Women's Football - Do you watch it or would you never?
Discussion
From reading the Chelsea thread it got me wondering what the average male footy fan in here thought of Women's football?
Do you watch it?
If not generally maybe you'll watch it if it's 'your clubs' women's team?
Maybe you'll not watch it because of the current quality of the product on display?
Then again maybe you'll not watch it out of principle and think that it's just being over-hyped in the interests of current day political correctness?
It gets big crowds for the big matches (Prestige Internationals, Cup Finals, Local Derbies etc) at least sometimes - but generally the club attendances are little better than the men's 6th level of football if that.
My tuppence worth is that the women's game won't grow much further now until Women themselves begin to start turning up in bigger numbers as a matter of choice over all of the other attractions available to them just as the working man grew the game by turning up in their tens of thousands on a Saturday afternoon back in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
As I can't see that happening I think it's likely hit it's peak audience about now.
I don't watch it but that's mainly due to my perception of it being almost a different sport albeit played to the same rulebook. It's certainly not as fast or as physical as the men's game as demonstrated by the lack of deliberate fouls committed in any given game - I suppose that could be said to make it a more pure form of the sport but to me it just lacks that aggressive edge of the men's game and thus lowers it's appeal to me.
Anyway - no misogyny please or I'll get canned for starting this thread.
Do you watch it?
If not generally maybe you'll watch it if it's 'your clubs' women's team?
Maybe you'll not watch it because of the current quality of the product on display?
Then again maybe you'll not watch it out of principle and think that it's just being over-hyped in the interests of current day political correctness?
It gets big crowds for the big matches (Prestige Internationals, Cup Finals, Local Derbies etc) at least sometimes - but generally the club attendances are little better than the men's 6th level of football if that.
My tuppence worth is that the women's game won't grow much further now until Women themselves begin to start turning up in bigger numbers as a matter of choice over all of the other attractions available to them just as the working man grew the game by turning up in their tens of thousands on a Saturday afternoon back in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
As I can't see that happening I think it's likely hit it's peak audience about now.
I don't watch it but that's mainly due to my perception of it being almost a different sport albeit played to the same rulebook. It's certainly not as fast or as physical as the men's game as demonstrated by the lack of deliberate fouls committed in any given game - I suppose that could be said to make it a more pure form of the sport but to me it just lacks that aggressive edge of the men's game and thus lowers it's appeal to me.
Anyway - no misogyny please or I'll get canned for starting this thread.
It's never going to attract big crowds because it's simply not good enough as a spectator sport. The Spurs v West Ham game in the WSL London derby attracted approximately 250 people a few weeks back. I suspect very few of them would have been paying customers, but it's good for the friends and family of the players to get to see them play I suppose.
I do get slightly annoyed that it's thrust in our faces almost as much as men's football, and you're currently unable to filter it out on Sky Sports or the like.
TL;DR - it's boring
I do get slightly annoyed that it's thrust in our faces almost as much as men's football, and you're currently unable to filter it out on Sky Sports or the like.
TL;DR - it's boring
I’m an Everton fan with a season ticket (sadly
) and I keep an eye out for how the women’s team are doing (nearly as bad as the men’s)!
I am interested to learn more about the league and players but the reports I read (mostly Sky and BBC) don’t give much detail about the players etc.
I always think if they put the women’s football on just before the men’s matches in the same stadiums it would boost publicity and increase the amount of fans there in addition to giving an incentive to fans to get to the grounds sooner (and spend more money on refreshments).
) and I keep an eye out for how the women’s team are doing (nearly as bad as the men’s)! I am interested to learn more about the league and players but the reports I read (mostly Sky and BBC) don’t give much detail about the players etc.
I always think if they put the women’s football on just before the men’s matches in the same stadiums it would boost publicity and increase the amount of fans there in addition to giving an incentive to fans to get to the grounds sooner (and spend more money on refreshments).
I've tried to watch it but can't garner any enthusiasm for it.
The spectacle simply doesn't compare to men's football by any metric, and if I had to single out one area, the goalkeeping is especially poor.
It's common knowledge that professional womens teams get destroyed by U15/U16 boys teams and that's not going to change.
The spectacle simply doesn't compare to men's football by any metric, and if I had to single out one area, the goalkeeping is especially poor.
It's common knowledge that professional womens teams get destroyed by U15/U16 boys teams and that's not going to change.
Portofino said:
I have given it a go a few times, but every time it is disappointing.
What really needs to happen is to have smaller goals to give the goalies a chance & also smaller pitches for a faster game. This wouldn’t be accepted by the equality police though.
Yeah, what comes across on TV is it's damn slow and the keepers are generally a weak link.What really needs to happen is to have smaller goals to give the goalies a chance & also smaller pitches for a faster game. This wouldn’t be accepted by the equality police though.
Portofino said:
I have given it a go a few times, but every time it is disappointing.
What really needs to happen is to have smaller goals to give the goalies a chance & also smaller pitches for a faster game. This wouldn’t be accepted by the equality police though.
You're right. As someone else said, the keepers look woeful but I suspect it's because they're simply shorter than the average male keeper.What really needs to happen is to have smaller goals to give the goalies a chance & also smaller pitches for a faster game. This wouldn’t be accepted by the equality police though.
Pretty much as per everyone elses comments, the standard is too low and due to disparities between sides skill levels often matches are one sided affairs.
I'm also in the camp that despite BBC and sky pushing it hard it wont be anywhere close to the mens game any time soon and if the mens teams weren't bankrolling it the whole womens premier league coudn't pay its own way.
I'm also in the camp that despite BBC and sky pushing it hard it wont be anywhere close to the mens game any time soon and if the mens teams weren't bankrolling it the whole womens premier league coudn't pay its own way.
originals said:
I've tried to watch it but can't garner any enthusiasm for it.
The spectacle simply doesn't compare to men's football by any metric, and if I had to single out one area, the goalkeeping is especially poor.
It's common knowledge the professional womens teams get destroyed by U15/U16 boys teams and that's not going to change.
It’s common knowledge what? Other than the US team example a long time ago can you point to anything that backs up your claim?The spectacle simply doesn't compare to men's football by any metric, and if I had to single out one area, the goalkeeping is especially poor.
It's common knowledge the professional womens teams get destroyed by U15/U16 boys teams and that's not going to change.
As my daughter plays football and wants to watch ladies football I get to watch quite a lot.
It’s refreshing not to watch players throw themselves on the floor for a start. And good entertainment. Yes the standard isn’t EPL or Championship, but even mens football is generally s
te after that.48Valves said:
It’s common knowledge what? Other than the US team example a long time ago can you point to anything that backs up your claim?
Very easily. You think I'm making it up? 
First page of Google:-
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/australi...
https://www.sportbible.com/football/athletic-club-...
https://www.thelocal.se/20130116/45646/
https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-gremio-me...
blue_haddock said:
Pretty much as per everyone elses comments, the standard is too low and due to disparities between sides skill levels often matches are one sided affairs.
I'm also in the camp that despite BBC and sky pushing it hard it wont be anywhere close to the mens game any time soon and if the mens teams weren't bankrolling it the whole womens premier league coudn't pay its own way.
That England Latvia game was just embarrassing, like watching and F1 car beat a Fiesta and the driver still leaping around on the podium spraying champagne everywhere.I'm also in the camp that despite BBC and sky pushing it hard it wont be anywhere close to the mens game any time soon and if the mens teams weren't bankrolling it the whole womens premier league coudn't pay its own way.
I don't watch any female golf, rugby, cricket or football. Zero interest. Just not exciting enough.
I might watch a game or two of female tennis, not the grunters, but the normal women. But again, it's not really exciting enough.
It does make me smile that women are shouting for equality of pay in sports - pay that is entirely linked to viewership and the consequent advertising dollars. And the eyeballs just aren't there - that's why they get less.
I might watch a game or two of female tennis, not the grunters, but the normal women. But again, it's not really exciting enough.
It does make me smile that women are shouting for equality of pay in sports - pay that is entirely linked to viewership and the consequent advertising dollars. And the eyeballs just aren't there - that's why they get less.
I have watched a number of games and the standard has defiantly improved over the last few years. I think the game has benefited massively from getting games on TV free to air channels, plus that funding from the premier league teams.
Its never going to be as good as the men's game due to the physicality challenges, but the skill level is increasing and they play attacking football and want to score goals.
The huge issue at the moment is the gap between the top teams and the bottom teams. It doesn't do the game justice when teams are losing 7 or 8 nil. The England game was laughable against Latvia and shouldn't have taken place as it just damages the game.
You will always get people who will never watch the game, but its certainly helping promote more women to take up the sport which is a good thing.
Its never going to be as good as the men's game due to the physicality challenges, but the skill level is increasing and they play attacking football and want to score goals.
The huge issue at the moment is the gap between the top teams and the bottom teams. It doesn't do the game justice when teams are losing 7 or 8 nil. The England game was laughable against Latvia and shouldn't have taken place as it just damages the game.
You will always get people who will never watch the game, but its certainly helping promote more women to take up the sport which is a good thing.
Turtle Shed said:
Two words: Nobody cares.
That's just not true. You might not care, but I do, so that makes you just wrong.I always look to see how the Chelsea women's team have done in their games, and England. And I watch the televised finals. I was really sad they lost the CL final, because to have had both the men's and women's teams as European champions at the same time would have been great. The standard has improved hugely over the last decade or so., especially the goalkeeping, where you now see some really good saves being made. It helps that the goalies are now often around 6ft.
Of course, it's no where near the men's game, but women's tennis is also nowhere near the men's, but no one laughs at Serena Williams. I just don't get the sneering. The USA are the best women's team in the world, Megan Rapino is maybe the world's best women player, and I think that deserves respect.
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