Women and Soccer

History of women’s soccer

In the early 20th century, “serious” women’s soccer was common in Great Britain, France, and even Canada. It is believed that competitive soccer wasn’t uncommon in Central Europe (eg. Italy). One of the most well reported games of all time occurred on December 26, 1920, where the Dick, Kerr Ladies took on St. Helen Ladies at Goodison Park in Liverpool. Allegedly, this match had 53,000 spectators and 14,000 who had to be kept out , which held a record for most (women’s match) spectators for 99 years (Source ). Following this game, on December 5, 1921, the Football Association (FA) put a ban on women’s football. The FA claimed that this ban was to “protect” women, but it was stated the real reason was due to the fear that Dick, Kerr “threatened” the men’s game.

The ban on Women’s soccer was in effect (in the UK) for 50 YEARS (1971). This ban was a major setback in England women’s soccer. However, women’s teams would played in non-FA areas, such as the United States. Elsewhere in Europe, France and Italy had setup women’s leagues by the 1930s. By 1950, Italy established a national league, and the first informal women’s European championship was held in Germany in 1957. By the time the ban in England was uplifted, 35 countries had national leagues and international competition had become mainstream. ( Source )

Women negotiating gender in soccer

A study from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences did interviews with professional women’s soccer players (in the US). “The aim was to stimulate the production of narratives and to better understand the content and context of the gender constructions conveyed by the participants.” The interview consisted of three parts.
1.) Demographics background and background in soccer involvement.
2.) Gender socialization as a player
3.) What it is like being an elite female soccer player
The interviews found that the women had to negotiate gender in various aspects and phases of their careers. The interviews found that the women had female role models for soccer, such as their mother, or another elite level female, such as Mia Hamm or Brandi Chastain. The interviews also found that a mothers interest and support was also important in participation of soccer. The study also talks about how 2 players preferred male coaches, while the other 2 players didn’t care about the gender, they only wanted the best coaches. One player even said “I prefer male coaches. Because… he just tells you like it is… Personally, I have never had a female coach, and I don’t want one”. This shows the whole idea about thinking that women can’t say the honest truth.

The interviewees also believed that the popularity in women’s soccer had decreased since another study in 2003, resulting due to the medias lack of interest in the sport and the achievements of women. They also talked about “media invisibility”, where the media doesn’t focus on any of their accomplishments. Another issue this study raises is how female players are displayed “as heterosexually appealing and sexually available”, with one interviewee saying “it is never about performance first in female sport. It is always about the hot-factor… they might mention performance, but it is an afterthought”. The study also talks about how once women adopt physical and social traits that are associated with “masculinity”, their sexual orientations get challenged.

(Source : Kristiansen, E., Broch, T. B., & Pedersen, P. M. (2014). Negotiating gender in professional soccer: An analysis of female footballers in the United States.)

Media Links:
The women banned from playing football on the world stage, but did it anyway – BBC News