Straight out of the @Cynicaloldgit school where 39,000 is âa fewâ
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got to disagree hereâŚstaunchlyâŚ
its market dynamicsâŚits driven by moneyâŚnot some ideology. its tapping a massive market, people who dont think this is a business decision arent looking at the picture properlyâŚ
paying these women more than what is collected in gate reciepts or TV revenue isnt the full storyâŚits about missing out on the female âconsumerâ
like it or not, its not feasible to ignore the womens game or the female support it bringsâŚmy daughter would support Liverpool if the womens team was garbage (in its comparable sphere, not vs Brazil 1970) but her support might look different if sayâŚshe supported lIverpool mens and Arsenal womens becuase LFC didnt supply her with a viable womens teamâŚthen every second strip id buy would be an arsenal one
(i chose Arsenal because they have 3 high profile Matildas playing for them, one of which is a local girl who has been at the local soccer club i play at in the recent past)
you might look down on that but take it to a more local level, imagine a female brought up in a red household, but the blue side of Liverpool were the only club taking the womens game seriouslyâŚall of a sudden the female football fans have a decision to makeâŚ
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All I can say - itâs working. Viewership and stadium attendances are going up (certainly in the Bundesliga, Iâm pretty sure in England and other countries as well) and the quality of football has taken a massive leap in the last 15, 10, even 5 years. You donât have to watch it, I occasionally do.
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Yeah, even on the pitch. As you say, the quality has gone up, but so has the competitiveness. The dominance of the US team has been utterly shattered within the space of about 2 world cup cycles in a way that is both surely good for the game and could likely only have come from the menâs establishment in Europe finally throwing support behind their womenâs teams.
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Pundits should be good at what they doâŚmale or female.
The currennt crop are dreadful, irrespective of gender.
I suppose there is equality in that.
Theres a few things holding the womenâs game backâŚno goal line tech, no Var andâŚthe fact they are over 100 years behind the menâs game as they werenât allowed to play properly for years.
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I love Womens football as I have stated on this thread a few times.
We all know the growth over the last few years has been immense. The big menâs Clubs are now becoming the top womenâs clubs after a slow start and money will only grow. Deservedly.
Now for the elephant in the roomâŚ..you canât just demand equal pay and sponsorship until the economics stack up - gate, tv, sponsors. Surely you are paid as a function of what you generate.
The Matildaâs in Australia are extremely popular, get great crowds and tv exposure. In the last couple of years have a similar payment deal to the men.
But it is different at club levelâŚ.nowhere near the interest and therefore money.
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Yeah, thatâs a different discussion.
You could train and work your ass off and become genuine world class in many sports and yet you will get nowhere near as much as similar football, basketball etc players, because thereâs less interest in what youâre doing. Is that fair - maybe not, but thatâs not really what itâs about.
Even at a lower grassroots level, womenâs footy is vastly better. My Sunday evening indoor league starts right after an adult womenâs league, with most of the players in the early 20s. The women who have learned their skills in the past 10-15 years are so much better than the cohort before them it is astonishing to watch.
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I meant
Why play against a boys team unless there was a point to prove?
Someone thought it was good idea?
Its apples and oranges, as I said aboveâŚsame rules etc, just different games.
It is a common, even routine, approach for the top womenâs teams. Itâs an easy and cheap way to bring in sufficiently tough challenge.
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I have been involved in the consultation process about allowing elite young women to play in menâs divisions. Many of the best female players grow up being the biggest/fastest/strongest and often the most skilled. The level of competition where they need to work on the mental aspect of the game often doesnât arrive until university/pros/internationals. Earlier exposure to that requirement helps them develop as players and as a team.
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Just donât get to see what gain is to be there when the womenâs team play against a team featuring the opposite sex.
Even if itâs Serena & Venus vs the part time tennis player.
The fact is that at some point of time , people need to realise that these are two different sports.
If and when womenâs football or cricket or any other sport comes up to the money that the menâs sport generates , then , thereâs a case for equitable pay.
If that is the case, theyâd probably find a way to ban it again.
Seriously?
Who would ban it?
Football is a commodity. As long as it generates money, then there wonât be such a ban.
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Just as an example, Alexandra Popp, former striker for Germany, played with mixed/boys teams until she was 14 and always attributed that as having been a key factor for her physical play, which was her main asset.
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Jaffod?
It was a serious question.
You said âtheyâd find a way to ban it againââŚ
I wasnât being serious.
Serious answer.
The womenâs game is decades behind the menâs game, but itâs closing the gap and rising in popularity quickly. So nobody is going to ban it now.
The real danger to the womanâs game is when it does start to eat into the hegemony that the menâs game enjoys. It wonât get banned but it will get interesting if the amount of money does start to level out.
Sorry for being slightly off topic, but since weâre talking about banning, women and football:
Any chance of a female mod or will it remain an international sausage fest?
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