One more statistic, then I'll leave it: Sunderland, in their second top-flight season, experienced the biggest decline - almost 24% to 710 - while Liverpool averaged gates of 724, a fall of almost 10%.
If you're going down that route, why don't we bin off ANY football club that gets gates on under 1000. Men's and women's.
And lets be honest, nothing is getting forced down your throat. You don't read the page about women's football in the program, you didn't need to get involved in the threat and you don't need to watch the game. You're actively choosing to make it an issue when quite frankly it isn't. If women's football isn't for you then fine. No need to denigrate the sport or the efforts of those trying to raise the profile of it.
No. He's being a dick.I have no views either way, but surely Goldstone is just giving his opinion which is what these forums are all about? If you don't agree fine, but to insinuate he shouldn't voice an opinion is double standards isn't it?
I have no views either way, but surely Goldstone is just giving his opinion which is what these forums are all about? If you don't agree fine, but to insinuate he shouldn't voice an opinion is double standards isn't it?
If you didn't have double standards you'd have no standards at all.
Oh dear - on many levels.
No, Goldstone doesn't make any valid points.
He believes women's football has no right to exist on three main points - the perceived lack of interest, it only ticks the box of a 'PC Brigade' and his psychedelic, parallel-universe conention that it's only a game for males.
Let's take them one at a time. If he believes it shouldn't exist due to a lack of interest, then nor should powerchair football, blind football, amputee football, reserve matches and polo. If the crowds aren't there then, but his reasoning, they shouldn't be taking place either. In other words, football should only exist for the sake of commerce. Taking that to its logical conclusion, Goldstone is an armchair fan with no concept of what he claims to support - a FOOTBALL club.
Secondly - this mythical 'PC Brigade'. A phrase of no meaning. Since when was it 'politically correct' to allow women to play football? Liking women's football doesn't make you 'politically correct', it makes you a fan of football.
Which leads us to the third point - since when was it actually correct to not allow women to play football? What are the actual physical, societal and egalitarian contexts within which women aren't allowed to play?
I'm not 100% sure whether your post, meanwhile, was made tongue-in-cheek, or whether you were being serious regarding women's roles in society. But I'll leave it there hanging anyway.
Having a pathway for girls to play at the highest level is a good thing.
It does however highlight the issue of young girls playing a sport in large numbers does not translate into large numbers of female spectators at female sports.
Many people cry out for equality but when the product is placed before them they don't support it.
I don't see how looking at attendance figures really proves the worth in anything. The mens game has been around for over 100 years, it has benefited from vast sums of money and exposure in that time. The women game hasn't had any of this and even now it is only starting to get some TV airtime (and even then hardly at ideal times). It's way behind mens football as a consumer sport but that's hardly surprising it is? I just don't see why people have to come on to threads like this just to try and make a point that it should be scrapped or is somehow not worthwhile? If it helps to get young girls playing sport, living healthier lives and provides excellent role models for them then whats the bloody problem?
PC Brigade does exist its in the urban dictionary and that's good enough for me.
Blimey, who wrote that definition? What a prannet.
Blimey, who wrote that definition? What a prannet.
Of course I can't. But the reasoning behind my post was - what problem would the 'average' Albion fan have with Hope Powell being at the Fans' Forum?
As many say on here - women's football is off their radar. That's a pity because those who do go and watch them appreciate what a good side they are. If Hope Powell's appointment says nothing else - it says the Albion is taking women's football seriously. So if the club can do it, why can't we?
I'd like to make a suggestion to everyone on here. Head over to Culver Road for one - JUST ONE - match this season. What have you got to lose apart from a wasted few hours in Lancing? Actually, bad point to make - but you get my drift.
ONE MATCH - is it too much to ask? For some, maybe - but for others...? Especially for those with young daughters or nieces who would like to have something to aspire to or heroes to appreciate.
Then make your mind up.
Nice idea but I think that might take "pretendance" to previously uncharted levels...Good call, I'm going to try to get along. Maybe Barber should offer 20 loyalty points to anyone attending as an incentive too.
Has it not occurred to you that England's rapid ascent from 2006 to 2013 may well have been down to her time in charge of the England women's team? It's excellent that Mark Sampson has continued Powell's work to take them to another level still.
And do you have first-hand, peer-test evidence that she has not been in demand? Do you know whether she has rejected any offers? You ask a question to which you only want to hear your own answer.
I refer your post to post #36 on this thread.
Nice idea but I think that might take "pretendance" to previously uncharted levels...
Sacked in 2013 due to poor team performance.......Morale issues within the team due to her selection process.....4 years to get another job.....
New manager who picked on form takes over and we win the Bronze medal at the WC.
I'll leave it there...
Actually it's spot on.