Yesterday I went to watch a game of football. It had goalkeepers marshalling defences, neat passing, physicality, through balls that split defences, well worked goals, and some more fortunate goals. Yesterday I went to watch Canberra United play the Newcastle Jets in the W-League.
In a previous post, I highlighted the women’s game as one area of football that often gets overlooked. In one of the comments in response to that post discussing why women’s football may not be a priority area for development or one that we can base the future of football in Australia on, someone said: “People just don’t like watching women’s sport because it doesn’t look as good as men’s sport by comparison, this is not being politically incorrect, it is just stating a fact.”
Whilst I agree that we can’t solely focus of women’s football to grow the game in this country, I do disagree with people writing off women’s football because it doesn’t ‘look as good’ as matches played by males.
It only took four minutes of the game today for the case against the point above to start being made. Canberra started the game off strongly and the early pressure paid off with Van Egmond putting in a cross in between the Newcastle defenders for Munoz to latch onto and neatly complete the move by chipping the oncoming keeper with a finish that any forward would be happy with.
Newcastle didn’t give up after the early setback with most of their attacks targeting the left side of Canberra’s defence.
However, it was Canberra who struck again. Heyman ran onto a through ball down the right wing and seeing the Newcastle keeper off her line, launched the ball from outside the box towards the top left corner of the goal. With the keeper struggling to get back, the ball ricocheted off the post, into the backtracking keeper and over the line. Luck sometimes favours the brave.
Canberra continued to have the better of the chances in the first half with Shipard marshalling the play in the centre of the pitch for Canberra, but with the final kick of the half, Andrews scored for Newcastle after Canberra failed to clear a cross from the right.
With the heat coming into play in the second half, miscommunication and mishit passes began to creep in to the play of both teams. Newcastle were more patient with their build-up play, but they were unable to convert any of their chances. Canberra took a little longer to adapt to the conditions with a number of through balls missing their intended targets. Long balls and tired legs don’t often mix too well in the heat.
It was against the run of play when Munoz got her second for the afternoon and Van Egmond made sure of the result a couple of minutes before full time.
The match I saw was intelligent football played by two well drilled teams who weren’t afraid to challenge for the ball or show some individual flair with a Beckham-esque attempt from half way by Shipard, which only just went over the crossbar to land on the roof of the net, being the highlight.
I may have been lucky enough to see a great game of football played by two quality teams whilst another W-League game with different teams may not have had the same standard of football on display, but that can happen with football played by either males or females.
I believe it all comes down to what you want to get out of your football. Male sport will always get more attention, more money and more coverage and more people will watch it, but I think all football fans are missing out on an opportunity to see some quality football played by teams that contain the players that won Australia’s first major football trophy if they write off women’s football because they think it won’t look as good as football played by their male counterparts.
The W-League is still in its infancy and I think it deserves the support of football fans in this country just like the A-League. If you get the opportunity to go and see a match in person or watch one on TV, I’d encourage you to take it. You might even by pleasantly surprised by what you find.
The W-League – it’s just like watching the Socceroos.
Danielle Warby
Guest
Well said Jon!
Jon
Guest
2010 ABS stats say Football (soccer) has more participants than any other football code. Only netball has more participants, so it is fair to say more women play sport in Australia than men. Maybe if advertisers woke up to themselves and recognised the potential earnings in women’s sport and pumped some money into football then the quality would improve. Well done Franky for supporting women’s football.
Jon
Guest
2010 ABS stats say Football (soccer) has more participants than any other football code. Only netball has more participants, so it is fair to say more women play sport in Australia than men. Maybe if advertisers woke up to themselves and recognised the potential earnings in women's sport and pumped some money into football then the quality would improve. Well done Franky for supporting women's football.
Rob McLean
Guest
Worth noting the women's T20 matches have been shown on the ABC as well. I enjoyed watching Sunday's match prior to the start of the ODI. I find it hard to watch women's soccer, I must admit.
Twatter
Guest
Why do most sports comments on here turn into a popularity contest between codes ( even female sports). It appers where grading them not so much on acheivements or possible lack there of but a popularity contest. That we should step back and acknowledge that female sports teams get very little to no coverage in the mainstream sports pages.
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
My comment is in direct response to Jon, who mentioned women's basketball, I'm not referring to your statement at all.
Midfielder
Guest
Leftie To much heat being made out of one fact which at the end of the day means little... that a female WC semi final against Brazil outrated a RWC round match which had no meaning to it is being over analysed it just happened ... it was more I cannot think of another female team sport doing that...
Danielle Warby
Guest
I was at this game on Saturday, and yep! Top notch stuff. The skill with passing, finding space and the quick one twos are way better than the men's game... which relies more on power and biffo than skill. The crowd was also great, despite the sweltering heat, heaps of Canberrans came out to watch the game; Canberra United is doing an awesome job at promotion... more so than the other Clubs... oh, I wonder why ;-)
MyLeftFoot
Roar Guru
It's one thing to say soccer dwarfs basketball globally, but it's quite another to somehow rate the women winning the Asian championship (where bugger all women play any form of sport) with the Australian women being world champions in basketball.
Midfielder
Guest
Yes in Australia .... and I will try and find the ratings .... for that night but rest assured for that one match the Women's football in Australia .... this is not saying the NZ or SA match or the finals ... to be fair it was a group match in the men's RU and Australia had already qualified and in the football in was a semi final.. and againt Brazil... But it did happen and in Australia ...
Twatter
Guest
I watch the W League occasionaly and find it refreshing that women are allowed on T.V. to play sport the procuct itself is not that bad if we stop assessing all football matches as in comparison with Barcelona. Apart from the Australian Open which runs till the end of January you very rarely see women play sport on F.T.A. channels ,for that matter cable. It's also refreshing to see natural looking women with proper body figures and young women who dont look obsessed about their figure.
Rob McLean
Guest
But not in Australia it doesn't.
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
back it up.............
Midfielder
Guest
Also a little know fact ... in 2007 the Matildas played Brazil in a WC match it started at 10:00 on SBS and had very little promotion... at the same time the RU national team played I think Fiji in the rugby WC on Ch 10.... the RWC match started at 10:30.... CH 10 promoted the hell out of it... The Women's Football had a TV audience over 20% greater than the mens RWC match ...
Jon
Guest
The Matilda's are the current Asian Champions so there is merit in describing them as Australia's leading team considering football dwarfs netball and basketball on the world stage.
Rob McLean
Guest
Midfielder - Australia's leading female team? I'm no basketball fan but our women were the World Champions recently. And netball packs them in when the national team plays. I'd love to see the Matildas highly ranked but I think they've got a long way to go to be Australia's leading female team.
Midfielder
Guest
TP The W-League has the potential to become one of the top four leagues in the world of female football .... the change in quality from its start to now has been at faster than a speeding superman.... be assured of one thing Womens football is on the rise and its getting bigger all the time...
TPOTIW
Guest
Whilst its good they have it on free to air and good it is going. I sat there watching 15 minutes of a Newcastle Game and nearly Capped myself. Maybe there are teams that are better than others, but some of the passing in this game made my Nephews under 10's look like seasoned professionals. Sorry if this sounds sexist, but the game at this level is just not exciting.
tommy_doleman
Roar Pro
Agreed Midfielder, I've always thought with the youth league and the W-league they dont play enough games as curtain-raisers to the A-league games. Over here in Perth they play on odd weekends when the Glory aren't on or in the youth league's case they play at a completely different venue. Shame really given some of the players that are in the Glory women's side.
Midfielder
Guest
I honestly think the womens game is on a steep climb and will are now Australia's leading female team ... but over the next few years will be bigger than a lot of other male sports ... baseball, basketball are two that come to mind ...