Women's football - England vs USA

Women's football, or soccer, has in the last 10 years started to make a name for itself. It now receives publicity from major news sites, is recognized by mens professional football associations and has substantial financial investment attached to it. But this wasn't always the case. Some countries have made bigger steps forward than others, this article looks at the differences between, and the development of women's football in England and women's football in the USA.

In England, World War 1 sparked the development of the women's game where women who were working in the factories whilst the men were at war. Games often took on a fundraising role. In 1920 at Goodison Park, the home of Everton FC, one match drew an attendance of 53,000. Unfortunately, the Football Association (FA) in England became concerned that the women's game was becoming too popular and hence declared that females were not suitable to play football and that teams should not let women's teams play at their grounds or show any support for the game. This assisted greatly in crushing the success or development of the women's game. It wasn't until 1970 that the FA lifted the ban on women playing soccer.

At this time the Women's FA (WFA) had been formed. They organised and managed women's and girls soccer in England. However they had little money and resources. Division One sides still played on parks without stadium and received no support from the vast resources available for the boys and mens game. Their success lay in the dedicated unpaid enthusiasts who continued to assist with the organization and development of women's football.

At grassroots level, the development of girls football was also very scarce and was once again down to a few women's teams such as Millwall Lionessess and Fulham Ladies having girls programs staffed with volunteers who put in thousands of hours of work to provide opportunities for girls to practice and play in the few tournaments available to them.

Not only were coaches volunteers but so were many of the organizers of girls football leagues and events. The Brent League was once such league maintained by dedicated Sue and Tim Stern and provided girls across London a chance to compete against each other on a Monday night. Summer one day tournaments were other outlets for budding girl stars, alongside the legendary Metropolitan Police 5-a-side tournament held every year where girls were able to show off their football talents. Every borough in London ran the local knockout stages and successful teams progressed to regional finals with the winners going through to the London finals which were held at Wembley arena.

Unless you were fortunate to be involved in the few programs available there was little encouragement to play football. Unlike boys football there was a clear shortage of development paths and support for girls. Most girls had to pay for each tournament as well as the kits they played in and for training sessions. Unfortunately, this 'play if you can pay' attitude is still typical of girls and women's sport in England today. Some girls dropped out of soccer as they reached 12 and 13 as they were suddenly expected to make the transition to women's football due to the lack of chances to play in their own age group. Many others found the lack of facilities and support and the poor image of 'big bruising women trying to be men' synonymous with the women's game at this time, as further impetus to drop-out of the game.

However in 1991, the FA took over women's soccer and everything changed. Suddenly there were investments in the girls game, with coaching centres and after-school clubs and even soccer academies for the most talented girls to smooth their transition to senior and international football. Amazingly in 2003, a professional league for women has been scheduled to start in conjunction with the FA. Football is now the fastest growing sport for girls in England.

In America in contrast, soccer developed quite differently. Besides the occasional pick up game, soccer for women in the USA did not really develop until the 1970's and like much of women's sport in America, college soccer was the principal driving force. The Educational Amendments of 1972 which mandated equal access and spending on athletic programs at colleges led to the rapid development of varsity teams. With the mens game already being spread nationwide, the women's game quickly began to develop almost uniformly across the country. This didn't just happen at college level but was extended with unprecedented popularity at high school level.

The USA developed their first national team in 1985. In their first tournament they lost to Denmark, Italy and England. The US women's team continued to attend tournaments but were given little preparation time and their performance highlighted this. However this all changed when the Women's World Cup was introduced in 1991. The US now had a goal in sight and the motivation needed to bring their national program together. Despite winning the first Women's World Cup in 1991, women's soccer did not get a great amount of recognition until they won the Olympics which was held in Atlanta in 1996. In 2001, a professional league was set up in partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS), WUSA, and John Hendricks Women's United Soccer Association which had investments of $40 million to initiate the league.

The league has been successful to date with attendance around 8,000 per game at each of the 8 franchises. There is good linkage with both college talent and the amateur W-League. Grass roots development continues to occur through clubs and schools and young girls have their own heroes to aspire to, as well as the goal of one day themselves becoming professional.

Although women in the USA started playing the game much later in than in England, English women's soccer still lags behind the USA in both opportunity and achievements. Why is this the case? Participation levels for women's soccer may be higher in the US but probably more importantly are the high school and college rigorous programmes and scholarship incentives that exist there. If a girl plays soccer in high school they are normally expected to train everyday during the season, they are encouraged to represent their school in the team and have the possible opportunity of being scouted to play at a college.

This is a great incentive because as well as having the chance to compete at another level, those who win a scholarship also get many of the costs of going to college paid for. When these can amount to $20,000 or more each year with no significant grant system, this is a considerable incentive.

In England, if girls wish to play for a team, they do so outside of school at a club setup. This means many talented girl athletes have to juggle playing traditional games such as netball and hockey for their school, then find time to go and train and play for a soccer team outside of their school. They would not attend a practice session every day like girls in the USA. Even less encouraging are the number of instances of secondary schools in England whose girls sports programme is so weak that they do not have any competitive teams for any sports and generally discourage participation of team sports for girls. Hardly conducive to inspire girls to take up sports outside of the school environment.

In the USA, the greater financial input overall in women's soccer has undoubtedly assisted with its success. It has helped promote the game, provide stable soccer franchises and attract quality players from within and outside of the USA. Alongside this, the greater enthusiasm for women's sports in general is also likely to have helped the development of soccer. It is more expected for girls to play at least one sport competitively in the USA, where as unfortunately in the UK it is the exception not the rule to be encouraged in this arena.

Finally it is worth pondering on the effects of the FA's decision to outlaw women's football in 1920 in England. If they had supported the game at this time, England not the USA may have become the top team in the women's game. Generations of girls who loved the game but weren't encouraged or given the right opportunities to play it, might not have wasted their talents and abilities. And, perhaps more significantly they could have set a precedent for the encouragement of women's sports in general in England. Instead women in all but a few individual sports such as tennis have had to fight tooth and nail for any support, facilities, money or recognition for the past 70 years. Not until the 1990's have opportunities begun the long road towards a more equal standing for women and girls across the sports world in England.