WSL ON THE RISE

Who said that?

comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 19 minutes ago
There shouldn't be any problem with not liking it, but the harsh reality is that there is a strong undercurrent of sexism in a lot of the criticism it receives.

I think this is partly to do with some seeming to see the promotion of the women's game as just another case of unbridled wokeism, when it could just as readily be understood as a strategic investment to expand the game precisely where the growth opportunities are greatest.

The number of fans of women's football is expected to more than double over the next decade, it's obvious that in future there's going to be a lot of money to be made in it, but some still seem more interested in making it (yet) another battleground of identity politics.
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I'm sure there's a market for it and that's great, but I don't think it will be as popular as the men's game, no matter how much the media try to push it, even after a few decades. The fact is, women can never be as fast and as strong as men (at elite level), we're not built the same, that's not being sexist, its a biological fact, especially in physically demanding sports. Their bodies aren't designed to physically push themselves to the limit like men, so it will always be slower and that's why in the women's game, they end up with more knee, ACL injuries. Because of the larger pelvis and knee positioning, as well as lack of muscle mass around the knee, they're much more prone to these type of injuries.

Sponsors and even TV won't pay much for a small audience so I'm not sure where the money will come from. Big money comes from elite level sports as that draws the most audiences, and there's more men interested in watching sports like football than women. Right now, the only reason there's higher than average attendances is because the cheap tickets, and free for kids. Its a good day out for families. Increase the ticket prices and then we'll see how dedicated these 'fans' are to women's football.

I don't think it'll ever be as big as the men's game either, but that doesn't mean there isn't huge growth potential or that it can't be profitable.

After all, footy's the world's no.1 game, but there are plenty of sports with far smaller followings that are still big enough to attract millions in sponsorships, which is where most of the money comes from.

Take a team sport like handball, for example, which I'm pretty sure will seem very obscure for most people here. Well, there's still enough money in it for the top earners to make upwards of half a million a year.

Why shouldn't women's football be able to attract just as much or more interest? From that point of view, I think the men's game provides a huge advantage, as there are already myriad outlets reporting on the game 24/7.

Women's football is growing already, and it's going to grow a lot more as media coverage increases the number of recognisable faces that corporation can pin their logos to. There's a whole world of products that can be marketed to young girls, who will get into the game more and more as the number of relatable faces in the sport grows. The appetite for the game itself is already there and ready to be exploited; it just needs more female faces to attract that segment of the market.

Sports like handball are usually followed by people that play them, I think there will be growth but the main audience will be men.

I fear however that women's sport is in danger due to biological men entering women's sports space.

No one is really talking about it, but it's a matter of time when it will affect WSL, we've already got Megan Rapinoe defending their place in women's sports.

Handball isn't huge, but it's a lot bigger in some countries than others. It's relatively unknown in the UK, but is arguably amongst the 5 most popular team sports in large parts of continental Europe.

Other sports that are hugely popular in the UK, such as rugby and cricket, are nowhere near as popular on the continent. You'd probably have trouble convincing anyone in Spain that cricket's one of the world's most popular team sports. In fact, you generally have to start out by explaining how it is different from croquet.

On the other topic, PP, for the time being most sports have barred transgender athletes from competing as women.

Rapinoe can shout from the rooftops all she likes, but I can't personally see the concept becoming broadly accepted, as I think most people perceive it as being contrary to basic notions of fair competition. If it came to it, I think most sports would end up setting limits related to hormone limits and the likes which would preclude transgender athletes from taking part in women's events without having to actually name them as a group.

comment by Passion Power - Make 1984 fiction again (U8398)
posted 11 minutes ago
I fear however that women's sport is in danger due to biological men entering women's sports space.

No one is really talking about it, but it's a matter of time when it will affect WSL, we've already got Megan Rapinoe defending their place in women's sports.
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Let her get tackled or shoulder barged by a 6'4" biological man and lets see if she changes her stance.

I fear however that women's sport is in danger due to biological men entering women's sports space.

No one is really talking about it

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I think they are...

comment by Tyke (U9181)
posted 19 hours, 3 minutes ago
comment by ItsAboutTheBackFour (U9916)
posted 13 hours, 56 minutes ago
comment by Tyke (U9181)
posted 10 hours, 28 minutes ago
Reading this thread, I see the second wave of dying dinosaurs . You boring, small minded old farts!
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A good solid ad hominem, well done.

Why would anybody on a football thread not be in favour of women being more interested in football & dumping “The Kardashians” ?

The difference between us & you is that we deal in reality, the women’s game is STILL having to be subsidised by the men’s game whilst “The Kardashians” & their like are DROWNING in money - & that main interest in their rubbish is not coming from men. 🤷🏻‍♂️
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Hmmm.. I was referring to posters who reject women's football outright. Who is or isn't subsidising the game is irrelevant. Have you seen the attendance figures recently? Thought not. Again, I have no clue why you are going on about the kardasians! So I'll just assume you didn't get my point. Personally I have followed women's football for years. As an Arsenal fan, we are the most successful ever, so maybe I was biased at the start. I admit the game was poor back then, but now it's excellent, and the things that we ALL complain about in mens football are not there. The diving,the holding the face in agony after zero contact. The whining etc. The Women seem more interesting in just playing the game and getting on with it. I hope they don't start imitating the worst of the mens game but in the meantime, I am enjoying it enormously.
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Well, you thought wrong, as I have already said, the media onslaught (far in excess of the current interest) HAS increased the attendance at WSL games - but that STILL doesn't make them solvent, partly because the attendances on an average game are still not enough & partly because of the low ticket prices.

I am glad you are "enjoying it enormously" but it doesn't matter about you personally, you are not typical or the future. The reason I mention the "Kardashians" is because the WSL has to generate a much bigger audience, & that means women are going to need to get a lot more interested in the game if the FA are going to meet their projections or even get remotely close.