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Q: If the England women's team played in men's league football, what level do you think they could compete at?

A: Really this is a silly question

I have to agree!!!!

I would guest one of the failures of coaching development in England In both the men's and women's game is the failure of the FA to in force and develop coaching standards.

In such in the latest When Saturday comes article "Stunted growth" (Nov 2009) the writer Chris Green noted that "England has far fewer qualified coaches than any comparable footballing nation. By 2012, the FA predicts that just 40 more Englishmen will obtain the top qualification, the UEFA Pro Licence, bringing out total to just under 150 (Spain has 2,140).

He late notes that Spain has 12,720 UEFA A licences holders we have 895. You must remember that the population of Spain is 40,525,002 (CIA world fact book) compared to 51,710,301 for England (ONS).

In such one of the reasons that England is not exporting enough managers and coaches abroad is that there barley enough qualified coaches for all the english clubs let alone for them to go off to the rest of the world.

In such what is the cause of this ? Is it that what Davies notes as the "Unsubtle approach is a deep rooted English distrust of anything that smacks of academia."

Is football in England and some ways in the whole of the UK intellectually bankrupt and lead by men with no vision for the future?

Haha! Great response Steve!

Is it the lack of educational backgrounds of a lot of the coaches and players compared to continental coaches and players and many of coaches coming into the premier league have other backgrounds.

One reason I think woman's football is difficult to get going in this part of the world is probably the amount of top class football we watch here, television is absoloutly saturated with it... there's maybe only two days a week throughout most of the year where you can't watch a high quality Premier league, Spanish League or Champions League game. Then every two summer's there's always the Euro or World Cup. Where can woman's football find a slot to be shown and regularly and reliantly in order for it to build up a fan base. I would say there are very few woman football supporters who would choose to watch a woman's league game over any such games if given the choice.

It's a shame but it's not something that's going to change quickly.

That's it, I'm going to book a holiday to Estonia next summer!

Obviously you know better so good for you

hahaha

what a petulant little response!

Steve, do you know roughly how much funding the FA gives the England Ladies international side per year?

I presume it must be "making a loss" in comparison to whatever it receives in from shirt sales, sponsorship and TV revenue?

Personally I don't think it was a stupid question... it's one I would have liked to have seen asked (and it was, so kudus Steve) it's only a stupid question to Boanas who no doubt has been asked that very thing on countless occasions. The rest of us, who frankly don't watch a lot (if any) woman's football would be interested to know.

Hey, 'signori'. Put the whole thing into context and perspective rather than pulling out the one little bit.

Steve Wilson states that the question he raised was the one MOST ASKED and therefore considered it worthy of inclusion. Yet some little moron decided it wasn't.

So the response was what the comment deserved - short, sharp, shrift!

www.Football-Journo.com

From the womens football I've seen, some of the players and teams would be able to compete well in the football league, technically at least. I think it's hard to compare the two as mens football is becoming increasingly about the physical aspect of the game.

www.football-journo.com

When will the FA give what's due to the womens game?

They banned women from playing at the same grounds as men for decades, purely because they started to get comparable crowds to the men.

They continue to plough many £m into 'grass roots' football when there is no real need, any half talented boy will get snapped up by a professional club as early as possible in todays money orientated game.

They promised a pro league and where has the sport moved now?

All excess monies the FA has, including giant bonuses paid to its executives for signing an already done deal with Sky and the big wedge it gets from Sport England, should go straight to the womens game.

With its fair share from the pot of gold football has, many more girls would become interested in playing the game and less would stop if they didn't have to pay expenses, add some good coaches and we'd soon have a league the envy of all outside the USA.

Maybe even take on the rule Estonia has, "In Estonia if a men's side want to play in a licensed competition they must facilitate a women's team too. That means that no Estonian female player has to pay to play."

This last idea points directly at Charlton Athletic, who rather than sell one overpaid PL failure whose £20,000+ per week would pay for most of the womens game in England, decided to get rid of their womens team instead (that helped their push back to the top, didn't it ;) ), alienating a large chunk of their local community in the process.

Q: Tell us three things we probably didn't know about Estonia.

A:1 - They invented Skype.

Really? i've done a case study about Ebay taking over Skype in Business Studies.

I love how the article appears to have nothing to do with the title. Before I am shot down by the author, like the first person who commented, I am a female who plays football. So yeah, I do know.
There's this stigma around women's football and people agreeing to sink to as low a 'reporting' standard as what level is it compared to men's isn't helping. It is a completely different game. It's still young and is still developing, but this development is going to grind to a complete halt if it's not given the recognition and support it deserves by the relevant football associations. There's certainly no problem with local teams setting up and encouraging females to play football from an early age. Even at schools now, girls are encouraged to play football as the schools and teachers can give the girls the advice, coaching and support they need. It's what comes after that where the problem lies.
How about an article to raise awareness about that rather than asking someone if they stay in the changing rooms when the players are having a shower or not?

i was coached to be a coach by keith,he's a pure professional,fair,strict,and he definately knows the game...he deserves the best and i wish him all the luck in estonia..i just wish he was still here!

I always used to feel a warm glow of pride whenever I saw how well the Charlton ladies team used to do - it was one of the things that made us as a club stand out.

It was a disgrace when they ended it because of the relegation in 2007. Although to be fair between 2006 and 2009 the way the entire club was run was a complete shambles.

Dr Marlowe makes a good point - putting women's games regularly on TV would not pull in the audiences given that there is so much of the men's game to see. It is difficult to see how the women's game can progress without it though.

Steve - I have to say I sometimes find you somewhat arrogant and childlike in your responses on here. Whether or not it was a silly question is a matter of debate, however labsab9 was only agreeing with what Boanas had said, I am therefore left wondering if you responded to him in the same tone "you know better so good for you!" I think probably not as you, I hope would atleast acknowledge it is rude!

It's actually not a bad blog however, not that you probably care what your readers think!

As someone who has played a decent standard, and been lucky enough to coach girls teams in the states, I would say that it is very difficult to compare mens and womens football.

I'll try and explain why- at very young kids level there is little to choose and often the good girls are on a par with many boys. However due to some social conditioning issues growing up boys then often spend longer playing football than girls. Meaning they often advance quicker. However the really good girls are still competitive with the boys. The main gap occurs as the physical differences occur- as is true of even non contact sports - even those where women have a strong established pro games- tennis, athletics, swimming, etc.

The question is "silly" in the sense that it is a contact sport a d as a result skill levels (which I accept some of the female players have in abundance) is only part of the game and in the mens game at almost any level, in any country, the physical battle is often the most important. I am 6ft and when playing in the dr martens league weighed about 14stone. I'd come home every week with swollen ankles, bust lips, etc and despite the fact I like to think I can play a bit- the actual time you spend on the ball is tiny in comparison to how many headers, tacked and general dirty physical work you are doing "the physical stuff". And this is where it is difficult to compete- not only as a female - but as a 28 year old 14 stone 6ft man- and if you lose the physical battle you get even less time on the ball (as I have found as I've got fatter and older). This is why, whilst the womens game is great (and I hope my daughters play) it should always be treated as a different game - as unless you have a team of women with the physique of grace jones or Jane couch, (both who incidentally would outmuscle me with ease I am sure - but probably not the didier drogbas of this world, then they can't compete.

And from my experience even the top women just would get out muscled -
- and therefore not get enough of the ball- all the way down to probably county league level and even a few divisions below... Even if (and this is debatable) the girls are technically better/as good/comparable.

boomshakalak,

good entry, says it all & very interesting

2. At 1:38pm on 16 Oct 2009, Steve Wilson - Match of the Day wrote:
to LABSAB9

Silly or not it is the question I was most often asked when I covered women's football - so thought it worthy of inclusion. Obviously you know better so good for you.

Ooooh check you out Steve!!!! I was merely agreeing with the response you received from Keith Boanas it was not a personal attack on your interview technique or on you.

Thanks for your support aswell boomshakalak i have a feeling he did not respond to Keith Boanas as he has to me. Oh well i won't let it ruin my day!!!

Call me old fashioned, but I just can't get into women's football. To me something just doesnt ring true. Perhaps its the fact that it is slow, boring, and my 6 month year old son can kick a goal kick further than Englands number one.