I'm writing this article just a few hours after England won the Women's World Cup cricket final against New Zealand, that being in the same week that the qualifying round draw was made for the 2011 Women's World Cup football finals, to be staged in Germany. England facing Spain, Austria, Turkey and Malta in the first part of qualifying, with all eight group winners then going into a play-off round for four final European World Cup spots. In some news that will more than likely amuse most of us blokes, research in November by the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation showed that 78% of women and girls would play more sport if it better reflected the customer-friendly experience of shopping. The statistics saying that only 3% of women play organised team sports, football being the most popular team sport for both women and men, played by 13% of men compared to just 1% of women. 27-year old turnstile operator Donna Powell made the headlines in February when she was manager of Conference South strugglers Fisher Athletic for one game. Fisher, in dire financial trouble, asking for a boss for a day to raise much needed funds, with Powell raising £500 in three weeks through sponsorship to take the helm against Eastleigh, a match the Fish lost 2-1 at home. It was widely reported at the time that she was the first female manager to be placed in charge of a semi-professional or professional men's side for a competitive match. That claim later being disputed though by Conference North outfit Droylsden who say that Stella Quinn and Julia Roberts were in charge for a Manchester FA Premier Challenge Cup tie against Abbey Hey eight years ago. The two ladies being given the reins after boss Dave Pace had an argument with the organisers over the rules of the competition. On the subject of competition rules, Twitter is much talked about at the moment and, remarkably, it will be used in the new United States Women's Professional Soccer league. As, according to communications director Robert Penner, selected players will be able to post "tweets" during its inaugural game between the Los Angeles Sol and Washington Freedom on March 29th. The league, formed after the Women's United Soccer Association folded in 2003, contains just seven teams, although that will expand to ten next season. The other five at the moment apart from the Sol and the Freedom being Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (based in Santa Clara, California), St. Louis Athletica and Sky Blue FC (based in Piscataway, New Jersey). Atlanta, Philadelphia and the Dallas Sting joining the party in 2010. All the general managers from the franchises recently approved the twitter idea and, depending on fan response, league officials may roll out the idea for the rest of the season. Surely players will only be allowed to twitter at certain times though, those being before the game, half-time and after the game, and you'd have to think that the league would have the final say on vetting them as well. Unless of course they are happy with a half-time twitter of "this referee is an absolute ******* ****." Back over this side of the pond and women's football in England doesn't get the same kind of attendances now that it once did for a game on Boxing Day in 1920. The match that afternoon watched by over 53,000 people, with another 10,000-15,000 reportedly locked out, as Dick, Kerr's Ladies, a works' team from Preston, took on a St Helens Ladies side at Goodison Park. Another effort will be made to bump up modern day interest in the women's game next season though with the formation of the FA Women's Super League which will operate in similar style to the Super League in that code of rugby. Teams having to apply for a two-year licence for the 2010 and 2011 seasons in which time the league will be closed to new entrants. The Football Association will be providing funding to the eight semi-professional sides, with a plan in place to expand to a maximum of 12 teams by 2014. A maximum amount of £70,000 per club per season being made available to support "club development activities in specified areas thereby promoting sustainability", according to the FA website. The season itself, like the Super League, will run from March to October, and that switch to summer football should help increase attendances at matches, especially given the push to attract more families to watch the women's game. The successful clubs, with the deadline for applications coming on the 24th of April, will be announced in June, so that gives them a good nine months to get their house in order for the start of a new chapter in the women's game in England. |