Although the standards aren’t as good. They’re more entertaining I’d say. You get a lot more high scoring games in the woman’s games. It’s on the rise as more people are going to the games…
Will you watch the first womens Manchester derby at Old Trafford tomorrow? (Man United vs Man City - Sun 19 Nov at 4:30pm)
- Thread starter Lightbringer
- Start date
Bought a ticket but cannot attend.
Shame. Short notice, but can you transfer it to someone?
I had a female player on my 5 a-side coed team who played for Arsenal. She was better than most of us, and in shape. The girls fouled with their elbows like it was going out of style. They were aggressive as feck. They also did not like getting the ball stripped off 'em. It's funny getting called out by a girl! It was kinda like England v. Spain, where the men were England: more athletic and less skilled, and the women were Spain: smaller but technical.
I'll prob watch it. Not much else going on sport wise at 4.30pm today.
This will probably be both the first and last Manchester derby at Old Trafford as Citys womens team should be sent down to the lowest womens division along with having all their titles stripped before next season begins 
Both City mens and womens teams should be FECKED for good!
Both City mens and womens teams should be FECKED for good!
No. Got things to do. Not interested in it. Dont really get why people are suddenly interested in watching low standard football of teams they dont support.
I'd rather get finger blasted by Andre the Giant
Don't know about you but I support Manchester United
Mens, womens, youth - I support and take interest in it all
Now I totally understand that not everyone will have time or inclination to watch more footbal, but strange to me that a Manchester United fan wouldnt take at least a passing interest in what the Women's team are doing
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Nah. Even through I can see that there are some very skilful players, any time I try to get into it the quality of the goalkeepers and also the passing annoys me. Anytime I’ve mentioned this before I’ve got pelters.
So, hope that they enjoy their day but I will stick to what I’ve grown up with no matter how bad that may be or may get
So, hope that they enjoy their day but I will stick to what I’ve grown up with no matter how bad that may be or may get
I do get it. Football is a game of emotions, tribal even - it's easy to watch if you feel like it's "your team" less interesting when you don't feel that emotional connection - there's so much football on TV that it really turns into video wallpaper unless it's your team.
My first United women's match - I had no idea how I'd react. Whether I'd get bored, whether I'd care about us scoring, whether I would bother going again. Fact is - after a few minutes, I was watching a football match and United were playing and when we scored I jumped up and cheered. It turned out I was a fan of United women.
My brother, who I mentioned earlier in the thread, came along with me a few months later out of curiosity as much as anything. After a few minutes of getting distracted by the "women with pony tails" image he was shouting his customary advice to stop passing sideways and start using his newly chosen favourite players - Leah Galton and Lauren James. It turned out he was a women's team fan as well.
No pelters, at least you gave it a try
The quality is undoubtedly lower but is rapidly improving on things like goalkeepers - our own Mary Earps is officially the best in the world at the moment
Ye kind of similar experience - I only went to the first United Women's game because I got free tickets, quality was even worse than now as it was 2nd Division but I can't help but get invested in any team that wears the Man United badge.
Compared to you I've only taken a vague interest since then and mostly just followed the results and watched some highlights until last season when I started watching quite a few full matches.
Have to admit that this is partly due to the Women doing well - yes a glory fan! But also there is now much more exposure with some games on free to air TV plus Sky, FAPlayer etc
Lionesses success is also a factor plus it's helped get my child interested in football in general.
Yeah, that role as a gateway drug is potentially the most significant thing for a club like United
It's really hard for kids to go to men's matches now. The prices and the availability of seats together at OT makes it hard for families to attend and it's more or less impossible to get the thing I had a kid, standing on the terraces with other kids of similar age and temperament.
At least at LSV the unallocated seating means that friends and family can sit together and that people can find "their" crowd.
The United OT crowd is way older than the one I grew up with and that got me hooked on football in the first place. I think currently one of the jobs that women's football does is giving kids the chance to experience live football as opposed to the TV version.
No, ive Zero interest in womens football And even though it being spoon fed by the media i just cant generate any interest. Never watched a female match including lioness,s.
No, I would if it was any good and one day maybe it'll get there, but at the moment I can't find it entertaining sadly.
I do think there's a partly legimate reason that doesn't help them here though, in that women are naturally going to be shorter in stature but they play in the same size goals that were designed for the mens game. Some of the soft long rangers you see go in that wouldn't go in in the men's game are down to this for sure.
But there isn't an easy logistical way to have smaller goals without extra costs and faff that would be to the detriment of the women's game by making it harder to access at all levels, so stuck with goals where they will struggle a lot more than men to reach the top corner they are!
Albeit there were still some howlers that aren't unreachable, especially when I first started watching womens football...but as @Rood says the quality has actually improved in this area.
Yes I’ve seen that argument before and it may be true to an extent, definitely would help. But at the same time there have been keepers like Shay Given who weren’t tall in stature but made a good career.
I have been impressed by Earps, she is genuine quality. But some of the other international teams the keeper is like someone you’d play in the playground when you’re a kid.
I saw this post was moved of the main United football forum to the womens forum, which I think its kind of sad since I put it in the main forum just because it was the initial Manchester United derby at Old Trafford and to perhaps attract some new fans to Old Trafford, or watch the game on TV. I was definitely not going to post regular WSL games on the main football forum. Nevertheless, lets hope for 3 points and a good game, cheers everyone :-)
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Correctly moved we dont want the main site full of womens football.
i turned it on briefly after saying i wouldnt watch it. Uniteds team looked poor. Could see a mile off city were better.
atmosphere was none existent too.
i turned it on briefly after saying i wouldnt watch it. Uniteds team looked poor. Could see a mile off city were better.
atmosphere was none existent too.
And that is exactly why I pointed out it was a special occasion for the first womens derby at old trafford. So if there would be one post of the womens teams biggest occasion thus far it would not constitute the main "United forum" to be full of womens football as this thread would be like 0.000000000001% of all existing threads. And we even did get some people who no idea the game was on to watch.
If the womens team grows bigger it will be better for everyone, including the mens team.
And yes, the display today was shocking all around, from the starting 11 picked by Skinner, to the performance on pitch and the 10+ minute time wasting by City.
Many clubs and forums have it that you can discuss anything regarding the club on the forums, whether its men, women or junior teams. So I dont see why people would whine about a single thread of the womens team on the main boards, if not interested its always possible to not click on the thread.
genuinely, good luck to the women’s game. I hope it thrives…organically
I just irritates me that because there’s a platform to exploit (the huge following the men’s game has)…it’s seemingly rammed down our throats assuming that because you follow the men’s game, you also have an interest in the women’s game.
And there’s no chance they’ve ‘sold’ 45k tickets. I’ve worked at a large Manchester based grassroots football club and tickets for women’s football matches are regularly given away….or at least heavily reduced. They’ll have gone to multiple schools and sports clubs with Manchester postcodes….only to then be told on TV how successful it is.
Again, I hope it every success. But it can’t be forced.
And in fairness, the standards have improved massively and the matches are entertaining.
For me, personally my frustration is more with the FA (having worked at a grassroots club)…and because of it I almost refuse women’s football
instead of spending time, money and resources on serious welfare cases…I’ve witnessed u15 players assaulted with multiple headbutts caught on veo camera and the FA don’t care…not interested.
They say the stuff but eventually it’s all brushed under the carpet without consequence.
Instead they spend their time trying to get grassroots clubs to invest in ‘rainbow laces’ and push the drive for girls football. It’s all political.
It’s quite simple though…if you want to play football, head down to your club and play/join a team. If girls want to play they will do. Indeed the club I was at had a healthy number of teams (8 at various age groups) and they weregiven the same amount of support
I just can’t stand the narrative that as a man United fan (of the men’s team) that I want/need to see team news for the women.
I just irritates me that because there’s a platform to exploit (the huge following the men’s game has)…it’s seemingly rammed down our throats assuming that because you follow the men’s game, you also have an interest in the women’s game.
And there’s no chance they’ve ‘sold’ 45k tickets. I’ve worked at a large Manchester based grassroots football club and tickets for women’s football matches are regularly given away….or at least heavily reduced. They’ll have gone to multiple schools and sports clubs with Manchester postcodes….only to then be told on TV how successful it is.
Again, I hope it every success. But it can’t be forced.
And in fairness, the standards have improved massively and the matches are entertaining.
For me, personally my frustration is more with the FA (having worked at a grassroots club)…and because of it I almost refuse women’s football
instead of spending time, money and resources on serious welfare cases…I’ve witnessed u15 players assaulted with multiple headbutts caught on veo camera and the FA don’t care…not interested.
They say the stuff but eventually it’s all brushed under the carpet without consequence.
Instead they spend their time trying to get grassroots clubs to invest in ‘rainbow laces’ and push the drive for girls football. It’s all political.
It’s quite simple though…if you want to play football, head down to your club and play/join a team. If girls want to play they will do. Indeed the club I was at had a healthy number of teams (8 at various age groups) and they weregiven the same amount of support
I just can’t stand the narrative that as a man United fan (of the men’s team) that I want/need to see team news for the women.
Considering the FA banned all womens football from all FA-affiliated football grounds for 51 years, you dont think the FA owe it to give something back? The only reason there is no of massive efforts now for the womens game to catch up is because the FA and society banned and handcuffed it for so long.
I think you´re post is a sensible one, but we disagree on one thing, and thats the "platform exploit/rammed down our throat" factor.
Do you really think its that hard for example to not click on this singular thread if you are not interested in womens football? Or do you think its that hard to scroll away from promotion on the main Manchester United social media before
this game? Manchester United is a club that consists of youth, women, men and junior teams, United decides whats being promoted on their channels. Whats good for all those teams are good for United, so there is no competition or ill effect
from the womens team being promoted on the main United channels. If the womens team grows, it will only grow the club & brand further and make for better finances overall.
United announced a 43 000 in attendance today, so we did not cheat and announce "sold tickets" as actual attendance as Arsenal have been doing.
And of course there is going to be tickets given away to girls teams, sponsors and schools, its an effort to grow the game in every way. And thats part of the starting project, you can see it being incredible successful at Arsenal for example.
What it comes down is, what is more important? To grow the womens team which benefits United as a club as well as the mens team, while giving girls idols to watch growing up just like boys with the means teams. Or not exposing certain United mens team only fans to having to scroll over womens team news or promotion?
To me the answer is pretty given.
Also, because you are not able to get into the womens game or are not interested in it does not mean everyone feels that way. Tbh I find it baffling that some people are afraid of a womens football takeover of the forum because 1 single post is on the main United boards, I am not sure how mens United fan can feel so threatened by womens football, its almost as if its in the term "them or us" even though both teams are wearing the United badge and many fans love and watch both teams play all the time.
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We have a defined structure here which is why I moved it and we’d ask you to respect that
Yes, I definitely will and can respect that. That does not mean I cant question why regular board members (not staff/moderators) gets so incredible riled up about a "womens takeover of the forum" that would never happen anyway. Thats kind of 2 separate issues. I could understand it if there was a match day thread every week against Leicester away for example or lots of people that spammed the main forum with womens threads all the time. I would say thats a bigger issue that I am reacting to as some parts of the fan base seem to see the womens teams as an enemy for some bizarre reason. But thats a different topic.
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I think our new players and old are fonna take some time to gel looking for the highest level.
Shame to bottle it in front of the biggest home crowd ever and there were lots of people going to their first ever game at Old Trafford, but I know for sure that many still enjoyed the experience despite the crap performance and pissing rain!
We were sat in South Stand near the tunnel, some decent atmosphere coming from the MUWSC in the Stretford End standing section, but they are just a small group so the sound probably didnt travel unless you were close by.
Toone was poor again - she still is the biggest name though along with Mary. As shown by the swathes of fans with banners asking for shirts etc.
Was nice to see Blundell and Earps stay behind for autographs and selfies on the pitch, a few of the subs did too - you don't see this from the Men, you have to wait outside the ground for hours post match to have any chance to meet them.
Hopefully the Women can build on this in terms of support, 43k is good but Arsenal still have the record WSL attendance.
We were sat in South Stand near the tunnel, some decent atmosphere coming from the MUWSC in the Stretford End standing section, but they are just a small group so the sound probably didnt travel unless you were close by.
Toone was poor again - she still is the biggest name though along with Mary. As shown by the swathes of fans with banners asking for shirts etc.
Was nice to see Blundell and Earps stay behind for autographs and selfies on the pitch, a few of the subs did too - you don't see this from the Men, you have to wait outside the ground for hours post match to have any chance to meet them.
Hopefully the Women can build on this in terms of support, 43k is good but Arsenal still have the record WSL attendance.
Such a poor standard of football. It really is. There were moments in the second half where every player looked so leggy, as if the pitch was sand. Even when something decent happened, it happens at a slower pace so just takes from it. They can push it and push it, but until the actual quality improves, it just won't feel like anything but it being forced on people who have to sift through once reliable football websites and news cycles to avoid it.
I only really support the mens team; I watch the youth team with great interest, only because I hope they will produce players to play in the 1st team whose success I care about for some reason. If the girls could get players promoted to the 1st team squad then I'd watch with great interest I suppose.
Nothing is being forced on you, if you aren't interested then don't click the articles or threads - simple
The quality is improving rapidly, but it's pointless to keep comparing to the Men's game
The FA banned womens football for 51 years from all FA-pitches, so if they FA are working to make up for that for half of the earths inhabitants, then thats great I reckon, would you not agree? Even if you dont enjoy it yourself.
A "reliable" footboll website wont be unreliable because they also partially write about womens football who other people than you take interest in. When you wake up and realize you are not the only on whos opinion count you might be able to understand you are not being forced into anything, the content is there for people who watch and enjoy womens football.
By your definition maybe sports websites or media should never cover any womens sports from the olympics as its not as good as the mens?
You mean if the girls youth teams could develop a girl that eventually could play in 1st mens team as a woman? :-)
The whole premise of comparing men to women in sporting terms is flawed. Our women's football team won the Euros and got to a World Cup final, but would never beat a men's side; rugby, cricket, tennis, F1, MMA etc. etc. Why compare? It is a given. (Apart from rhythmic gymnastics, I guess)
The skill level and athleticism in women's football is very high. Those who say it isn't have probably only watched a handful of games/teams, if any at all. Such comparisons are utterly pointless.
The skill level and athleticism in women's football is very high. Those who say it isn't have probably only watched a handful of games/teams, if any at all. Such comparisons are utterly pointless.
Yes, i think mens football and womens football are at present so wildly different in standard that they should be treated as separate sports. In advertising, gaming, punditry, media coverage - the womens game is absolutely clearly being pushed to a level that far exceeds the quality of the sport. It doesnt happen in pretty much any other team sport where the standard is far off what the truly elite level is. Where is the constant clamour and discourse about womens rugby? It doesnt exist. Likewise cricket, basketball, ice hockey. The simple fact is that the vast majority of people who watch football would struggly to name 15 female players - the coverage it receives deeply outweights the interest. Please don't reply with figures of ticket sales for tickets all but given away and largely occupied by kids. I'm not saying I don't want womens football to grow or that it shouldnt be backed. Ims aying that at present the standard is really dreadful and the interest doesnt match the coverage.
If theres any doubt about the standard, just watch the 5 minutes sky highlights of the manchester derby on youtube. It's genuinely terrible, from speed to technique. The defending is insane. The goalkeeping is catastrophic. The strength of shots is weak. All of this is exhibited in those highlights. The problem with comparing it to the mens game, which I agree with you on, is that a) womens pundits and players seem keen to do so themselves so often, and b) the lack of interest is far too often put down to 'sexism' rather than it simply being a really poor standard and people don't have time to watch countless games a week so when they do, it's an easy call
You can disagree and I wish you well, go and enjoy it, but it's the only sport to my mind that is at a near amateur level and gets this level of coverage.
I'll repeat again: Nothing is being forced on you, if you aren't interested then don't click the articles or threads - simple
The quality is improving rapidly, but it's pointless to keep comparing to the Men's game
And just to pick up on your factual inaccuracies - there has also been a big rise in coverage of Women's cricket and rugby recently, it's a general trend that you better get used to whether you like it or not.
And although there are plenty of kids, the majority of people attending the match last night were adults - tickets were not free either. You are entitled to your opinion but don't make things up.
I didnt make anything up and didnt say anything was free either, so you're reacting with hostility to things youve imagined. While all womens sport is growing, there isnt the same public clamour and huge attempts to promote other female sports to this degree. By your defintion, propaganda isnt forced on anyone either, as surely they can just ignore it? Simple, as you claim.
But no, by my opinion, they are two separate sports and arent treated as such, with the womens game infiltrating pretty much every outlet of coverage. Like you Im sure, I know hundreds of football fans and spend probably too much time watching matches with friends or at the pub, and the demand just is not there for womens football. There is a lie being perpetuated that both sports should be treated the same way, but to do so means never saying out loud that one of them is, currently, absolutely woeful.
Anyway, dont let me take from it, I'll be happy to see the game grow, but at present would rather not see so much of its presence when watching or engaging with, what to my mind, is a different sport.