[Albion] Women’s Football

[Chicken Run]

Excellent post sir.

The fact is, Brighton should be getting more than 5,000 for a women’s game in the WSL on a Friday night with dirt cheap tickets. They threw everything they could at it last night to attract people, but the level of interest clearly isn’t there yet. The club are frustrated that their women’s social media content doesn’t get much interaction, and last night proved that there is a massive amount of work to be done to get it up to anywhere near the potential it has.

People just lazily shouting ‘misogynist’ at anyone making any vague criticism of the women’s game just has the opposite affect that the perpetrators are looking for.

Fair play to you for going and giving us an honest and apparent brave review, interestingly i wonder if you’d get the same level of critique if you’d given a similar review after a restaurant experience or perhaps a movie or show, probably not imho

 

[Me and my Monkey]

Thank you. I was expecting a lot more flak, to be honest, I had my tin hat on and was hovering over the ‘post’ button for a while.

The thing is, you posted your opinion of last night's game, then what I personally felt was a rather weak suggestion for improving the women's game. Which is of course your right your do so, but surely you expected some debate? I don't remember calling you a misogynist. You seem alarmed and hurt by people's responses. Don't be so soft.

 

[drew]

The thing is, you posted your opinion of last night's game, then what I personally felt was a rather weak suggestion for improving the women's game. Which is of course your right your do so, but surely you expected some debate? I don't remember calling you a misogynist. You seem alarmed and hurt by people's responses. Don't be so soft.

What then are you suggestions for improving the game/spectacle to attract a bigger paying audience?

Yes, you didn't use the word misogynist but your first post certainly implied it.

 

[Commander]

The thing is, you posted your opinion of last night's game, then what I personally felt was a rather weak suggestion for improving the women's game. Which is of course your right your do so, but surely you expected some debate? I don't remember calling you a misogynist. You seem alarmed and hurt by people's responses. Don't be so soft.

As I said, I expected more robust ripostes than I received. Which suggests a lot of people think along similar lines. I’m not quite sure why you think I am hurt or alarmed by people’s responses. I have to say I don’t feel either hurt or alarmed, thankfully. I think I’ll be OK.

 

[keaton]

It's risible, isn't it? The idea that people would pay money and take time and effort to go along and support Albion Women with their family, but somehow aren't supporting in the right way because they'd made up their minds already. As for misogyny, there's a degree of misandry coming back in that assumption. The less said about the reference to Andrew Tate, the better. Albion Women could have done with some of the same degree of dogmatic defensiveness shown by a few on this thread late in the 2nd half last night.

The Lewes post of a few days ago about attracting numbers to the Palace game was revealing. The fact that the word 'Women' had been omitted was picked up on and gently mocked, as NSC has a rich history of doing over the years with single issue, single post contributors regardless of topic. But dig a little deeper and one might suggest why it might've been left off in the event that it wasn't purely an oversight.

Barry Collins wrote a piece in 2019 about why he resigned as a director from Lewes FC. It's well worth a read - "I joined a football club and feel like I'm leaving a political party...the equality campaign has become an internal crusade that trumps all else... some on the board crave groupthink."

I've coached women's football at uni and coached, sponsored and managed a side in DWFA (Dubai Women's Football Association) for 4 years. Admittedly and even with a few good US college and European semi-pro former players, it was low level and I certainly wouldn't compare my managerial nous in any way to top WSL managers, male or female. But even at that level, it was clear to see that the game was very different to the men's game and should be valued differently as much as to protect itself from unhelpful comparisons. An equality at all costs approach isn't always in the best interests of participants who are being held to unfairly high standards.

Equal opportunity doesn't necessarily entail equal output or equal interest. 4 million watched Rhona Martin's 'stone of destiny' to win GB curling gold in 2002, an estimated 10 million tuned in for Maddie Hinch's penalty shootout Rio heroics on BBC1 for GB Women's Hockey gold. Unlike these 2 minor sports, there's much wider participation and grassroots support for girls in football, which is great. But for spectators, like these 2 sports, there's a surge of interest in major tournaments, but significantly less interest week-by-week through the WSL and Championship turnstiles. For every record-breaking London derby high attendance (with low ticket prices), there's WSL Everton who struggle to get 4 figures at home. Official attendances from 2nd tier Women's Championship games are hard to find.

Albion Women's season tickets available at £55 for adults and £25 for kids for 11 home games including 2 at the Amex, it's not that people are being priced out. And an evening game at the Amex isn't going to help with the numbers, even on a Friday without school the next day.

A group think, defensive default setting mentality isn't going to help Women's Football grow and improve.

Your feedback should be appreciated and welcomed, not criticized and vilified.

Barry still goes to pretty much every game. Where since he left he would have seen the men's team play some brilliant football, with some great players, on a lovely new pitch in front of big crowds. It's worked out pretty well

 

[MattBackHome]

All makes sense. Except I’m not comparing the to Premier League players. I watched Lewes beat Horsham on Tuesday night, the standard there was far, far superior.

You picked a good night for the Rooks, I've watched them serve up some utter dross this season.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

As I said, I expected more robust ripostes than I received. Which suggests a lot of people think along similar lines. I’m not quite sure why you think I am hurt or alarmed by people’s responses. I have to say I don’t feel either hurt or alarmed, thankfully. I think I’ll be OK.

When I post something on here and don't get inundated with angry replies, my first thought isn't "Ah! Clearly everybody agrees with me!"

For what it's worth (i.e. bugger all), I don't see making the pitch or goal smaller as being worthwhile solutions to any perceived problems with women's football. The standard is improving and will continue to improve, as will public interest.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

When I post something on here and don't get inundated with angry replies, my first thought isn't "Ah! Clearly everybody agrees with me!"

For what it's worth (i.e. bugger all), I don't see making the pitch or goal smaller as being worthwhile solutions to any perceived problems with women's football. The standard is improving and will continue to improve, as will public interest.

If you feel the pitch is a bit too big for you just pass the ball more? That will conserve energy for those mad dashes which are needed from time to time

 

[Mr Bridger]

Maybe playing with a balloon would make enhance the game. Loved that as a kid, a slow motion overhead volley was my speciality.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I’ve done you a favour and banned it.

Almost a shame as this was possibly your best post on here, but the final whistle has blown (as it should do after 80 mins of a women’s football match )

Au revoir

If only @Steve Foster/@Bognor Seagull/@This is me/@JC Footy Genius/@Wokeworrier had gone with such timeliness, honesty and integrity

 

[Pondicherry]

Exactly……I obviously watch loads of PL football, and also have a season ticket at my local non-league lot. Trying to compare the two would be laughable, and comparing women’s football with (any) men’s football even more so. Our U16s would comfortably beat our WSL team, but so what ?

This is almost certainly correct. I think the issue for some people is that women's' football receives a hugely disproportionate amount of media coverage compared to its equivalent level in the men's game. I understand why the media does this and it can be some extent ignored but it still means that significant resources are being put into staging and reporting a standard of football that isn't very good.

 

[Guinness Boy]

You picked a good night for the Rooks, I've watched them serve up some utter dross this season.

Raised their game again this afternoon. Almost like thousands of YouTube views might open a door.

 

[A1X]

Not read the whole thread so apologies if fixtures but it ones need to be remembered that Brighton and Everton are two very average WSL teams

 

[dazzer6666]

This is almost certainly correct. I think the issue for some people is that women's' football receives a hugely disproportionate amount of media coverage compared to its equivalent level in the men's game. I understand why the media does this and it can be some extent ignored but it still means that significant resources are being put into staging and reporting a standard of football that isn't very good.

Well they have 50 years of being banned to make up for, so I wouldn’t begrudge the game a bit of extra airtime as it improves

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Well they have 50 years of being banned to make up for, so I wouldn’t begrudge the game a bit of extra airtime as it improves

Yeah i find it strange how many people can't get their head around this. Girls weren't banned when I went to secondary school in the 00s, but they weren't given the option to play either. Of course the standard is going to be low in a country where boys have grown up kicking balls for decades and women simply haven't.

 

[drew]

'Invincible' all-girl football team goes whole season unbeaten - in boys' league

Queens Park Ladies under-12s dominated the 11 other boys' teams, winning 18 of their 22 games, scoring 61 goals and conceding only 11 to secure the league title.

news.sky.com

 

[drew]

Yeah i find it strange how many people can't get their head around this. Girls weren't banned when I went to secondary school in the 00s, but they weren't given the option to play either. Of course the standard is going to be low in a country where boys have grown up kicking balls for decades and women simply haven't.

You are right but that stupid rule was rescinded in 1970 so they have been able to play for 54 years since then. 50 years of not being able to play is going to be a serious dent in development however it's often mentioned as if it was only a few years ago that they started playing again.

 

[dazzer6666]

You are right but that stupid rule was rescinded in 1970 so they have been able to play for 54 years since then. 50 years of not being able to play is going to be a serious dent in development however it's often mentioned as if it was only a few years ago that they started playing again.

There weren’t latent millions of women and girls sitting around waiting for the ban to end……generations were lost and girls playing football disappeared. In reality they haven’t been playing for long at all relative to the men’s game. The game wasn’t fully professional until 2018 (and still isn’t fully outside of the WSL)

 

[drew]

There weren’t latent millions of women and girls sitting around waiting for the ban to end……generations were lost and girls playing football disappeared. In reality they haven’t been playing for long at all relative to the men’s game. The game wasn’t fully professional until 2018 (and still isn’t fully outside of the WSL)

Don't disagree but was just putting a bit of context to the reference to the ban.

 

[Commander]

Yeah i find it strange how many people can't get their head around this. Girls weren't banned when I went to secondary school in the 00s, but they weren't given the option to play either. Of course the standard is going to be low in a country where boys have grown up kicking balls for decades and women simply haven't.

I don’t really get why my 10 year old son would be a worse footballer than a 10 year old girl, because girls were banned from playing the game 50 years ago. Unless you are suggesting there has been some kind of evolutionary development in human males that has enabled them to kick a football better than females and it’s passed on from generation to generation. Which seems unlikely.