In Thursday’s Melbourne Herald Sun, there was a curious little article heralding what appears to be October 2009 ABS survey stats that suggest that more boys are now playing Australian Football.
Waiting until February 2010 to release the results seems a bit odd. That aside, we’ve had debates last year around Jeff Kennett backing women to play AFL, and we’ve seen Herald Sun columnist Robyn Riley invite debate around the subject “Men’s footy is not for women”.
And at some point, one wonders why all sports seem to have to have a focus on increasing both male and female participation. For Rugby 7s to make the Olympics, they had to illustrate a high level of womens participation (real or imagined?).
But what’s wrong with retaining one or two modern ‘men’s games’.
When a coach attempts to fire up his charges and hollers, “It’s a mans game!!!”, you don’t want Ethan up the back saying: “Well, actually coach, all my sisters are playing it”.
The ABS survey stats were referenced from the 2009 Children’s participation in cultural and leisure activities. This has been run previously in 2000, 2003 and 2006 previously.
The survey allows for up to three sport nominations per respondent for most frequently played organized sports in Australia, outside of school hours, by Australian children aged between 5-14.
Figures 2003, 2006, 2009
Boys
Aust Footy : 13.6%, 13.8%, 16.0% -> +2.4%
Soccer (outdoor) : 22.2%, 19.6%, 19.9% -> -2.3%
Swimming : 15.7%, 16.5%, 17.2% -> +1.5%
Netball : 0.6%, 0.1%, 0.3%
Girls
Aust Footy : 0.7%, 0.9%, 0.9%
Soccer (outdoor) : 4.2%, 6.4%, 6.2% -> +2%
Swimming 17.5%, 18.2%, 19.8% -> +2.3%
Netball 18.1%, 17.3%, 17.0% -> -1.1%
Clearly, there’s a boy/girl hand in glove relationship in many cases, with footy Vs netball. Many of us have grown up with that being pretty well obvious.
Football has overall remained stable at 13.4% to 13.2%, but boys participation has fallen while girls’ has increased.
Australian Footy overall has risen from 7.3% to 8.6%.
All of which raises the question: are boys absolutely happy to be playing the same game as their sisters? And is it actually better that there ARE games that are seen as being gender specific?
bever fever
Guest
Yes i was aware that in QLD they are way in front of us (WA) as far as girls/womens football goes. I thought it was all a bit of a joke until i saw how serious some of the girls/ladies were, after watching a couple of games i must say i actually really enjoy watching womens footy, the pace and skills are questionable but the endeavour is not. Actually went to the womens grand final at Perth oval (eftel ??) last year, their was a good turn out for both grades with probably up to a thousand people there. Quite a lot of young guys were there having a great time, and the beers were going down well.
Westcoast929406
Guest
That Started last year in the WAFL - They are aiming at an all girls pathway through to the seniors. Vic and QLD are the leaders in this area having regular Youth girls state matches against each other in the past 2 seasons. The guy from Canada in the first post highlighted another interesting point- There will be "Senior" Womens Internationals featuring Australian and probably Canadian and American teams likely long before the men do. The US Women are hoping to tour again next year probably during the I.C.
bever fever
Guest
Just out of interest i have noticed some signs locally for footy clubs sign on day which state " all girls auskick teams starting up". Every year around the same time local footy clubs, hockey etc put their signs out around the area advertising their rego day, time ,place and its the first time i have seen a sign specifically for girls auskick. Certainly a growth area.
westy
Guest
I have watched women's basketball and it is at quite a competitive and skilful level is as of couse the netball. The W football league on the ABC is truly terrible.There are simply not enough depth of players of a requisite standard. The best level of women's football I have seen is at the international level. It is OK for fathers to wax lyrical a bout their daughters but in the cold light of day as the only Australian football on FTA it is at a standard well below some men's park football teams. I try to watch but my god it is poor.
Punter
Guest
When I'm talking football, I always meaning 'soccah'. In my house the game you call football is aways Aussie rules or AFL, but I do agree all football codes have the tight to call their sport football if they want. I don't mean about possible injuries in football to netball. The difference between the crowds involvement at u10 girls football to u10 girls netball is huge. Much more exciting watching the football game than netball. As far as being a sexist, yeah I prefer watching women's tennis to men's, but when I'm watching from a purely sports point of view, I do prefer the men's game, though I have seen some very good women's matches. To each their own, no doubt the Netball uniform is sexier than the football uniform.
Michael C
Roar Guru
I presume you're talking soccer here?? good luck to them, netball is atrocious on knees/ankles, but, then, to encourage the kids into a sport where they hit the ball with their head????.......everythings got it's 'downside' I guess. but - I gotta say, the girls playing netball look a damn sight finer than the girls playing soccer in their big baggy shorts!!!! Sexist.....hell yeah!!! Why do you think women love Aust Footy.....shorter (tighter) shorts and 'muscle' tops. It's a simple equation. ;-)
Forgetmenot
Guest
Exactly, so national websites like The Roar should not refer to any of the sports purely as football. The reason i dont support this site. I realise it is a business decision, but i support businesses of my taste, and The Roar is not to my liking.
MV Dave
Guest
The 2007 Womens WC in China was a fantastic spectacle with many brilliant players and games for the spectators to enthuse over. There were over 30 matches with an average attendance of 36,000 per game. The best of womens sport IMO!
Westcoast929406
Guest
The genie is out of the bottle MC, The growth of Womens Aussie Rules in the past 10 years has been strong from a very low base. It has been driven by girls involvement in Auskick - Currently 80,000 total participants in the womens game- In fact Sherrin designed a special football size wise for them on request by the senior level players in Victoria. Sherrin is in business to make money - So they must think the future is growth for the Women. When all the states get their structures right a National League is planned eventually. The current Federal Govt Sports Minister Liz Ellis from SA supports that concept. Hopefully some of the women playing will have children eventually and they may encourage them towards our game. It all helps and then we can call them "Footy Mums" as opposed to the "Soccer Mums" we keep hearing about.
Punter
Guest
My youngest girl has always played football, my eldest girl just switched from netball to football & I cannot be happier.
Michael C
Roar Guru
which is kinda why it's nice that there still exists a predominantly female sport such as netball where the times/scores/efforts aren't fading in comparison to the men. basically, I look at the AFL and they - I feel - are compelled by Govt 'preference' to encourage more and more female participation, and that's a good thing, but, I hope not TOO much at the expense of netball. but - at some point - each must survive sustainably and if not, fall by the wayside.
Punter
Guest
I love watching the opals at the olympics, because as you said we have some of the best players in the world & generally competing for a medal. It's the only time I really watch basketball. But they too are in slow motion in comparison with the men basketball players. Outside of the tradional olympic sport of athletics, women's tennis is about the only high profile women's sport. Maybe swimming some countries like Australia, but that about it.
Michael C
Roar Guru
personally I reckon the best women's variant of a sport is basketball. I love watching the Opals at the Olympics and perhaps because Australia boasts a couple of the worlds best players in Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor plus another couple of rising stars, perhaps it's just that much better to watch because we know the Australian standard is world class, but, similar to you issues about the 'slow motion' womens soccer - womens cricket tends to be 'slow motion' such that, the 'fast bowlers' are really medium at best.....is it technique? is it lack of breadth of pool of talent? is it lack of physical strength? Will it take a girl with a hormonal imbalance to dominate because she's genetically closer to being a male?
Australian Football
Roar Guru
Maybe you should join the Taliban. :) Really what are you MC? ~~~~~ AF
Punter
Guest
To avoid confusion, there is Soccer or as more commonly known as Football worldwide Rugby, may be called Football in New Zealand. Rugby League, may be called football in NSW or Queensland Aussie Rules football, or more commonly known as AFL or as Football in Vic, SA & WA. Amereican football or gridion or football in the US & Canada.
Andyroo
Guest
Michael I don’t know what you are going on about with the Scouts that doesn’t apply too football at all. Most football clubs the girls have their own separate teams and organization for players older than 10 or 12. It’s just facilities that are shared and not at the same time. I definitely think football will benefit in the future by being inclusive as those players become older and get into positions of key decision makers. So while your footy team only has one field while the space next door is tuned into netball courts the other footy team has two fields and Sharons dad is helping out with the building of a club house.
Towser
Guest
True Tah Women dont attend English football ,quite simply because its the culture of the English working class that created English football culture. That is it is traditionally a sport,adopted origonally by working class males to escape the mundane toil of their factory/mining/wharf labourer etc existence. Women were then, by tradition, excluded from attending football matches. That tradition has by & large stuck. Nothing to do with calling anybody a poof if they didnt play or follow football. In fact even In Sheffield a passionate football town many of my mates didnt play or follow football. Seems to be a judgement taken from afar that everybody in England is tarred by the football brush. There not & dont get castigated because of it.
Redb
Roar Guru
Mooface's sport of choice in his profile appears wrong - whats on the dark side of the moon? :-)
Towser
Guest
THe question to be asked regarding women playing a sport that has traditionally been a mans sport is can into morph into a womens version of that sport. Tennis obviously can judging by the high profile of women tennis stars. As a football fan, womens football also has evolved into its own version of the sport. Whilst physically it can never match mens football, nor probably its speed(after the age of around ten anyway) ,technically I see no reason for it not to be on an equal footing. Other than perhaps that the worldwide pool of players is far less. Therefore the amount of possibly gifted technical players is far less . I dont see that changing,certainly in Third world countries & in strict Muslim ones. Personally at a professional level(ie W-League etc) it appears slow motion to me. Also the technical side of womens football is still not advanced enough to be an attraction in its own right. That to me is where womens football should concentrate on if it wants to advance from large participation to spectator sport. .
Michael C
Roar Guru
how is it anti-football?? btw - what really annoys me is that the ABS article I referred to uses this terminology : Soccer (outdoor) Soccer (indoor) Australian Rules Football and the ruddy Roar editors go and change the 'Soccer' in this line to this "Football has overall remained stable at 13.4% to 13.2%" and, how does that help the flow of my article?? Anyway - back to your question. How was the article 'anti-football'........and which code of football are you referring to? because, in the article, other than via theRoar editors over zealousness - we should've been able to avoid ambiguity!!!!