Football is currently the undisputed number one sport for females, but if the recent Euro 2009 is anything to go by they are still the poor cousins of the game.
For Hope Powell and her girls, Euro 2009 is barely a week old. However, for many football lovers across the world, the tournament never existed. As the match was only available on Euro Sport and not terrestrial television, many football fans will have been blissfully unaware of the major event taking place in Finland. This is hardly a fitting tribute for the England Women’s football team, as they reached the final of the competition for the first time in 25 years.
Despite their continued progress throughout Euro 2009, the team rarely hit the headlines in the media. Even as they progressed through to the latter stages, they were often confined to small newspaper columns in favour of the men’s domestic game. This is hardly surprising though, given the fact that domestic matches in the men’s game attract considerably larger attendances than female international fixtures; despite ever-improving crowds.
Furthermore, the coverage the England Women’s football team did receive all too often involved derogatory sexist remarks in reference to their inferiority to men in terms of power and physique. Back in 2004, Fifa president Sepp Blatter even suggested women should wear tighter shorts in order to attract more attention to the game. Whilst many will recall the outbursts of former Luton Town manager Mike Newell, who publicly criticised female linesperson Wendy Thom, stating that there was no place in the sport for women.
Although great strides towards gender equality have seen sexism like this become less of a problem in modern society, it is fair to say it will almost always exist. It is important to note that this is not just an issue within football, but reflective of how nearly all female sport is marginalised in this country. A prime example of this being the England Women’s cricket team, who recently swept aside Australia in the Ashes in addition to winning the 20/20 World Cup and One Day trophy. Had this been the men’s team, they would have dominated the news with their success. However, this has far from been the case for our female cricketers.
Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see the great influx of female sports presenters over recent years. In addition to the more familiar faces of Sue Barker and Clare Balding, there are younger ones coming through (especially on SKY) such as Georgie Thompson and Helen Chamberlain. Last season also saw Match of the Day feature its first ever female commentator in Jacqui Oates, which will hopefully inspire others to follow in her footsteps. More males are also showing an interest in the women’s game too. Arsene Wenger has a close affinity with the highly successful Arsenal Ladies team, whilst former Chelsea star Gavin Peacock works as an analyst on Women’s Football for the BBC.
Recent statistics have shown that there are now over 1 million females playing some form of football in England. Increasing numbers are now attending club and international matches, whilst thousands more have moved into coaching and refereeing. However, England has still a long way to go if it is to ever be able to compete with America.
A number of top female football players have made the switch to the US, attracted by lucrative financial offers. Arsenal have been the worst victims of this, losing a number of their top players, in particular former Women’s International Player of the Year Kelly Smith, who now plies her trade with Boston Breakers. America has become renowned for picking the best of English talent and luring them with scholarships, especially the younger players.
Female football is without doubt making its mark in America, even overshadowing the men’s game. It will be interesting to see if that success can be replicated here in England. If Hope Powell’s team can continue to achieve like they did in Finland, then this could be sooner rather than later.