>Then at the top level of English football, the report lists some of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/raising-the-bar-reframing-the-opportunity-in-womens-football/annex-b-methodological-note">costs that will be required</a> in the Women’s Super League (WSL) (the equivalent to the men’s Premier League) and the Women’s Championship to raise standards and encourage more girls to get involved. These include a salary floor for players, mental and physical health provisions, and dedicated marketing resources.</p>
<p>For each WSL club, those costs are estimated at an extra annual spend of £441,000. Yet according to publicly available accounts, the average income for those clubs was £1.9m last year. For some it was as low as £101,000. So where will they find the money?</p>
<p>The good news is that there are plenty of signs of growing <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-womens-football-can-avoid-being-corrupted-when-more-money-comes-its-way-188185">income in the women’s game</a>. And the review’s recommendations around professionalism, broadcasting, and fan engagement will help to use that extra income effectively.</p>
<p>As with the men’s game, football income tends to come from three main sources: match-day (tickets and hospitality), commercial (sponsorship), and broadcasting. Match-day is already growing, and the 2022-23 season has seen record attendance for the <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/36996/12702478/arsenal-women-4-0-tottenham-women-record-wsl-crowd-sees-vivianne-miedemas-double-help-gunners-to-victory">WSL</a>, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-women-champions-league-emirates-wolfsburg-b2328809.html">Women’s Champions League</a>, and the <a href="https://www.thefa.com/news/2023/may/14/vitality-womens-fa-cup-record-crowd-sue-campbell-20231405">Women’s FA Cup</a>. </p>
<p>But maintaining this level of interest itself costs money, because healthy match-day attendance comes from good fan engagement. Better stadiums, dedicated marketing teams, and “support liaison officers” to engage with fans are all recommended in the review.</p>
<p>It also encourages women’s teams affiliated with men’s Premier League sides to play in the club’s main stadium. Arsenal’s women’s team for example, currently play some of their matches at the Emirates, which seats 60,704 spectators, and some at Meadow Park, which holds 4,500. </p>
<p>Not all matches can be held in huge stadiums though, as running costs are high and a full stadium is widely considered to be more atmospheric. But the grander facilities tend to have better facilities for fans, are more accessible by public transport and encourage club supporters to watch the women’s teams.</p>
<p>This is where the recommended marketing teams come in, because big stadiums require large crowds to be effective, and people need to know about upcoming matches if they are going to consider buying tickets.</p>
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<p>Other fans who choose to watch at home are behind one of the other big sources of football income: broadcasting. The current deal for the WSL was a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56459754">groundbreaking</a> one in terms of coverage (up to 66 matches) and income (£8 million a year). But more will be required to cover the costs recommended in the review. </p>
<h2>Show me the money</h2>
<p>The issue here was highlighted in the recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-world-cup-fifas-threat-to-ban-european-broadcasters-is-not-a-skilful-move-205095">dispute between Fifa and broadcasters</a> over showing the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Even broadcasters in European countries with strong support for women’s football were offering less than 10% of what they were willing to pay to show the men’s World Cup.</p>
<p>This was despite encouraging signs for televising games. There was a <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1169802/Raising_the_bar_-_reframing_the_opportunity_in_women_s_football.pdf">9% increase in WSL viewership in 2022-23</a> compared to the previous season – a strong rise given that some of it is only available on subscription TV. And streaming service DAZN <a href="https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/uefa-womens-champions-league-2022-23-dazn-youtube-viewership-group-stages/#:%7E:text=2022%2F23%20group%20stages%20saw,through%20DAZN's%20main%20subscription%20platform">reported a 42% increase in viewership</a> for women’s Champion’s League matches. </p>
<p>Commercial income is the third area where the money can grow. Sponsorship income is up and there is <a href="https://www.womenssporttrust.com/womens-sport-trust-produces-comprehensive-industry-report-into-the-positive-impact-of-womens-sport-sponsorship-on-brands/">evidence of positive impact on brands</a>, such as Barclay’s title sponsorship of the WSL and the Women’s Championship and the online beauty brand Il Makiage’s association with Arsenal. This should encourage more brands to invest in women’s football.</p>
<p>The review also addresses the lack of diversity across the women’s game, where research shows that off-pitch roles (club directors for example) are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08912432211046318">predominantly held by men</a>, and that a number of WSL and Women’s Championship club boards (the decision makers) <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6047aabc7130e94a70ed3515/t/6225fcd351786a64ba4421b0/1646656733257/The+Gender+Divide+That+Fails+Football%27s+Bottom+Line+-+Fair+Game+Report+March+2022.pdf">are male only</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-football-review-proposes-hard-hitting-changes-to-address-ongoing-inequalities-209901">Women’s football review proposes hard-hitting changes to address ongoing inequalities</a>
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<p>This is especially important as <a href="https://theconversation.com/euro-2022-why-womens-football-remains-dominated-by-the-mens-game-183580">affiliated teams</a> now make up most of the top two tiers of English women’s football. Research shows that greater <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23750472.2022.2089204">diversity is linked to better finances</a>, so addressing this imbalance should also help with money.</p>
<p>Because ultimately money is what women’s football – not just in England – badly needs. The review has good ideas for raising standards, improving participation, and attracting more fans. But all of them depend on two urgent goals: investment and faith in the future of the sport.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209754/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Philippou contributed to the Review of the Future of Women's Football. She is also affiliated with the RAF FA.</span></em></p>Investment is needed at every level.Christina Philippou, Principal Lecturer, Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2099012023-07-18T16:26:53Z2023-07-18T16:26:53ZWomen’s football review proposes hard-hitting changes to address ongoing inequalities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537760/original/file-20230717-21441-rccnfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C304%2C4574%2C3384&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The England women's team huddle before playing Wales in a World Cup qualifier. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/wales-v-england-world-cup-qualifier-1169026048">Shutterstock/Influential Photography</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women’s football and its players have been <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137480323">marginalised</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/978-1-137-59025-1">ostracised</a>, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23750472.2021.1959384">discredited</a> and <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203378755/game-rough-girls-jean-williams">silenced</a> for decades. More recently however, the momentum, performance quality and actions of players, fans and activists has given it a louder voice. </p>
<p>The deafening roar of the Lionesses, after <a href="https://theconversation.com/england-win-euro-2022-how-womens-football-beat-the-sceptics-to-breathe-new-life-into-the-game-187899">becoming European champions</a> in 2022, rang out across the world. In March, the government responded by pledging to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64879490">invest £600 million</a> into equal opportunities for school sport. And in May, Chelsea and Manchester United played in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/13/immensely-proud-the-years-of-work-behind-sold-out-womens-fa-cup-final">sold out Wembley Stadium</a> for the Women’s FA Cup final. So, now what?</p>
<p>On July 13, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport released a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/13/review-women-football-overhaul-future">landmark review</a>” into women’s football, chaired by sports journalist and former professional footballer Karen Carney. The review, entitled: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/raising-the-bar-reframing-the-opportunity-in-womens-football/raising-the-bar-reframing-the-opportunity-in-womens-football">raising the bar – reframing the opportunity in women’s football</a> has been eagerly awaited by academics, sports organisations, sports media, football fans, players and coaches alike.</p>
<p>The review followed a recommendation made by the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fan-led-review-of-football-governance-securing-the-games-future">fan-led review of football governance</a> (2021) and investigation began in September 2022. This latest review seeks to lay out “a plan to lift minimum standards in key areas”, acknowledging that there are imbalances across levels and clubs.</p>
<p>The resulting 128-page report centres on four areas: corporate structures, professional setup, fans and grassroots football. The ten recommendations are detailed and challenging, illustrating the highly intersectional and complex composition of football.</p>
<h2>What the report recommends</h2>
<p>Firstly, women’s football needs more investment. This first recommendation emphasises this in relation to sustainability, competitiveness and infrastructure. In particular, to provide freedom to NewCo (the new professional league infrastructure) to make its own decisions.</p>
<p>Points 38-40 of the review draw upon the need for equal FA Cup prize money across men’s and women’s teams and to provide greater central revenue resources for smaller clubs. </p>
<p>It is noted, however that this recommendation is “problematic”. This is due to differences in the number of teams and rounds involved. Nonetheless, commitment to equal prize money is highlighted as a significant requirement.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-english-womens-football-could-become-a-billion-pound-industry-and-where-the-money-comes-from-to-make-it-happen-209754">How English women's football could become a billion pound industry – and where the money comes from to make it happen</a>
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<p>Other recommendations relate to improving the talent pathway and ensuring full professionalisation of the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship. Specifically, the focus on parental rights in football is much needed. The rights of mothers have previously been overlooked both in policy and practice. <a href="https://www.fifa.com/legal/news/fifa-steps-up-protection-of-female-players-and-football-coaches">Fifa</a> only established global minimum standards for maternity leave for footballers in 2020, with the <a href="https://womenscompetitions.thefa.com/article/fa-pfa-agree-maternity-long-term-sickness-benefits-20220102">Professional Footballers’ Association</a> union following suit in 2022.</p>
<p>A fourth recommendation challenges the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56124688">lack of diversity</a> in women’s football. </p>
<p>Also, a dedicated broadcasting space for women’s football is recommended, along with a need to take better care of fans. The report calls upon the government to uphold its commitment to equal opportunity for girls in school sport and demands more investment for grassroots football, as well. </p>
<p>Finally, the report urges more collaboration between the FA, Premier League and the Football Foundation to ensure facility funding is transparent.</p>
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<span class="caption">Fans celebrate the Lionesses winning in 2022.</span>
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<h2>Implementing the recommendations</h2>
<p>This review can be understood in terms of two broad, but philosophically simple themes: resource and respect. </p>
<p>Women’s football is playing catch up. The ban on women playing on affiliated pitches for <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315795157/contemporary-history-women-sport-part-one-jean-williams">50 years</a> has taken its toll on progression. The tangible removal of that barrier in the 1970s, however, was not followed by a lifting of the social and cultural stigma and resistance to girls and women playing football.</p>
<p>There will be challenges for implementing the recommendations of the review. The most formidable will be addressing the wider social imbalances that women’s football is embroiled in.</p>
<p>My work on women’s football uses the idea of gender justice (a companion of social justice acknowledging that gendered inequalities have economic, political and social significance) to <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Football-Family-Gender-and-Identity-The-Football-Self/Pielichaty/p/book/9781032041964">challenge existing inequalities</a> and <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003093862-33/gender-justice-women-football-hanya-pielichaty">bridge the gap</a> between sport and society.</p>
<p>There is a pressing need to address wider social inequities that intersect with sport and gender more broadly. Issues of representation and a need for transparency to facilitate an open culture are referenced within the review and these can be built upon further to directly challenge the social fabric in which football is embedded.</p>
<p>There may be resistance to these recommendations from those in privileged positions (as already seen in relation to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.smr.2019.05.007">recreational sports clubs</a>), but perseverance is key. It is important that players, fans, pundits, coaches, managers, sponsors, broadcasters and journalists alike roar as one for women and their right to play professional football in a professional environment.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hanya Pielichaty does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The review seeks to lay out ‘a plan to lift minimum standards in key areas’, acknowledging that there are imbalances across levels and clubs.Hanya Pielichaty, Associate Professor, Marketing Languages and Tourism, University of LincolnLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2090502023-07-16T20:01:00Z2023-07-16T20:01:00ZPenalties, passes, and a touch of politics: the Women’s World Cup is about to kick off<p>The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off this Thursday night, the first football world cup hosted by Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.</p>
<p>New Zealand opens the tournament by taking on Norway in Auckland, while Australia’s Matildas will play Ireland in front of an anticipated <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/manasipathak-1/2023/06/27/womens-world-cup-opener-will-be-80000-fans-deep-as-match-sells-out-25-days-before-kickoff/?sh=35217d49a1e0">80,000 fans</a> at a sold out Stadium Australia in Sydney.</p>
<p>Despite the persistent delusion of some that <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/20288853/piers-morgan-qatar-world-cup/">politics should be kept out of sport</a>, it has always been suffused with political calculations and meanings. The major question is not whether but what <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Palgrave_Handbook_of_Sport_Politics/wat9zwEACAAJ?hl=en">kinds of politics</a> will be played and by whom.</p>
<p>In the lead up to this tournament, world football’s governing body FIFA announced a suite of eight armbands that could be chosen under its <a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/campaigns/football-unites-the-world">Football Unites the World</a> program. Permitted selections, in partnership with various United Nations agencies, include “Unite for Indigenous Peoples” and “Unite for Gender Equality”.</p>
<p>But notably, the <a href="https://onelove.band/">OneLove</a> armband associated with LGBTIQA+ rights isn’t among them. That was banned at last year’s Men’s World Cup in Qatar, with captains including <a href="https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2022/Sep/21/one-love-qatar-2022-joint-statement-20222109">England’s Harry Kane</a> threatened with a yellow card if they wore it as planned.</p>
<p>Unlike in Qatar, homosexuality is not illegal in these host countries, but FIFA’s “extensive consultation with stakeholders including players and the 32 participating member associations” produced the same outcome.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-qatar-fifa-world-cup-so-controversial-192627">Why is the Qatar FIFA World Cup so controversial?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Among the latter are three African countries (Morocco, Nigeria and Zambia) where homosexuality is criminalised, as it is in stakeholders including Middle Eastern nations such as Saudi Arabia that are increasingly influential in <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-saudi-arabia-came-to-be-at-the-centre-of-a-global-golf-merger-207203">football and other world sports</a>.</p>
<p>Australia’s captain <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/not-worth-the-risk-sam-kerr-unhappy-with-fifa-s-rainbow-armband-edict-20230703-p5dldk.html">Sam Kerr</a> has been deprived, to her regret, of the opportunity to make a statement with a rainbow-coloured armband.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/13/womens-world-cup-players-launch-footballs-biggest-climate-campaign">44 players</a> have taken the chance to cooperate with climate advocacy groups Common Goal and Football For Future to help compensate for the environmental impact of their world cup related flights.</p>
<p>Already it’s clear that politics will vie with passes and penalties as major talking points at the biggest sport event in the region since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.</p>
<p>Indeed, when the esteemed Brazilian team <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/05/brazil-womens-world-cup-team-plane-tribute-iran-protesters">flew into Brisbane</a> two weeks before the first ball would be kicked, their plane’s tail bore pictures of Iranian human rights activists Mahsa Amini and Amir Nasr Azadani. The plane’s body also declared, “No woman should be forced to cover her head” and “no man should be hanged for saying this”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1676289793364221952"}"></div></p>
<h2>FIFA scandals and sports diplomacy</h2>
<p>FIFA has an <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315545615/football-corruption-lies-john-sugden-alan-tomlinson">ignoble history</a> of corruption, exploitation and ethical malpractice – despite its professed commitment to <a href="https://www.fifa.com/social-impact/human-rights">human rights</a> and <a href="https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/50d9e7969b79704e/original/h3i41a7kg1nfuopfhbtt-pdf.pdf">transparency</a>.</p>
<p>The BBC podcast <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dfg11h/episodes/downloads">Powerplay: The House of Sepp Blatter</a> excruciatingly details the disgrace of the former FIFA President. Just before Blatter was re-elected in Zurich in 2015, the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2167479516642206">world’s media</a> were treated to the spectacle of FIFA executives being arrested and taken from their hotel under large bedsheets (Blatter then resigned just days after being re-elected).</p>
<p>His successor <a href="https://beinsports.com/en-mena/football/articles/infantino-reveals-fifa-presidential-manifes-1">Gianni Infantino</a>, the object of much mockery after a pre-Qatar World Cup <a href="https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/world-cup/football-world-stunned-by-fifa-presidents-remarkably-deluded-monologue/news-story/32ca91d4fb8f418e67a888ba64679a7e">speech</a> identifying with the oppressed, promised to clean up FIFA’s act and reinvent itself as a force for global good. Promoting <a href="https://www.fifa.com/womens-football">gender equality</a> in and through football is one such aim. This world cup, both the first hosted by two confederations (Asia and Oceania) and the first in the southern hemisphere for women, seems perfectly to fit that bill.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fifas-mirage-of-unity-why-the-world-cup-is-a-vessel-for-political-protest-195432">FIFA's mirage of unity: why the World Cup is a vessel for political protest</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It undoubtedly has significant geopolitical implications. With the Pacific region the focus of a <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2022/08/china-us-woo-pacific-island-nations/">contest for influence</a> between the US and its allies and China, sport has emerged as a key bargaining chip. Money for sport aid, development and infrastructure has been flowing into the <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1136553/new-zealand-support-pacific-games#:%7E:text=Australia%2C%20Indonesia%2C%20Papua%20New%20Guinea,it%20switched%20allegiances%20to%20China">Pacific islands</a> from all directions.</p>
<p>Australia’s <a href="https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/sports-diplomacy-2030.pdf">Sports Diplomacy 2030</a> initiative has been especially keen on Pacific partnerships, not least in football as part of its “Global Strategy with a Pacific Focus”. The <a href="https://www.oceaniafootball.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FIFA-Womens-World-Cup-2023-Pacific-Legacy.pdf">Oceania Football Confederation’s</a> and <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/legacy23">Football Australia’s</a> Legacy Plans frequently invoke the rhetoric of the Pacific family. At the world cup, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003093862-15/gendered-focused-review-sports-diplomacy-verity-postlethwaite-claire-jenkin-emma-sherry">women</a> will be unusually prominent in the sphere of sports diplomacy.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1676415205322944513"}"></div></p>
<h2>Political games</h2>
<p>The concept of <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ssj/39/4/article-p342.xml">sportswashing</a> entered the popular lexicon quite recently to describe the use of sport, especially by illiberal states including China and Russia, to disguise their abuses of human rights and ingratiate themselves with sports fans around the world.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-saudi-arabia-using-sportswashing-to-simply-hide-its-human-rights-abuses-or-is-there-a-bigger-strategy-at-play-208468">Is Saudi Arabia using 'sportswashing' to simply hide its human rights abuses – or is there a bigger strategy at play?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While this is unquestionably the case, sport’s emotional power is harnessed by all countries, liberal democratic and otherwise, to project a more positive image than is generally warranted. This “feel good” global publicity, though, brings intense scrutiny far beyond the football field.</p>
<p>The two settler colonial countries hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup still have much to redress regarding their First Nations peoples, who have called FIFA and their respective associations and confederations to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-17/football-indigenous-treaty-fifa/102108200">account</a>. The event’s “bespoke” <a href="https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/4c8c5e88c80b704b/original/FIFA-Women-s-World-Cup-2023-Sustainability-Strategy.pdf">Sustainability Strategy</a> and its “key social, economic, human rights and environmental priorities for the current time and geographical context” will be thoroughly examined.</p>
<p>This world cup is a landmark event that will bring pleasure to many people. An important moment in the recognition and development of women’s football, Infantino has positioned it as a staging post on the path towards gender pay parity by 2027. In this respect, the amount commanded in crucial <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023/132325452/fifa-makes-european-tv-deal-for-womens-world-cup-ends-standoff-with-broadcasters">media</a> (especially broadcast) rights has been less than encouraging.</p>
<p>But one thing is certain – this will not be a politics-free festival of football.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209050/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Rowe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s the biggest sporting event in Australia since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2089532023-07-16T20:00:55Z2023-07-16T20:00:55Z‘Gorgeous goal getters’: 1970s media coverage of ‘soccerettes’ was filled with patronising sleaze<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536244/original/file-20230707-17-d1zm22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=19%2C4%2C3185%2C2407&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Daily Telegraph, September 4 1975. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the lead-in to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, it is revealing to look back on the media coverage of women’s international soccer to measure how far attitudes have shifted for today’s Matildas.</p>
<p>Media coverage is important. It builds personalities, creates public knowledge, sustains interest, draws crowds, attracts sponsors and generates participation. </p>
<p>Since <a href="https://theconversation.com/women-sportswriters-were-critical-to-the-growth-of-cricket-in-the-1930s-how-have-we-gone-backwards-175644">the 1930s</a>, sports journalists have written articles about sportswomen for major newspapers. These articles record years of player dedication and hard work. </p>
<p>But not all media coverage has treated sportswomen with respect. </p>
<h2>The first Australia/New Zealand match</h2>
<p>Women’s international soccer <a href="https://scholarly.info/article/book_author/marion-stell/">surged</a> in the mid-to-late 1970s. The first recognised international soccer game between Australian and New Zealand women was played in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/oct/06/40th-anniversary-of-first-matildas-match-highlights-forgotten-history">October 1979</a> on a Saturday afternoon in southern Sydney.</p>
<p>The day before the match, a small advertisement appeared on page 68 in the Sydney Sun. Accompanying it, the newspaper profiled only the male referee.</p>
<p>The crowd that attended the match numbered about 200. There were no sponsor banners, corporate boxes or grandstands. There was little media. No dignitaries addressed the crowd. No one remembers if national anthems were played. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two lines of women in yellow and green." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536432/original/file-20230710-239027-qnitc7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Australian Women’s National Football Team in 1980.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Football Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The women filed out of the change room in ill-fitting, borrowed men’s uniforms. There was no official team photo. The controlling body, the Australian Women’s Soccer Association, sold a small program for 20c. </p>
<p>When football stalwart Heather Reid and I interviewed many of the players from that game 40 years later, their memories were hazy and uncertain. Even Heather, who had driven from Canberra to watch the match, could not recall specific details. </p>
<p>To fill the gaps of memory we sought out players’ scrapbooks – but we were uncertain what we would find.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/long-range-goals-can-the-fifa-world-cup-help-level-the-playing-field-for-all-women-footballers-205213">Long-range goals: can the FIFA World Cup help level the playing field for all women footballers?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Collecting the clippings</h2>
<p>The leading men’s soccer player and Australian captain in the 1970s, <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/johnny-warren-the-godfather-of-australian-football">Johnny Warren</a>, amassed numerous scrapbooks filled with clippings, photographs, programs and fan letters. </p>
<p>Warren’s scrapbooks weigh more than 150 kilograms – more than twice his playing body weight. </p>
<p>We believed there had been little press coverage of women playing soccer in this era, and thought: how could women fill even one scrapbook? </p>
<p>What we found surprised us. It was rare for women <em>not</em> to have kept a scrapbook. Australian soccer captain <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/julie-dolan">Julie Dolan</a> had a folder of cuttings related to her career, as did many of the Australian and New Zealand team members from 1979. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Six scrap books." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=634&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=634&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536186/original/file-20230706-22774-kf0lcj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=634&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Yearly scrap books kept by New Zealand soccer player Wendy Sharpe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Here was not a dearth but a wealth of newspaper coverage. </p>
<p>But there was a sting in the tail. While the quantity existed, as I looked closely I found it confronting and unsettling. These scrapbooks contained newspaper clippings that belittled, trivialised and sexualised these women and the sport they played.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/women-sportswriters-were-critical-to-the-growth-of-cricket-in-the-1930s-how-have-we-gone-backwards-175644">Women sportswriters were critical to the growth of cricket in the 1930s. How have we gone backwards?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The sexist, underestimating press</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Headline reads: Gorgeous goal getters" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=909&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=909&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=909&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1143&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1143&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536242/original/file-20230707-17-x62shn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1143&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The players were described as ‘gorgeous’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The press coverage had recurring themes around appearance, fashion, body parts (especially eyes, legs and hair), sexual attractiveness, implied sexuality and general unwelcome sleaze. </p>
<p>Even a neutral match report would attract a sub-editor’s headline such as “Gorgeous goal getters” or “Fashion on parade at Australian titles”. </p>
<p>Captions to newspaper photos suggested their skills were more about dance than soccer. Press photographs were selected to reinforce this view: “Booted ballet”; “Shall we dance – cha, cha, cha”; “Remove the boots and these ladies could be doing the hustle, the bump or any of the other dance crazes sweeping the nation”. </p>
<p>Male journalists reported the women, although skilled, were “easier on the eye” than their male counterparts. </p>
<p>Players were asked to apply make-up after training for photographers. Femininity was emphasised. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=647&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=647&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=647&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536245/original/file-20230707-29-2owghu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Players such as Shona Bass were instructed to put on lipstick for news photographs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In one article, New Zealand coach Dave Boardman rejected the label his charges were “butch types”. </p>
<p>“They are delightful young ladies,” he said.</p>
<p>The men involved in soccer played by women – the coaches and the referees – were portrayed in news articles as active and in charge. Their opinions mattered most to the press.</p>
<p>Player <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/pat-oconnor">Pat O'Connor</a> was one of the driving forces behind the growth of soccer in New South Wales, alongside her husband and coach <a href="https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/vale-joe-oconnor">Joe O'Connor</a>. In one article about Pat, the journalist wrote: “Striker Pat has to obey her husband!” </p>
<p>When 24-year-old Bonnie Rae qualified as a referee, the headline read: “Bonnie gets all the whistles”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Newspaper clipping" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536239/original/file-20230707-21-1zd726.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One newspaper reported ‘Bonnie gets all the whistles’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>AFL legend Lou Richards, commenting on the Victorian team, wrote he wanted “to have a cuddle with those pretty little soccerettes after every score […] I’d be quite willing to act as official trainer and masseur”.</p>
<p>The schoolgirls in the national teams were not spared. <a href="https://beyond90.com.au/1979ers-jamie-rosman-robertson/">Jamie Rosman</a>, just 15 when she was playing for Australia, was described as “attractive”, “leggy” and “dark-eyed”, “a gazelle” and “a model”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Headline reads: Jamie kicks on" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=661&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=661&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=661&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536243/original/file-20230707-17-ls0670.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=831&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jamie Rosman was the youngest on the team – but that did not spare her from sexist media attention.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Being in the zone</h2>
<p>The articles in these scrapbooks are a toxic time capsule of sexism, misogyny and veiled homophobia. They remind us just how difficult it was for women and girls to navigate a safe space for themselves in soccer in the eyes of the public. </p>
<p>Good football players say they block out noise and play in a bubble – the “zone”. Is this the way the women also coped with the toxic media coverage of their soccer? Does this partly explain hazy memories of the first series in 1979? </p>
<p>When we spoke to the players about their scrapbooks, they recalled often feeling uncomfortable in their interactions with the press. Shona Bass said “I walked away with this unease about the way they had portrayed us […] it was almost patronising, almost scoffing”.</p>
<p>As the Matildas and the New Zealand Ferns move into hosting a historic home world cup, we can look forward to today’s media demonstrating a far greater maturity and higher level of respect. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-girls-to-lionesses-how-newspaper-coverage-of-womens-football-has-changed-209082">From 'girls' to Lionesses: how newspaper coverage of women's football has changed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208953/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marion Stell is an appointed member of Football Australia's Panel of Historians.</span></em></p>In the lead-in to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, it is revealing to look back on the media coverage of women’s international soccer.Marion Stell, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2090822023-07-06T13:20:24Z2023-07-06T13:20:24ZFrom ‘girls’ to Lionesses: how newspaper coverage of women’s football has changed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535844/original/file-20230705-19-9gad2t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C13%2C3516%2C2977&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Rose Lavelle of USA and Beth Mead of England during the FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rose-lavelle-usa-beth-mead-england-1441955117">Romain Biard/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When the 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20, fans in the UK will have access to a wealth of media coverage. All games will be <a href="https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/bbc-itv-rights-deal-womens-fifa-world-cup">shown on TV</a>, while in print and online, <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/buy-lionesses-world-cup-guide-30307752">analysis of the teams</a> and tournament <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/04/womens-world-cup-2023-team-guides-part-one-new-zealand">has already begun</a>. </p>
<p>The tournament itself is likely to be the most attended <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/08/womens-world-cup-2023-set-to-break-attendance-record#:%7E:text=Women%27s%20World%20Cup%20to%20break%20records%20with%20more%20than%20one%20million%20tickets%20sold,-%27The%20momentum%20is&text=This%20year%27s%20Women%27s%20World%20Cup,sold%2C%20Fifa%20said%20on%20Thursday">women’s sporting event ever</a>. But this interest in the sport has not happened overnight. Media coverage is contributing towards the growing interest in women’s football – and our perceptions of the sport. </p>
<p>My new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2022-0195">research</a>, conducted with colleagues at Durham University and Mississippi State University, is the first research study to examine print media coverage of women’s football in the UK over time.</p>
<p>We compared print media coverage of the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups, looking at the quantity and quality of articles printed in five UK newspapers: three broadsheets – the Guardian, the Independent (replaced by the Telegraph for 2019 as the Independent moved online only) and the Times; and two tabloids – the Sun and the Daily Mirror. We also carried out 49 interviews with fans about their thoughts on the coverage.</p>
<h2>Front-page news</h2>
<p>We found a massive increase in coverage for the 2019 competition. Between the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups, the number of articles published by these newspapers about the competition rose from 124 in 2015 to 642 in 2019. </p>
<p>The number of front-page articles increased from seven in the 2015 tournament to 22 in 2019. On the back pages, the number of articles rose from five in 2015 to 40 in 2019. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Women footballers in red kit celebrating" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535839/original/file-20230705-23-3k1n27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C11%2C3232%2C2493&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535839/original/file-20230705-23-3k1n27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535839/original/file-20230705-23-3k1n27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535839/original/file-20230705-23-3k1n27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535839/original/file-20230705-23-3k1n27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535839/original/file-20230705-23-3k1n27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535839/original/file-20230705-23-3k1n27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Megan Rapinoe of the USA celebrates after scoring during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/reims-francejune-11megan-rapinoe-usa-celebrates-1436843984">feelphoto/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There was a fourfold increase in the number of photos, from 159 in 2015 to 636 in 2019. The type of photograph used also changed: 88% in 2019 were shots of the players competing rather than other photographs, such as posed shots. This was up from 69% in 2015. </p>
<p>One of the fans we spoke to said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>… [the 2019 Women’s World Cup] just felt so much bigger this time, it was the focus of our summer… The national newspapers were sending out some of their biggest journalists to the World Cup, who weren’t part of that natural group of women’s football journalists. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>We also looked at changes in the way women’s football was discussed in the press. In both the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, there was evidence of a move away from the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970.2014.963314">sexualisation of women players</a> that has plagued women’s sport. We found no articles referring to players’ sexual appeal.</p>
<p>The use of infantilising language, such as referring to players as “girls” or “ladies”, also reduced drastically between 2015 and 2019. In 2015, there were 28 references to the players as “girls” in the tabloid papers. In 2019, there were three uses of “girls” and “lady” or “ladies” in broadsheet papers and 11 in tabloids. </p>
<p>Instead, there were many more usages of the word “Lionesses”, representing England women as the embodiment of strength, aggression and bravery, and helping to construct a sense of national pride.</p>
<h2>Critical appraisals</h2>
<p>A new appearance in the 2019 coverage was considered criticism of players and teams, in line with the typical reporting of men’s football. This could represent a shift towards greater gender equality, with women subject to respectful but honest evaluations based on their performance. This can also be connected to higher expectations for England’s national team following their success in recent years.</p>
<p>Also new in 2019 was coverage of gender inequality in football. This included the general treatment of women’s football, such as trialling rule changes at FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments. Here there was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/22/penalty-law-womens-world-cup-fifa-guinea-pig-var">sense of injustice</a> at FIFA experimenting with the laws and positioning women’s football as inferior to men’s.</p>
<p>Newspapers covered the need to increase opportunities for girls and women to play football. Stories <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/phil-nevilles-team-need-to-keep-their-new-profile-xwj32mglq">included details</a>, for instance, on how many players could not play football until their late teens due to a lack of access for girls and poor infrastructure. </p>
<p>Articles covered the history of women’s football, including the 1921 Football Association ban on women’s football and the impact on the development of women’s football. They also reported on pay inequality, making direct comparisons between men’s and women’s international football. </p>
<p>However, the fans we spoke to were critical of the “time-limited” nature of coverage of women’s football, largely reserved for the duration of the World Cup or other major tournaments, and also dependent upon the success of the England national team. Although women’s sport has become more visible in recent years, it <a href="https://theconversation.com/coverage-of-womens-sport-is-pathetic-at-the-best-of-times-the-lockdown-has-made-it-even-worse-140593">still occupies</a> less than 10% of annual print and TV coverage. </p>
<p>The 2023 Women’s World Cup looks set to generate another increase in column inches. Keep an eye on how newspapers talk about the matches, teams and players – it may well affect the future of the sport.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209082/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stacey Pope receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p>We examined how newspapers in the UK covered the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups.Stacey Pope, Associate Professor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2050952023-05-11T15:22:56Z2023-05-11T15:22:56ZWomen’s World Cup: Fifa’s threat to ban European broadcasters is not a skilful move<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525663/original/file-20230511-17-d2f8t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C53%2C3928%2C2592&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">USA, winners in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/usa-players-celebrate-after-winning-2019-1444597529">Jose Breton- Pics Action/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There have been some good wins recently for women’s sport attendance in the UK, with a <a href="https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/england-win-grand-slam-in-front-of-record-breaking-crowd-at-twickenham-153793">record-breaking crowd</a> for a rugby match at Twickenham and a <a href="https://www.arsenal.com/news/champions-league-semi-final-sell-out">sold-out Emirates stadium</a> for a Uefa Champions League football semi-final.</p>
<p>Less encouraging is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/02/fifa-threatens-womens-world-cup-broadcast-blackout-in-europe-offers-rights-infantino">Fifa’s suggestion</a> that this summer’s women’s football World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, may not be available to TV viewers across Europe. Apparently the amount broadcasters are willing to pay to show it in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France is too low. (Elsewhere in the world most of the rights contracts for the event have <a href="https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/commercial/fifa-tv/media-releases/fifa-and-shinai-sports-announce-digital-rights-agreement-for-fifa-womens">already been agreed</a>.)</p>
<p>So is Fifa standing up for women’s football, or merely engaged in a bluffing tactic designed to boost its own revenue?</p>
<p>Certainly the organisation believes that women’s football is more commercially valuable now than it ever has been. </p>
<p>After years of selling collective broadcast rights for both men’s and women’s tournaments, in 2021 Fifa announced that the rights to its women’s World Cups <a href="https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/fifa-commercial-partners-sponsorship-rights-womens-world-cup-esports/">would be sold separately</a>. “Unbundling”, as it is known, only usually happens when a less valuable product becomes valuable enough to sell on its own, rather than as part of a bundle.</p>
<p>And the logic is clear. The rise of interest in women’s football (attendance and broadcasting) has been meteoric, with England’s Women’s Super League overall attendance increasing more than 600% in five years (excluding the season which coincided with COVID lockdowns). The same Arsenal women’s Champions League fixture which recently sold out the Emirates Stadium had an attendance figure of just 1,406 a decade before.</p>
<p>There has also been a notable increase in both private and public investment in female teams and players at <a href="https://theconversation.com/euro-2022-why-womens-football-remains-dominated-by-the-mens-game-183580">club and national levels</a>. And European financial regulations <a href="https://documents.uefa.com/r/UEFA-Club-Licensing-and-Financial-Sustainability-Regulations-2022/Article-89-Relevant-investments-Online">exempt spending on women’s football</a> from their rules concerning <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1071503/Assessing_the_financial_sustainability_of_football__web_accessible_.pdf">club losses</a> to encourage <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14660970.2022.2059858">this form of spending</a>.</p>
<h2>Foul play?</h2>
<p>But despite the surge in viewing figures and financial investment, there is an argument that broadcasters have been sluggish to catch up with <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-womens-football-can-avoid-being-corrupted-when-more-money-comes-its-way-188185">demand in women’s football</a>.</p>
<p>Some of those broadcasters will respond that as businesses, they need to make a profit. They will bid to broadcast popular events so they can sell advertising space or subscriptions, and with any sale, organisations will offer the lowest amount they think they can get away with. Those offers also depend on how much competitors are willing to spend as multiple bidders create an environment that pushes up prices. </p>
<p>Yet the bids for this summer’s global tournament have apparently come in at between 1% and 10% of the level reached for the men’s World Cup, which Fifa said was between US$100 million and US$200 million (£79 million and £158 million). </p>
<p>One reason for the low bids may be to do with how audience numbers are affected by the day of the week and time of broadcast. There is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002515619655">evidence</a> that the impact of scheduling (for example, evenings and weekends) on TV audiences is crucial. </p>
<p>In the coming Women’s World Cup, for example, England’s group stage matches would be shown in the UK on a Saturday at 9.30am, a Friday at 10.30am and a Tuesday at midday. Later on, the semi-finals would be shown on a Tuesday at 8am, a Wednesday at 11am and the final on Sunday at 11am.</p>
<p>To European broadcasters, a small time zone difference in match schedules would likely mean a higher value on the Women’s World Cup 2023 rights. For the men’s tournament, the <a href="https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-30/">TV audience in the UK</a> was much higher for France in 1998 and Germany in 2006 than it was for the 2002 tournament hosted by Japan and South Korea.</p>
<p>In the meantime, for the growing number of fans of women’s football, the uncertainty over broadcasting rights this summer is surely unwelcome. And the negotiating tactic by Fifa to try increase bids is not a very strong one. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="TV showing football in front of a sofa." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525666/original/file-20230511-12732-18p51r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525666/original/file-20230511-12732-18p51r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525666/original/file-20230511-12732-18p51r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525666/original/file-20230511-12732-18p51r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525666/original/file-20230511-12732-18p51r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525666/original/file-20230511-12732-18p51r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525666/original/file-20230511-12732-18p51r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fifa playing hardball?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/interior-football-fans-livingroom-back-view-1904367871">Studio Romantic/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Failing the women’s game?</h2>
<p>Broadcast income matters to Fifa; in their latest four-year cycle, <a href="https://publications.fifa.com/en/annual-report-2022/">45% of its income</a> was from TV broadcasting, and of that, 31% came from Europe. This mainly relates to the men’s World Cup, but it does tell us how dependent Fifa is on European broadcasters. And some income is surely better than no income at all.</p>
<p>If the broadcasters refuse to budge, and Fifa’s threatened blackout happens? Well, viewers will still be able to watch coverage of the World Cup on <a href="https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/watch-play-off-tournament-womens-world-cup-2023-on-fifa-plus-with-live-streams-highlights">Fifa’s own streaming channel</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Fifa will risk accusations of failing the women’s game rather than supporting it. </p>
<p>“Globalising competitions” and “accelerating the growth of women’s football” are <a href="https://publications.fifa.com/en/annual-report-2020/the-global-game/the-vision-2020-2023/">part of FIFA’s own strategy</a>. So not allowing access to viewers in growing markets for women’s football would be a strange thing to do, especially when its own accounts show that spending on women’s football promotion made up less than 1% of its <a href="https://publications.fifa.com/en/annual-report-2022/finances/finance/notes-2022/8-development-and-education-2022/">development and education programme spending</a>.</p>
<p>So, while women’s football does remain undervalued, there is plenty more that Fifa could be doing to improve the situation, preferably without threatening to exclude millions of its strongest supporters.</p>
<p>To impose a European broadcasting blackout on a global tournament that deserves to be in the spotlight would be seen by many as a spectacular own goal.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205095/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Philippou is affiliated with the RAF FA</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Cox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Growing interest in women’s football must be encouraged.Christina Philippou, Principal Lecturer, Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of PortsmouthAdam Cox, Reader in Economics, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.