Football is an amazing game, writes Danielle Lowe.
I do not think that any of us would deny that. It is a game that we can be part of on so many levels. We can watch at home, down the pub or by the side of the pitch. We can watch it alone, with friends and family or with a group of other lone supporters that feel like family by the end of a match. We can pay for a ticket, a drink in the pub or for subscription to watch it on television.
However, international football is perhaps a completely different story. So often we hear that people have paid large sums of money to travel to and sit at Wembley to claim that it has no atmosphere. Perhaps there is no atmosphere because there is nothing for England fans to get excited about. The England men’s team is made up of people that show about as much enthusiasm and passion for international football as I show for watching paint dry. It is nice and relaxing for five minutes but gets boring very quickly and I would not want to do it for a living. Actually, that is a bit harsh on drying paint. More often than not drying paint is far better to watch than an England men’s game.
You might have already guessed but I am not exactly a big fan of England men and of their recent performances. Then again, not many people seem to be anymore. There is a reason that Wembley never fills out to capacity anymore and it is not just because of ticket prices. If you spend that much on a ticket you expect quality and skill. An experience to truly remember and you want to feel that what you are watching is enjoyable for the people involved.
Perhaps that is why supporters are turning away from the men and instead focusing on the women. The women care. The women play every game like it is the biggest moment in their life and like they want to make the country proud of what they can do. Wembley have hired enough staff for the England v Germany female international match to allow for 55,000 tickets to be sold. The game takes place on November 23. Tickets sold out a couple of weeks ago. Youth teams and fans are flocking from all around the country to watch these female international footballers play at Wembley.
We often think of international footballers as people that play for some of the most respected clubs across the world. But did you know that the majority of female footballers still have to hold down a full time job or are undergoing full time education whilst training and playing games?
Did you know that Rachel Yankey, the 35-year-old Arsenal midfielder, has 129 England caps making her the most capped footballer for an English international side of both men and women (Peter Shilton only got 125)?
Did you know that the women won all ten of their World Cup qualifying matches to get them to Canada next year – a somewhat better record than their male counterparts?
Female football has gained a lot of attention, especially since London 2012. You can watch the equivalent of Match Of The Day on BBC Three and if you missed out on tickets for the international when they play against the European champions then you can always watch it live on BBC2 (from 2.45pm).
You could of course go that extra mile to support the women. The squad is made up of players from recognised teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Birmingham and many more but most teams, not just in the Premier League, have a female/male equal.
Most female teams do not get much support however. Numbers of fans are often low (Ed – Palace Ladies apart!). Funds from their namesake are often lacking. Sponsorship deals come from local companies that can only really cover the costs of the shirts that their logos are emblazoned upon. Teams have to order kits in small numbers, when they have raised enough funds, making it more expensive for them than their bigger teams.
Many cannot produce merchandise because they cannot risk putting what little money they have into products that may not be sold quickly and take up storage room. Some cannot help their players reach maximum potential because they have to fund or ask players to self-fund trips to training camps and tours.
In a few teams players have to team together to pay for the transport to away games and have to pay for their own physiotherapy because the club simply cannot afford such luxuries. Many of these teams are forgotten about by their more common namesakes suggesting that they are not appreciated, promoted or respected by many.
Football is a beautiful game. There are no (well, a few) exceptions to that. Top league, lower league, young or old, male or female football is football. Every level has its own little charm and something about it to get supporters going. Next time there is an international break, why not go and support your top clubs female team, their youth team or of course, if short of those your local lower division team. Few things are certain but one thing I am sure of is that following that piece of advice you will spend less money, have a good time, support a good team and not be left feeling just how I feel when watching a male international game.
The tables are turning. Women’s football is on the rise and starting to get the respect that it truly deserves. You only have to witness the Women’s Super League (WSL) to see how it is flourishing.
After watching the England women play against Wales over a year ago and getting an audience of just over 15,000, it is great to see them continuing to go from strength to strength. They care about the game, they care about providing good results and they care doing well for each other and for their country rather than about the pay packet that they may or may not receive.
You should all join in and support them too. They are the only good international footballers we seem to have these days. And yes, I just went there …
Do you agree or does women’s football still have some way to go? Feel free to leave us your feedback below, on our Facebook page or tweet us. Danielle will be back in a couple of weeks with her next Fan Chat article.
