Still a man’s game?

For how long?

When you hear former professional (men) footballers on TV condemning girls’ and women’s football, you have to wonder whether they have ever actually watched a game.

Many years ago now, when I was refereeing regularly in the local men’s leagues, I decided to try my hand on a women’s game, if you know what I mean. It was so different and really interesting. The skills were all there but at a less aggressive level. Don’t get me wrong. Women’s league football has always been competitive, but it still lacks the nastiness of much of the men’s professional game.

Girls' football from another angle 

Then I got involved in a different way. By the time my daughter Carrie was eight or nine, she was already a keen footballer, but where did you find a team? The only ads we saw were for Reading Royals Ladies and when she was only ten, she had a season playing friendlies with them. At 11 she was able to join the Vale and District League but, because girls’ teams were few and far between, we spent the next five years travelling to Thatcham, Andover, Portsmouth, Southampton, Reigate and Greenford. It certainly tested her dedication (and her dad’s). At this level the referees were not necessarily qualified, though the girls deserved better.

Where do they go next?

At 16 the girls now enter ‘Open Age’ (Women’s) Leagues Our local league is the Southern Division. Referees have to be qualified and registered, but there is still no league appointments system – it is the responsibility of the home club to find a suitable official.. By this stage many girls have dropped out because of all the travelling and having to play against much older women, but three of the Under 16s who have stayed with the Royals Ladies first team are now playing in the National League Premier Division.

Since the Royals Ladies were formed they have progressed from the bottom to the top – Southern League Divisions 3, 2 1. Then, after the play-offs, they reached the Southern Premier Division and last year beat Leyton Orient 2-1 in the last game of the season to reach the pinnacle. Results so far in the Premier? The two promoted teams (the other is Aston Villa) are holding the others up! The gap between the regional divisions and the Premier Division is proving to be like the gap between the Premiership and Nationwide Division1. Some teams do bridge it and the Ladies remain determined and optimistic.

Transatlantic example for us

How different it all is in the USA, possibly because men’s ‘soccer’ is not part of the tradition and male psyche. Soccer is promoted for girls and women at all levels and the success in the Women’s World Cup just gave it all another boost. Here it continues to be a struggle. Girls’ and women’s football is said to be the fastest growing sport in England, but presumably because it had such a low base. It is Catch 22. It will not really take off until it gets the total support of the authorities and, particularly, the media. The media especially will not be interested until it has really taken off.

Opportunities increasing for girls and referees

The good news is that the FA is finally taking a serious interest and has entered into wedlock with the Women’s FA. More local clubs are accepting girls’ teams into their structure and more primary schools have girls playing football.

Of course, a lot of men referees are chauvinist as well, although in Reading we are getting more and more girls and women qualifying to take up the whistle. Local referees (men and women) have the chance to referee in the top league in the country, thanks to the Royals Ladies’ achievements, but we still have too few. Maybe they too need to watch a few games to be convinced.

Paul Hopes

Paul has been refereeing girls’ and women’s football since 1991 and has recently been appointed to referee at the highest level - in the National League Premier Division].

© P. Hopes 1999

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