Before folks dismiss me as a sexist beast, please do not forget that I have driven tens of thousands of miles, often through the night, to support the soccer and basketball dreams of my second daughter, Her mum did nowt as she did not take women’s sport seriously. I do. Having said all of that…
The political and media class seem united in saying that women’s ands men’s soccer should treated on a par. Those shouting the loudest on this matter are, incidentally, often those demanding that “women with penises” should be able to participate in and trample all over real women’s sport, not a view that I share.
The demand are out there for women players to get equal pay to the men. But I make two observations.
The manager of Man City, currently top of the WSL noted yesterday how great it was to be playing a Manchester derby in front of so many people. But despite the best efforts of the BBC cameras to avoid showing a three quarters empty stadium it could not be hidden. And that was yesterday’s big match. In East London, West Ham ladies secured their first win of the season against a struggling Everton team. The attendance? Just over 1,100. When West Ham men’s play Everton men at the London Stadium, although ticket prices are far higher, there will be 60,000 in attendance.
Whatever the BBC tells you, folks just are not that interested in women’s soccer. And please do not say that this is changing. Attendances this WSL season are, despite the “inspirational Lionesses” actually down on last season.
And one reason folks do not go is that the quality of play is just so mediocre. Unable to sleep last night I watched the highlight’s of Sunday’s games.
Some of it really was Sunday League stuff. I challenge anyone to watch the goalkeeping howler by London City Lionesses against Aston Villa at an almost deserted Villa Park and not to burst out laughing.
There is no merit or financially based case for paying teams that would struggle massively in the 6th tier of the men’s game and which command far less support than teams in the 5th or 6th tier, higher wages. Am I allowed to consider hard facts or is that sexist?