[Football] 22 WSL games to be shown live on BBC TV from next season

[Wozza]

Have never understood those people who write 'no interest' - it's a team in blue and white stripes called Brighton and Hove Albion playing football. No interest? Really? How do otherwise passionate Albion fans explain that?

Wait, you think we should all be interested just because it’s got the Brighton & Hove Albion name on it?

Have you BEEN to the club shop?!

 

[Medwayseagull]

I have watched on FA player a few times. Standard is gradually improving so I will watch if on TV.

 

[McTavish]

"Made to embrace"? I don't think so. It's not the old days with only three or four terrestrial channels where people would gather round the telly as a family, even if what was on was utter gash. There are literally hundreds of channels, on demand, Netflix, NSC and other social media as well as the radio and books. No one is forcing you.

I don't think you understand how it works. I was off sick for a couple of days last week and so was forced to watch daytime TV. I've just bought a house at auction and am expecting Dion Dublin to show up any minute.

 

[strings]

I don't feel like it is being 'pushed onto us' - women's sport generally has not received the coverage it deserves (aside from every four years at the Olympics). Certainly I tend to find women's cycling more entertaining then men's and at the last Olympics, I found the women's rugby sevens to be excellent.

If Brighton were on the beeb, would I watch? Yes, I would.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Well that's nice for those of you who want to watch it

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Wait, you think we should all be interested just because it’s got the Brighton & Hove Albion name on it?

Have you BEEN to the club shop?!

Are you equating the women's side to a piece of merchandise?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Television has an on and off button. It also has a lot of channels to choose from.

 

[Silverhatch]

Calm down dear, I was merely saying there has been a huge push to make the sports popular on TV and in the mainstream.

Case in point, pre lockdown I was at work and Harty Junior and I both received an email from the club stating "Injury concerns ahead of Everton clash", I thought it must be wrong because we weren't playing Everton that week, we'd beaten them a month or so beforehand, with the VAR penalty, it was only on opening the email I realised it was about the Albion's women team, I wonder how many other Albion fans did the very same thing?

It's called marketing and communications Harty. Having been banned in the 1920s by FA blazers the women's game is playing a 5-generational catch up. Now Sky are in on the act as well, the WSL will become the best league in the world and with more money the professionalism and standards will increase very quickly. When the Albion women are in the Champions League final I guarantee that many Dinosaurs will open the emails regarding our injury updates.

 

[Jack Straw]

I love all football, including women's. The standard has improved enormously over the last ten years. If you want to see how the women's game has evolved, give one of these a go on Wednesday if you've got BT.
Barcelona Women v Man City WomenUEFA Women's Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg11:30BT Sport 2
Chelsea Women v Wolfsburg WomenUEFA Women's Champions League Quarter-Final 1st Leg16:00BT Sport 2
Doubters may change their opinions.

 

[Eeyore]

There are hundreds of TV channels available.

Will I watch it ? Probably not much. Do I think it is a good idea ? Yes, because it will attract interest and raise the profile of women's sport.

 

[Official Old Man]

Does nobody realise that the BBC have managed to get their hands on live sport and as such, will ram it down our necks for the next few months.
When will they show it? Sky & BT (with Amazon getting in as well) have the EPL & EFL so will the BBC put, say Albion v Bristol City, up against Sky on a Sunday afternoon?

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Calm down dear, I was merely saying there has been a huge push to make the sports popular on TV and in the mainstream.

Case in point, pre lockdown I was at work and Harty Junior and I both received an email from the club stating "Injury concerns ahead of Everton clash", I thought it must be wrong because we weren't playing Everton that week, we'd beaten them a month or so beforehand, with the VAR penalty, it was only on opening the email I realised it was about the Albion's women team, I wonder how many other Albion fans did the very same thing?

This is a huge bugbear of mine. Tricksy email titles. So much so that all the albion marketing email now goes straight to junk without me getting fooled into opening it any more.

 

[Arthur]

Have never understood those people who write 'no interest' - it's a team in blue and white stripes called Brighton and Hove Albion playing football. No interest? Really? How do otherwise passionate Albion fans explain that?

Because I expect like most people those folk, myself included, only really care about the mens first team. Yes if a team representing Brighton & Hove Albion are playing I would want them to win but it holds little or no interest and I wouldn't go out of my way to discover the result whether that be a youth side, womens side, powerball side or e-sports etc etc. I'm not even that fussed about the U23s truth be told.

Bloom obviously thinks womens football has a decent future given the money he's putting in to it and PB's comments about it on the recent fans forum. Can't see it myself and judging by the comments from most on this thread I'm not alone there. However I'm not the billionaire and therefore happy to be proved wrong.

 

[Questions]

Not on BBC One though .......

If they take away our costume dramas or Sunday night wildlife I will march to their head offices with an army.

 

[Taybha]

I'm no T-Rex but i love to boogie now and then so this is great news , tbh if you painted one snail blue and white , and another red i'd want the red one to get eaten by a bird at the starting line of a race so i'll watch anything BHA .

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Because I expect like most people those folk, myself included, only really care about the mens first team. Yes if a team representing Brighton & Hove Albion are playing I would want them to win but it holds little or no interest and I wouldn't go out of my way to discover the result whether that be a youth side, womens side, powerball side or e-sports etc etc. I'm not even that fussed about the U23s truth be told.

Bloom obviously thinks womens football has a decent future given the money he's putting in to it and PB's comments about it on the recent fans forum. Can't see it myself and judging by the comments from most on this thread I'm not alone there. However I'm not the billionaire and therefore happy to be proved wrong.

Sure, it's clear many people only really care about the men's team. I'm interested to find out why, because I haven't heard a compelling argument yet as to why a Brighton fan supports the Brighton men's team but not the Brighton women's team.

There must be one, I'm trying to work it out

 

[GT49er]

Does nobody realise that the BBC have managed to get their hands on live sport and as such, will ram it down our necks for the next few months.
When will they show it? Sky & BT (with Amazon getting in as well) have the EPL & EFL so will the BBC put, say Albion v Bristol City, up against Sky on a Sunday afternoon?

Sky will be showing the WSL, and plugging it like mad. SSN is all over how they've signed a multi-million three year to broadcast it.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Surely It's a good thing.

I have no real interest in Women's football, but I'm much more likely to watch Brighton play an important WSL match than I am to watch a Champions League match between 2 non-British teams.
I'm sure the standard of football would be far greater in the latter, but I don't care enough about the result to give up my time to watch.

tbh if Brighton were pushing for the title in the WSL, I'm sure a great many of fans posting, "no interest", would tune in.

 

[Change at Barnham]

The standard is currently much higher than most people think in both women's football and cricket and is getting better.
When watching you need to dismiss any thoughts of comparison with the men's game and appreciate the skill and development of the players you are watching.

Anyone with daughters or granddaughters will probably appreciate the growth and opportunity of women's sport more than those currently not interested.

Last week I flicked between the women's Villa v Brighton game and the men's Chelsea v Athletic Madrid Champions League game.
By half time I had decided to watch the women's game. I think this was because it was more unpredictable, less feigning injury, no VAR and the obvious interest because it was Brighton playing and therefore part of our clubs journey of progress. In a nutshell, it was more honest.

As mentioned by previous posters above, you can choose to ignore it just like any other TV programme. I don't feel WSL coverage is to the detriment of anything else.

At 59 years of age I'm beginning to realise how sexist and blinkered I have previously been, which is something I'm sorry for.
Moving forward l'll certainly support the growth of the women's game as much as possible.

A winning Brighton side will certainly make it even more fun.

If you don't fancy it, you've still got the darts, snooker, F1 or even men in cages trying to knock each other unconscious.

It's great news that we will have the opportunity to watch more WSL games on TV and it's even better that our visionary chairman read the script before most of us and most other clubs.

 

[Wozza]

Are you equating the women's side to a piece of merchandise?

I'm saying I'm not interested in something just because it carries the BHA name on it.

Where does your devotion to BHA begin and end exactly? Follow academy teams, for example? And does Royale USG count?


FWIW, I know Brighton fans who follow the Albion who don't watch any football as a neutral. Now that's weird.