[Albion] Women’s Football

[Commander]

So I went along to the Albion Women’s game for the first time last night. I was expecting to come away saying saying ‘fair play, the standard really has come on, I was surprised by how good the football was’.

I didn’t. I thought it was awful. I’m sure this will be an unpopular opinion, but I thought the standard was dreadful, the atmosphere absolutely crap, and the whole thing a total waste of everybody’s time.*

I’ve said it before, but why on Earth do women play on a full size pitch with full sized goals? It makes no sense at all. An average Premier League keeper must be at least 6”5. The average women’s keeper must be almost a foot shorter. How is that fair? The old thing about women goalkeepers being rubbish is harsh, because they are playing in goals that are far too big for them. It’s the same with the pitches, they can’t play the same passes the men can and they can’t shoot from distance because they can’t hit the ball hard enough. People say ‘it’s a different’ game and it is, but why should it have to be?

And before anybody cries sexism / misogyny etc, women tee off from different tees in golf, play less sets in tennis etc. Football should be adapted for women to make it more like football, rather than the watered down, weird version of the sport I saw last night.


I’ll be sticking to Haywards Heath Town or Lewes for my non-Albion football fix from now on, but I can’t be the only person who thinks the women’s game has it all wrong?




*except mine, as I got to meet Guy Butters.

 

[Chicken Run]

You’re are more than entitled to your opinion and i look forward to seeing this thread develop into a grown up discussion.

 

[Silverhatch]

There is merit to your viewpoint - see the brilliant game/sport of women’s golf. Unfortunately, given that blazer-wearing-misogynists banned women from playing football for 50-years in this country, any male voice in this discussion should just shut the f*** up. If you don’t like the sport - just don’t f***ing watch it. Let women decide how they want to develop their sport.

 

[Exilegull]

I’ve said it before, but why on Earth do women play on a full size pitch with full sized goals? It makes no sense at all. An average Premier League keeper must be at least 6”5. The average women’s keeper must be almost a foot shorter. How is that fair? The old thing about women goalkeepers being rubbish is harsh, because they are playing in goals that are far too big for them. It’s the same with the pitches, they can’t play the same passes the men can and they can’t shoot from distance because they can’t hit the ball hard enough. People say ‘it’s a different’ game and it is, but why should it have to be?

You say you said it before what were the answers? Because they probably remain the same as when you asked last time. I will help you with one part. "An average Premier League keeper must be at least 6”5. The average women’s keeper must be almost a foot shorter. How is that fair?". Its fair because they dont play against eachother.

 

[dazzer6666]

Standard dreadful compared to what ? If you watch an equivalent WSL game from even 5 years ago I think you’ll find you‘re mistaken.

 

[Brian Fantana]

So I went along to the Albion Women’s game for the first time last night. I was expecting to come away saying saying ‘fair play, the standard really has come on, I was surprised by how good the football was’.

I didn’t. I thought it was awful. I’m sure this will be an unpopular opinion, but I thought the standard was dreadful, the atmosphere absolutely crap, and the whole thing a total waste of everybody’s time.*

I’ve said it before, but why on Earth do women play on a full size pitch with full sized goals? It makes no sense at all. An average Premier League keeper must be at least 6”5. The average women’s keeper must be almost a foot shorter. How is that fair? The old thing about women goalkeepers being rubbish is harsh, because they are playing in goals that are far too big for them. It’s the same with the pitches, they can’t play the same passes the men can and they can’t shoot from distance because they can’t hit the ball hard enough. People say ‘it’s a different’ game and it is, but why should it have to be?

And before anybody cries sexism / misogyny etc, women tee off from different tees in golf, play less sets in tennis etc. Football should be adapted for women to make it more like football, rather than the watered down, weird version of the sport I saw last night.


I’ll be sticking to Haywards Heath Town or Lewes for my non-Albion football fix from now on, but I can’t be the only person who thinks the women’s game has it all wrong?




*except mine, as I got to meet Guy Butters.

I'm with you here, pretty much. My first live women's match was last season's FA Cup final between Man United and Chelsea and I came away very disappointed in terms of both atmosphere and standard of play.

Atmosphere-wise, I know they're clearly appealing to a different base to the men's game largely, and that's absolutely fine. It's just not for me.

 

[Exilegull]

If you go to a game and can´t enjoy it because the size of the goal, which has been the same since 1863, maybe find a different activity.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

I thought the gulf between the top half teams with young international regulars, and bottom half teams like us and Everton, is huge.

But i enjoyed it last night despite the low level standard.

Of course the atmosphere will be crap with 5k, mainly kids in a 30000 stadium.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

“I thought the standard was dreadful, the atmosphere absolutely crap, and the whole thing a total waste of everybody’s time.*

This sums up the vast majority of my time watching Brighton. It’s pleasing that the men’s and women’s games are equal.

 

[dazzer6666]

I thought the gulf between the top half teams with young international regulars, and teams like Everton, is huge.

Same as the men’s PL

 

[Chicken Run]

“I thought the standard was dreadful, the atmosphere absolutely crap, and the whole thing a total waste of everybody’s time.* And my hard earned money

Slightly amended to reflect my similar view

 

[Commander]

You’re are more than entitled to your opinion and i look forward to seeing this thread develop into a grown up discussion.

Absolutely. I obviously thought a few times before posting it. At one point I wasn’t going to because I felt it was mean to the women. Then I remembered the absolute bollocks that the men constantly have written about them and decided it would be sexist not to.

This isn’t meant to be a criticism of the women, and I’m not saying women shouldn’t play football, before the woke brigade jump on me. I’m saying their version of the game is crap, because it hasn’t been thought through properly. It could, and should, be much better. We gave up playing in full size goals and pitches with kids long ago, so there is clearly logic in it.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Same as the men’s PL

Probably a fair point really!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Slightly amended to reflect my similar view

I’m reminded of the wife once saying to me “if it’s so shit why on earth do you keep on going?”

 

[Chicken Run]

I’m reminded of the wife once saying to me “if it’s so shit why on earth do you keep on going?”

My wife said similar about our sex life….

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I went along for the first time in a couple of seasons, I do watch on TV though from time to time.

Hear what you’re saying @Commander but I actually disagree, I think the standard of our ladies has come on, actually significantly from two years ago, when I thought it was very poor (and consequently I hadn’t returned).

?Zigoti I thought was good, as was our captain and Terland. Robinson was quiet but then she was up against an absolute giant who won the physical battle every time.
Goalie wise, Megan Walsh always seemed steady, but our current goalie is not very good, and may save shots from range, but for me she is a weakness compared to the rest of the team.

Mikey Harris is trying to get them to play football, but like the men’s team at the moment it’s the final third, poor decision making and too slow.

Atmosphere wise, yes, it’s poor, but it’s a different clientele IMO, lots of children and their parents. Not wrong just different. Bit like Brentford away….
Our team desperately need their own stadium, but I certainly wouldn’t make it bigger than a 10k capacity, and would let the U21s and others share it.

I don’t agree with changing pitch dimensions

 

[Commander]

. If you don’t like the sport - just don’t f***ing watch it.

That has always been my view. But the way it has been pushed and pushed and pushed by the Albion and the media in general suggests otherwise. Giving almost equal coverage to a sport that brings in a tiny percentage of the viewing figures and revenue is hugely disproportionate, and suggests that the opposite is what the aim is- they want everyone to watch it.

I made some comments on here a while back about women’s football and was told that until I bothered to go along to a game and watch it, my opinion wasn’t valid. Which I thought was as a very fair point. So I did, and it was crap.

If you go to a game and can´t enjoy it because the size of the goal, which has been the same since 1863, maybe find a different activity.

A well thought-out, reasoned argument against all the points I raised for discussion. Thank you for your input.

 

[Jim in the West]

I’ve only seen the women live once this season, the cup game against West Ham. I thought the standard was pretty decent, tbh. I also watched the last 20 mins of the away game at Leicester on tv - it was very exciting, even if rather error-strewn.
I think we’ve got to be careful not to compare mid-table WSL players to top half Premier League teams. In the latter case we’re looking at some of the best footballers in the world, taken from a population of hundreds of millions of young men across the globe, developed over nearly 200 years. The cohort of women playing football to a high level is tiny in comparison. You need to give it time (and encouragement) to develop.

 

[dazzer6666]

That has always been my view. But the way it has been pushed and pushed and pushed by the Albion and the media in general suggests otherwise. Giving almost equal coverage to a sport that brings in a tiny percentage of the viewing figures and revenue is hugely disproportionate, and suggests that the opposite is what the aim is- they want everyone to watch it.

I made some comments on here a while back about women’s football and was told that until I bothered to go along to a game and watch it, my opinion wasn’t valid. Which I thought was as a very fair point. So I did, and it was crap.

A well thought-out, reasoned argument against all the points I raised for discussion. Thank you for your input.

They don’t need to increase coverage of the men’s game, it’s already saturated and not sure any comparison is relevant anyway - it’s a product in it’s own right and the coverage is aimed at those that want it or might be interested and easily avoided by those that don’/aren’t. Don’t see a problem with that personally.

 

[Swegulls]

This is a hot topic and I don't know if I'm able to discuss it in proper English really, but I'll give it a go and see were it land. As far as I'm concerned I really like to watch the women's World Cup, European Championships etc. I think the standard there is really good, and it's more or less tough but fair, no cheating, diving, a whole team surrounding the ref to try and change her mind and no hooligans around. That awesome! Club football is not there at the moment, clearly a level down and I often get the feeling it's a "totally different sport".

For me it's all about this I guess, "a different sport". I just don't get THAT feeling watching women in other sports. I love to watch downhill skiing, cross country skiing, Ski cross, table tennis, tennis, basketball etc. I can even watch boxing, judo and stuff like that and I feel that it really is boxing and judo. Women's handball is better than the men's, the play is so hard and tough and the likes of Bruno Fernandes would start crying within a minute! Women's cycling, running, ultrarunning, golf - I really enjoy it!

Football, and ice hockey, is probably the only sports that I feel is something different, at least at club level. I guess it will be better and better every year, but I'm not sure if it ever will "catch up". I will probably still go and watch a game every now and then and I guess I will take it for what it is.