From money to culture, I have found women’s football refreshingly different from the men’s game. First of all, women’s football is not too different from men’s. In England, it’s set up very similarly: the WSL (Women’s Super League) works like every other league, and it’s extremely international, with the league’s most popular players including the Netherlands’ Vivianne Miedema and Australia’s Sam Kerr. Like many others, I didn’t pay much attention to women’s football before the Euros this year. Initially, I watched the matches on holiday, on Italian sports channels and then once my family came home and the Lionesses progressed out of the group stages, I started to watch the matches properly, and set aside time for them. Men’s football has never clicked with me (for reasons I’ll attempt to explain) and if you’ve had the same experience, I’m encouraging you to give the women’s game a go.
Women’s football is becoming increasingly popular, which is presumably after England’s success at the Euros. . More investment is bound to come, and big names are already involved, with Barclays having sponsored the WSL (the equivalent of the Premier League) for three years now, Pepsi agreeing to sponsor women’s football for five years, and England midfielder Keira Walsh signing a rumoured world record deal that sees her move from Manchester City to Barcelona this season.
It’s also a very welcoming sport. I want to emphasise the social differences between men’s and women’s football for me. Going to the pub to watch football is so ingrained in British culture but as a young woman, I’ve always felt a little bit out of place. Men’s football can get a bit rowdy. Someone gets too drunk and suddenly it feels uncomfortable, your friends want to leave, and you feel bad for dragging them to whatever pub you’re in. I’m yet to see anything similar with women’s football and it’s even common to see families with young children going along to matches. I think the women’s football community feels so welcoming because there are so many new fans. As an F1 fan, it’s refreshing to see, as there is a constant sense of competition to prove that you know more, or that you’ve been watching the sport for a longer time, all to prevent being branded a DTS fan (someone who has only watched the Netflix series Drive to Survive, and apparently only has a very surface level of knowledge of Formula 1). I haven’t encountered this so far in the women’s football community, so I’m encouraging as many people to watch the matches as they can.
If you’re like me and getting to know the players of a sport is important, there’s plenty of content online, as the Lionesses and many clubs have a high social media presence. There are loads of YouTube challenge videos, TikToks or Instagram posts to help you follow along with the players. They are also extremely friendly and approachable at matches: I went to Arsenal’s game against Brighton on the opening weekend of the season and I was surprised by how close and intimate it all felt. The ground was small and afterwards, the players came out to take photos, sign shirts and just chat with fans, which was incredible!
Many WSL games (not all) are free to watch and tickets are significantly cheaper: for example, a season ticket to see Arsenal’s men’s team would cost (roughly) £1839 and for the women’s team it’s £80. It’s obviously a huge difference and I get that the games are different in terms of just how famous the players are and the size of the stadiums that matches are being played in, but if you want to watch football and can’t afford to go to a men’s game, this is another great reason to follow a women’s team, with Arsenal’s matches, for example, costing £8-12 a game.
We’re experiencing a turning point for women’s football in England. More people than ever are watching the sport and it’s important that the momentum from winning the Euros continues. It’s quickly become one of my favourite sports, and I know it sounds odd, but I feel like I’ve unlocked another level of English culture in terms of supporting a team and following a league. And I want to emphasise: it’s not too late. The season didn’t start too long ago, and with the international break approaching, it’s the perfect time to give the women’s game a go.