shetalksballs:

Firstly I would like to excuse the way which this may come across- in lieu of context I’m sat with an empty bottle of rosé, cross legged in my pajamas, scrolling through the externalized, misogynistic drivel of the Daily Mails Sports column. 

As a women- no, as a human- I’m finding it harder and harder to keep my cool about the endless silence that seems to echo around womens football. It’s a Cinderella effect, the press are so disinterested in womens football and why wouldn’t they be– after all, just how many females do you see involved in football punditry and coverage?

It is a universal truth that within the sweaty realm of football, for Brits, the only thing bigger than the Premier League, is the painful display of masochism that is often mistook for supporting the English National team. I have never know grown men invest so much, believe so hard and support what can only be seen as the flip-flop failure of the English National Team. In what is, time and time again, a miss-shot, badly footed campaign in international football, we invest yearly in tabloid hopes, wall-to-fucking-wall television coverage and during the sacred chalice of the World Cup we expose ourselves to the misery and drizzle of British football. Football that seems to more resemble our miserable British weather than it does the enthusiasm of England fans.

This time round though, I have not failed to notice the cavernous lack of punditry, coverage and general media fuzz surrounding the Womens World Cup- especially our coverage of Englands Ladies Team. For a nation that seems so ready to jump into bed with pundits, a nation who invented the beautiful game, whose very headlines are aching for international football success, it is almost baffling how little attention has been momentarily dipped towards the womens national team.

On the back of Englands win over Canada, which hurtles them into the semi-finals of the world cup, I took a scroll through several online newpapers. It has been less than 24 hours since the game in Canada and already in the order of ‘interest’ of headlines, in particular on the Daily Mail, womens success has already been bypassed by the news that Ronaldos son is playing football on a beach in the Bahamas, the fact the Rio Ferdinand spent his weekend at Glastonbury and the tantalizing, oh-so-important feature explaining just how Brazil fans are still asking David Luiz for selfies, despite their flop after Copa America. Seriously? And the Daily Mail is far from alone in its actions.

The Lionesses have just beaten home-side Canada to earn a historic place in the semi-finals, in a match watched by 1.6 million tv viewers (in spite of conflicting time-zones) and yet analysis, media conjecture and headlines are already being watered down. Admittedly, womens football is not the same as mens- it is, in-arguably, played at a slower pace.. but the inventive set-pieces, threatening runs, and overall composure of the game is still the same; as demonstrated by the almost effortless Jodie Taylor goal that sprang from a defensive mistake just 11 minutes into play.

As not just a fan, but as a girl growing up among the beautiful game, I’m dissatisfied with current coverage- yes this Womens World Cup has raised the profile of womens football within the UK, but I’m still skeptical as to the lasting effects and the blanket-effect that seems to command womens football. Amongst pundits, columists and the male-dominated world of football coverage, womens football is not getting the focus and presence it deserves. Fact. After all, try to name six female football players. Tell me I’m wrong someone?