Can women’s football ever be as successful as men’s?
Heather Hancock
Heather Hancock, 47, administrative manager, Cardiff
“It can definitely be as popular as men’s football the profile just needs to be raised that’s all. Men’s football just takes over but I think women’s sport in general has had a bit of a high profile this year.”
Jeffrey Meadows, 67, retired, Cardiff
“No, never. They’re just not physically strong enough are they? I don’t think so, that’s my opinion.”
Ben Elfil, 32, self-employed, Cardiff
“No, the game to watch just isn’t as dynamic, that’s not being sexist that’s just a fact. If you put the two games next to each other you can guarantee the men’s game will just be much more watchable.”
Charlotte Gude, 26, banking, Cardiff
“Yeah definitely, my sister-in-law is with the Football Association of Wales on the ladies team so I support her. Its all male footballers in the press at the moment.”
Jack Richards, 23, administrative assistant, Cardiff
“In this day and age probably not no, there’s so much money put into men’s football, they get paid more than pretty much anyone, there’s not enough room for another industry with that amount of money.”
Mrs Race, 60, civil servant, Bristol
“No, I don’t think it ever will be. I think it’s men who are most interested in sport, they’re not particularly interested in watching ladies play.”
Gwyn Jones, 54, newspaper circulation manager, Brecon
“Ladies football should be prominent definitely. We should have match of the day, a slot on there, that way it would be regular every week. Start it up and soon the crowds would come in more and more.”
Cardiff five-a-side team organiser Maria Meredith explains how she came to love football and how the team got started:
I’ve played football since I could run. I used to play with boys at my Roman Catholic Primary school, but the teachers tried to stop me, as it wasn’t considered ‘right’ in those dark days. A short while after that my mum sent me to school with a newspaper clipping about a girl somewhere up North that had a similar experience as me, she’d sued the school and won. I was allowed to play after that.
I came to Cardiff from Abergavenny about 15 years ago and joined Cogan Coronation Ladies in Penarth. I played League football with them for a couple of years. I eventually got tired of having angry frustrated middle age dads shouting instructions from the sidelines (they weren’t even my dad!). I’d always used to play with a smile on my face but that wasn’t the case anymore so I left.
Still keen to play football me and a few friends got a team together and joined an indoor women’s five-a-side league in Cardiff. That lasted for about a year (women’s five-a-side leagues in Cardiff are notoriously short lived). They suggested I organise the football as a casual event. I wanted to keep playing so I agreed. We played every Friday evening (the only night not taken up with the men’s leagues). At its peak we would have about 30 women coming along.
In 2006 the first of the new five-a-side arenas opened so we started getting girls together and playing there. We took part in the women’s league they set up but again that didn’t last long. It seemed that women either wanted the competitiveness of full on 11 a-side or they just wanted to play for fun. There were plenty of serious league teams around, Cardiff City, Cyncoed etc but not much for the ‘casual’ footballer so that’s the niche we’ve filled for the last 8 years or so. We’re currently playing at Powerleague in Cardiff every week. We’ve been there about 3 years now. During that time we’ve played in their women’s league, have taken part in charity tournaments as well as the occasional friendly match and social.
During the first 11 a-side league game I ever played in I witnessed one of our girls break an opponents ankle (really badly) with a mis-timed sliding tackle and, though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, I think I vowed never to play aggressively or to be around anyone who did, it didn’t seem worth it.
It’s a really nice bunch of girls that play with us, we have a wide age range (late teens to mid 40’s) with lots of different levels of fitness and skill. A lot of beginners come along, and they tend to stick around because it’s a great non-pressured environment for developing at your own pace. We also have women who haven’t played for years that want to get back into sport.
It’s a really great event and I certainly plan to keep it going for as long as I can.
Team member Emily Bristow explains why she loves playing in a five-a-side team:
I used to play when I was younger, but a few years ago a friend of mine said they played mixed football on a Monday night in Cardiff and I jumped at the chance to go – even though I live on the other side of Newport. I very rarely miss it, come rain or snow we play, and it’s a great way to de-stress after a Monday in work. It makes me look forward to Mondays! It’s a really fun group to play with.
We play as a team now and again in comps, but generally it is just a social match every Monday night – “as many as turn up”-aside. Five-a-side is tougher as the ball never goes out, but it helps to improve ball control as you have very little room to move in. Again, the people are great and even if you can’t kick a football very well you will still have a good time.
The five-a-side team meets every Wednesday at the Powerleague in Cardiff.
The Olympics has popularised women’s football but for a local Cardiff team it’s just another year in a lifetime of dedication.
Maria Meredith set up a five-a-side team eight years ago. Frustrated by the mixed teams, and the unreliability of the ladies’ teams, Maria’s group takes a more relaxed approach to football.
“I played in a mixed team for a little while,” said Maria, “but unfortunately the men didn’t regard the female players as sporting equals. I’ve always stressed to newcomers that it’s about enjoying football, and I don’t think you need to be over competitive or physical to do that.”
With both competitive and recreational teams it seems Cardiff might be at the forefront of a rise in a female version of the beautiful game.
Can women’s football ever be as successful as men’s?
Heather Hancock
Heather Hancock, 47, administrative manager, Cardiff
“It can definitely be as popular as men’s football the profile just needs to be raised that’s all. Men’s football just takes over but I think women’s sport in general has had a bit of a high profile this year.”
Jeffrey Meadows, 67, retired, Cardiff
“No, never. They’re just not physically strong enough are they? I don’t think so, that’s my opinion.”
Ben Elfil, 32, self-employed, Cardiff
“No, the game to watch just isn’t as dynamic, that’s not being sexist that’s just a fact. If you put the two games next to each other you can guarantee the men’s game will just be much more watchable.”
Charlotte Gude, 26, banking, Cardiff
“Yeah definitely, my sister-in-law is with the Football Association of Wales on the ladies team so I support her. Its all male footballers in the press at the moment.”
Jack Richards, 23, administrative assistant, Cardiff
“In this day and age probably not no, there’s so much money put into men’s football, they get paid more than pretty much anyone, there’s not enough room for another industry with that amount of money.”
Mrs Race, 60, civil servant, Bristol
“No, I don’t think it ever will be. I think it’s men who are most interested in sport, they’re not particularly interested in watching ladies play.”
Gwyn Jones, 54, newspaper circulation manager, Brecon
“Ladies football should be prominent definitely. We should have match of the day, a slot on there, that way it would be regular every week. Start it up and soon the crowds would come in more and more.”
Cardiff five-a-side team organiser Maria Meredith explains how she came to love football and how the team got started:
I’ve played football since I could run. I used to play with boys at my Roman Catholic Primary school, but the teachers tried to stop me, as it wasn’t considered ‘right’ in those dark days. A short while after that my mum sent me to school with a newspaper clipping about a girl somewhere up North that had a similar experience as me, she’d sued the school and won. I was allowed to play after that.
I came to Cardiff from Abergavenny about 15 years ago and joined Cogan Coronation Ladies in Penarth. I played League football with them for a couple of years. I eventually got tired of having angry frustrated middle age dads shouting instructions from the sidelines (they weren’t even my dad!). I’d always used to play with a smile on my face but that wasn’t the case anymore so I left.
Still keen to play football me and a few friends got a team together and joined an indoor women’s five-a-side league in Cardiff. That lasted for about a year (women’s five-a-side leagues in Cardiff are notoriously short lived). They suggested I organise the football as a casual event. I wanted to keep playing so I agreed. We played every Friday evening (the only night not taken up with the men’s leagues). At its peak we would have about 30 women coming along.
In 2006 the first of the new five-a-side arenas opened so we started getting girls together and playing there. We took part in the women’s league they set up but again that didn’t last long. It seemed that women either wanted the competitiveness of full on 11 a-side or they just wanted to play for fun. There were plenty of serious league teams around, Cardiff City, Cyncoed etc but not much for the ‘casual’ footballer so that’s the niche we’ve filled for the last 8 years or so. We’re currently playing at Powerleague in Cardiff every week. We’ve been there about 3 years now. During that time we’ve played in their women’s league, have taken part in charity tournaments as well as the occasional friendly match and social.
During the first 11 a-side league game I ever played in I witnessed one of our girls break an opponents ankle (really badly) with a mis-timed sliding tackle and, though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, I think I vowed never to play aggressively or to be around anyone who did, it didn’t seem worth it.
It’s a really nice bunch of girls that play with us, we have a wide age range (late teens to mid 40’s) with lots of different levels of fitness and skill. A lot of beginners come along, and they tend to stick around because it’s a great non-pressured environment for developing at your own pace. We also have women who haven’t played for years that want to get back into sport.
It’s a really great event and I certainly plan to keep it going for as long as I can.
Team member Emily Bristow explains why she loves playing in a five-a-side team:
I used to play when I was younger, but a few years ago a friend of mine said they played mixed football on a Monday night in Cardiff and I jumped at the chance to go – even though I live on the other side of Newport. I very rarely miss it, come rain or snow we play, and it’s a great way to de-stress after a Monday in work. It makes me look forward to Mondays! It’s a really fun group to play with.
We play as a team now and again in comps, but generally it is just a social match every Monday night – “as many as turn up”-aside. Five-a-side is tougher as the ball never goes out, but it helps to improve ball control as you have very little room to move in. Again, the people are great and even if you can’t kick a football very well you will still have a good time.
The five-a-side team meets every Wednesday at the Powerleague in Cardiff.
