If you remember, a few years back I was a big fan of women's football, I went to a shedload of games and was quite vocal in my support for it. However, now I feel that it is a total joke. Why? Not because I've become sexist. Not because of the players' abilities or skill... but simply because of where the game is going and how it is governed. For me personally, the initial signs were there in 2013 with the expansion of the WSL. Teams were invited to make an application to join, of course more applied than spaces. Portsmouth missed out, a bit disappointing, but oh well. However, three events really set the tone. 1. The relegation of Doncaster Rovers Belles, after one game of the season. 2. The replacement of the Belles in the top division of the WSL (as now there were two divisions) with Manchester $ity. 3. The relocation of Lincoln Ladies to Nottingham, where they were rebranded Notts County Now bare in mind, up until this point Manchester City had never played in the top tier, they had gotten promotion to the second tier the previous season but had been roughly mid-table. Heck, they even lost to Portsmouth. Yet suddenly they go straight into the top 8 teams in the country? Why because they had ****loads of money, but most galling of all was the fact that a team that got to the top on merit (and had never been relegated once in their history) were relegated to make room for them. Furthermore, it is said that apparently Man $ity threatened to disband the club if they were not put straight into WSL1, which is a shockingly arrogant attitude. Anyhow, surprise, surprise Manchester $ity go out on a spending spree and sign like half the England teams including captain Steph Houghton and some other internationals too. But even then I still liked women's football and followed it. However, I started realising the the system was rigged. And boy how was it rigged. The FA seemed to show nothing but contempt against the teams not in the WSL. With the way transfers work, if a selling clup is not in the WSL, there is no transfer fee. There is no compensation, there is nothing. If a player's been on the books since they were 13 and are now captain playing for the senior team with 200 caps... or if they were a youth player who has become a fully-fledged international, it doesn't matter. They would get nothing in return. A WSL club will just come swooping in, pick off the player and swoop out. Now you could argue that happens in men's football, but but bear in mind there is only a one tier difference between the WSL and the WPL but the financial backing given by the FA, the media coverage and so in is so vastly different. You don't see all the best players in the Championship being swooped up by PL clubs (not saying some aren't sold) for no compensation. It's a joke and both WSL transfer windows are in the middle of the WPL season (because the WSL is a summer league and the WPL a winter league, although they're moving both to a winter league - another idiotic decision by the FA) so it can happen at any times. Shedloads of players have been picked up for nothing by WSL clubs. For Portsmouth alone, there's been Simmonds, Kirby, Umotong, Quinn, Kempson, McGee (now Reading's captain), and so on. Of course, then there are the play-offs. Even before we played in them, I was against it but the whole concept is just ridiculous. The winners of the northern WPL and the winners of the southern WPL play off against each other with the winner getting promoted and the loser staying down. However, as well as being unjust in the sense that if a team wins their league they should be promoted, no if's, no but's, no maybe's... It also has a big effect on the loser. Think of it, if a team has won their league, clearly they'll have a good bunch of players and this'll come to the attention of other WSL clubs. No doubt many clubs will have scouts at the play-offs... so what happens if you lose? Half the players will be signed up by WSL clubs. Portsmouth have lost loads of players since they lost in the play-offs and are now a lower mid-table side, more likely to be relegated than even challenge for the title. Same with West Brom who lost in the play-offs last year. It's a bloody stupid system. People said I was only against the play-offs because we lost, but I was still vehemently opposed last season when we weren't even in them and I still think they're awful. Now I don't follow football so closely, but I still follow a few journalists on Twitter who cover women's football so I can see what's happening. And every days it seems to be Chelsea or Man City or Arsenal have signed x or y. And often they're international players. The number of international players has increased dramatically. I have nothing against international players but if the lack of English players is seen as a reason for the poor performance of the England team, the exactly same process if occuring in women's football. Furthermore, even within the WSL there are some clubs who can just outspend everyone else. Chelski are apparently offering a 400k per year contract to a French international, Carli Lloyd, the American international is apparently going to join Man City, swooping a league with way higher attendances and a much stronger history and so on for the WSL... hmmm I wonder why. Meanwhile, you have teams like Notts County being given winding-up orders: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38881575 Watford had to conceed a game due to a shortage of players: http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/watford_fc/15072772.Golden_Girls_pull_out_of_Women_s_FA_Cup/ And lower league clubs keep folding left, right and centre. It seems to me like women's football is repeating exactly the same mistakes as men's football, it's turning into a elitist, money-driven game where you just buy your way to the top, as Manchester $ity did. What I liked about women's football is that it wasn't so money driven but that's the way it's going now and in relative terms, it's actually way worse than men's football. But hey, the FA don't care as long as long as Chelski and $ity can buy all the best players and give them insane contracts which other teams could not even come close to matching while the WPL only exists to provide ready-made players gift wrapped for the WSL. Yet the FA does nothing. If I wanted to watch a team buy a title, I'll just watch Chelski (men) on Sky Sports. Sorry for the rant, but it just angers me that the FA are so blind/incompetent.
Sorry, clicked into this in error, misread it as why Portsmouths football is a total joke. I don't follow women's football that closely but interesting to read someone's thoughts who does. Seems a shame the way the sport has headed.
Great article Pomps, you should try and get this published on a blog somewhere. Very well written, and very persuasive arguments.
would it be allowed for a woman to play in the mens league ? there are some talented women out there , yes maybe they might not be as physically strong , but then again some men who play are not that physically strong either .
Got to say that this opening post is the best contribution I have read on this board for ages. I was not aware of this situation but PL's argument is well thought through and one with which I totally concur. Thanks for drawing this matter to the attention of others like myself who were totally ignorant of this situation.
I can understand why you are wound up...especially in the matter of transfer fees. The rich clubs should be made to pass the money down the line. I suppose most of the problem is due to lack of depth in the game...I suspect there are many many fewer top class women players than there are in the mens game. A bit like having the EPL and then non-league. Some of it may correct if the game grows....it is fast growing, but the lower leagues must need help. The top league has only a few clubs in it....so allowing 2 clubs promotion would have a massive effect on it at a time that top clubs are just beginning to invest. We have only just restarted our ladies side and are starting at a junior age. It is appalling how the Doncaster Belles were treated. We must remember how the FA banned womens football for many years because it was too popular....now that was a true disgrace.
Thank you kindly. I figure it's a bit too ranty to be published anywhere, but if i tidied up the language maybe. Another commonly cited thing in favour of women's football is the lack of cheating and egos, and so on... but Kelly Smith made me doubt that when she went on a vicious attack against a Sunderland player on her public blog. Here are a few of the more ridiculous comments: "I'm absolutely furious and I can't get that tackle out of my head.. While she gets a three-match ban, I, in effect, get a 15-game ban in the league as well as cup games. She's clearly not good enough to be playing at this level." "‘I have had a lot of reaction from both my team-mates and others in the game and the verdict is the same - Holmes shouldn't be playing in this league." "Sure, she apologised as I got stretchered off and Sunderland subsequently apologised to Arsenal. That's all well and good, but she should be thinking more about how to tackle, not how to apologise." "I don't know whether I'm seen as a good scalp in the women's game because of who I am" ‘There is no hiding the fact - the tackle was malicious and designed to do one thing only - to do serious damage,’ Such arrogance, Ronaldo would be proud of her. Funnily enough she seems to have deleted the post, but the Daily Mail still has it in full. And bare in mind, she didn't post this immediately in the heat of the moment, but several weeks later. Lost a lot of respect for her. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ined-four-months-following-ankle-surgery.html You can see the tackle on the Beeb. It's a bit clumsy, it's a bit mistimed... but it's clearly not deliberate or overly dangerous. I think she was sent off for being the last player/denying a goal scoring opportunity, not for foul play: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32724976 So women's football has big egos apparently, it's driven by money, it's elitist and there's little player stability if you're not a WSL club and from what I've seen the atmosphere at games is appalling... so what exactly does it have going for it? Only thing IMO is the feminist argument, the argument that women should not be belittled or discriminated against just for being women, and should be able to compete in the same sports as men regardless of their gender. Though none of my arguments against women's football stem from the fact that they are women. And on another note, Cardiff wouldn't be allowed to be promoted into the WSL, despite competing in the WPL. Yet if they won the league, there would still be a a play-off game against the northern division winner. Yet as they couldn't get promoted, the northern division winner would get promoted by default and yet the game would still occur even though promotion had already been decided.. It's absurd. And guess who's top of the WPL south? Cardiff. I hope they win the league, just because it would highlight the FA's incompetence and the absurdity of the whole play-off competition.
I think because they're affiliated to the Welsh FA. Which apparently is okay in the WPL, but not okay in the WSL.
There is a lack of depth, but because of the relative spending power of the WSL, they're essentially hoovering up and hoarding all of the talent in the WPL. The depth is decreasing because fewer clubs possess a greater proportion of the talented players. Initially the gap between the WSL and WPL, wasn't that huge. Hence why several WSL teams were knocked out of the FA cup by WPL teams, but given the process I've described, the gap has increased, hence there's been far fewer upsets. Plus, how do you build a house? You start with the foundations, not the roof.
This is what Saints are doing....they are investing at Academy level to bring girls through our system rather than try to buy adults in and start at that level.
Southampton do have a senior squad though. They're currently third in the tier below Portsmouth. Still, when you get promoted, when you win the WPL south, when you lose the play-offs because Hampshire teams don't do play-offs, and half your team are signed by Millwall, Reading and Brighton leaving you to battle relegation... then you'll realise the system is a joke. Yes, Southampton could make the WSL (especially if the Hampshire play-off curse is ever broken), but the odds need to be ever in your favour. Though there was some talk on Twitter about what would happen if Man U ever decided to form a senior women's team, whether they'd start at the bottom or go straight into the WSL. I think we all know the answer to that one...
To be perfectly honest, it isn't just the women's game is it? The sport is bent from top to bottom across every FIFA confederation. The sport is literally awash with cash with zero safeguards in place to prevent disproportionate distribution, daft rules in place to protect the status of a few select clubs and the less said about the governing bodies themselves, the better.
Not sure they are formally attached to SFC. We used to have a women's team years ago, but think they are on their own now.
No, it isn't just the women's game, but from PL's obviously knowledgeable and heart-felt rant it looks as though they're making blatant short cuts to get the WSL to be they way they want it in the shortest possible time, so that they can make a proper business model of it, and the WPL can go hang. They probably think there are too many clubs anyway, so making life too difficult for most is one way of reducing the number. I tend to think that if the men's league were devised from scratch today they would possibly follow a similar route, cutting the number of clubs down to a point where League One and Two wouldn't be required. Then, in the minds of the money people, those 'spare' potential supporters could hand the dosh and devotion over to so-called glamour clubs. And who is to say that those supporters wouldn't do so eventually, too. We see plenty of evidence of it now, when supporters actually have a local club to support.
Great piece A lot sneer at China, but the WSL sounds like a similar business plan (albeit at a smaller scale). Ultimately if the women's game is to progress in this country then the players need to be full time professionals. I assume clubs like City and Chelsea will be operating their clubs at a loss and by the sounds of it the FA have climbed straight into bed with them. The non transfer rule imparticular feels like something which would be the demand of a money rich club and the FA whose primary objective should be to uphold fair competition have failed. The trouble is I can see this helping to make the national team a success and therefore the league will be seen as a success.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/f...mens-team-thumped-7-0-by-under-15s-boys-team/ Australian National team lost 7 - 0 to 15 year old boys team.
The England women's team have practice matches with teenage boys teams....it's designed to be a challenge as it can be hard to find enough top quality women to provide practice. Never heard of them being thrashed though...the Aussies will have to put this down to experience.
Most women's teams aren't formally affiliated to their respective men's team. Portsmouth aren't. West Ham weren't but after threatening to sue the men's club over sexual discrimination, the men's club took them over. Anyhow, I find it interesting how even... women's football bloggers and followers are beginning to realise that women's football is going the way of men's football... but on steroids. Indeed, there was even an article about it on the BBC last year: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36036394 But at least I'm not the only one thinking it. They've certainly done that. Heck there was a revolt by the WPL a few years back: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/10487233/FA-faces-worthless-womens-football-revolt.html Can you imagine an entire league claiming they are being cast aside as worthless in men's football? Initially there wasn't going to be promotion to the WSL, but following the revolt, that was given as a concesion. But... they're still considered worthless... Still, opening promotion (as messed up a system as it is with the Hunger Games-esque play offs) has placated the WPL despite still being worthless.
That didn't have much to do with Women's football in reality. More to do with Ray Trew who had tried to take over Lincoln City (then in League 2) and was blocked from doing so with good reason. He then went and bought the debt ridden Notts County for a quid and somehow he managed to take the Ladies team there afterward. To do with profile etc. Nottingham a bigger city, more exposure etc. No idea what is going to happen there now with Trew jumping ship from Notts County and having the gall after selling them to call in a six figure debt owed to one of his companies. Nasty piece of work Ray Trew and Lincoln were lucky to stave him off. Was a pity because even though crowds for Women's football are low we had one of the best teams in there with several England internationals.
