Women's football

[Durhamfootman]

England win the She Believes Cup, after beating Brazil, drawing with the mighty USA and thumping Japan.

Good preparation for the world cup later this year.

[Durhamfootman]

Mighty Chelsea, stuffed full with international players, beat lowly part timers Durham in the FA cup QF's, by one goal to nil

They had to clear a shot off the line in stoppage time though

It's a tidy little ground in Durham (home of Durham City in the northern league div 2), but this must be the biggest game they've had there. Over 1600 watched the game, which feels like a good turnout

[Gingerfinch]

We went to see Reading vs Utd ladies today. First half was poor, but improved after that. 0-0 at full time, with Reading winning 3-2 with virtually the last kick of the game in extra time. Fair play to the Utd ladies, who looked totally dejected, but still came over to sign autographs and take photos with the fans.

[Durhamfootman]

what did you think of the game, Ginger?

[Gingerfinch]

The quality was better than I thought it was going to be, though the obvious final third was where they struggled, up until tiredness crept in. Reading were deserved winners in the end, having two goals cancelled out, again both in the extra time. My daughters team have an affiliation with Reading Ladies, so I hope we'll be going back to watch them again, especially at £6 for four tickets.

[Durhamfootman]

can't argue with £6

[Durhamfootman]

seemingly, Barcelona's game today in la liga femenina was watched by over 60,000 spectators, so I think we've probably got a way to go in the UK

[Gingerfinch]

seemingly, Barcelona's game today in la liga femenina was watched by over 60,000 spectators, so I think we've probably got a way to go in the UK

I reckon there were about 500 there today. one plus, the queue for the coffee kiosk was short!

[sussexpob]

seemingly, Barcelona's game today in la liga femenina was watched by over 60,000 spectators, so I think we've probably got a way to go in the UK

Its not representative at all. They sold the ticket for a couple of quid each, and they came with a ticket to attend a signing session with a current player and get an autograph, and also had a pre-match hall of fame ceremony for the latest legend inductees. These sorts of events in Spain are massively supported on their own.

As a direct comparison, when Diego Costa was officially unveiled as a Madrid player a while back, they nearly sold out the stadium for a daytime training session where he received his official shirt and number...... hed already been on loan at the club for 6 months, so it was hardly a "big" moment, and hed also played for the club many years before going Chelsea. When Real make a good signing, they sell out the Bernabeau just for him to come out in a white shirt and speak for 5minutes.

These ceremonies are really popular in Spain. Its debatable if anyone turned up the actual match.... they havent sold out there 2,500 ground ever apparently, so it would be proof of it.

[Durhamfootman]

so we aren't so far behind after all.... fair enough

they seem to be masters of the PR exercise, though, so there's possibly a lesson there to be learned

[Alviro Patterson]

From an England perspective, might as well get Little Mix peforming a gig pre-match before the Women's FA Cup Final begins for a "sell out" crowd.

[Alviro Patterson]

Yeovil Town Ladies go into administration, just one year after going full time and are considering reverting to part-time status.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47640276

Doesn't surprise me one bit when Women's Super League is a 20 game regular season. 10 regular home matches with attendances and prices on a par with Evo Stik League football is simply not enough to sustain full time football long term.

Those in the women's game bemoan about equality (e.g FA Cup Prize Money), but don't understand basic economics on why there is a gulf in wages and prize money and persist with a mentality that the FA owes them a living.

Since Super League was formed, it has come out a cost in the wider game. Traditional clubs like Doncaster Rovers Belles are forced to play in the 3rd tier (National League) because they can't sustain Super League Football, while Lincoln City Ladies were allowed to be franchised by Notts County and moved to Meadow Lane. Even Leeds United Ladies who enjoyed moderate success at the top level are nowhere to be seen. For Yorkshire to have one team in Super League (Sheffield United FC) is scandalous when the county has a bigger population than Scotland, a nation in which other clubs are closing the gap on Glasgow City FC.

[sussexpob]

I keep on being annoyed by articles I am reading interviewing Ada Hegerberg. While it might please the extreme liberal crowd to keep on banging on about football being sexist, and calling for wage parity with male footballers, I tend to think that this lady is living in an alternative reality; how can she demand she gets paid the same as Lionel Messi, her male counterpart for the best player in the world, when the Women's champions league final tickets didnt sell out a stadium of 20,000 people, even though they were basically as close to free as possible (they were apparently 1-3Euros depending on the seat!). Her old team in Norway apparently got a crowd of 50 people turn up for a recent match (2nd in the top league, so no crap team), and she is complaining about the Norwegian FA being sexist and refuses to play for the national team because this frankly horrible bunch of men in charge wont lash down billions of Krone's of investment on womens football; they do however pay woman the same as men, and recently increased funding to be vastly disproportional to the womens game when revenue and turnover are taken into account.

But apparently thats not good enough. She thinks she should be earning 400,000 grand a week like Messi when Lyon cant get 1,000 people through the gate when the tickets are a Euro for a game, and when the club is still making a loss despite the fact their costs for all things like stadium, training pitches etc are underwritten by the male parent club. And thats pretty much true of every ladies team, none of them make any money, and all of them are kept afloat by male teams.

But thats obviously not good enough. These clubs need to do more! The Norwegian FA needs to do more...... because it makes sense to put a billion krone into a game which 50 people turn up to when it costs nothing to get in.

Maybe she should turn around and see her wages are better than most, and are not based on any profit made by her employer, so she should maybe be a bit more grateful and stop resorting to the most lame stereotyping.

[Gingerfinch]

I had a similar 'argument' with my wife and daughter the other week. I basically said 'when women are as good, and get the same attendances, then they will.

[Gingerfinch]

As I said at the time, my family of four went to see an FA Cup QF between Utd and Reading for a cost of £6. I know this was subsidised but still.