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Why everyone should get into women’s football

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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Warwick chapter.

Women’s football has soared in popularity over the last few years, particularly since the Lionesses’ huge Euros win in 2022. While many more are tuning in to the games and the Women’s Super League has become more popular here in the UK, along with the NWSL in the USA, there is still a huge disparity between the men’s and women’s game in terms of funding, resources, and most famously, pay. The lack of priority given to women’s teams in the UK has been a topic of debate recently, with Arsenal’s women being forced out of the Emirates Stadium, with thousands of tickets already sold, for their Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich due to a scheduling clash with the men’s EFL Cup game, a much smaller and less significant tournament. Despite the grounds not meeting UEFA requirements, the game was moved to the much smaller Meadow Park, bringing the capacity down from 60,000 to just 4,500. Whilst my sister and I watched this game, we just couldn’t help but be shocked at how these fans were crammed into the tiny stands in order to watch such a huge game.

Female footballers such as Leah Williamson (Lionesses’ captain), and Lucy Bronze (five-time Champions League winner) have recently made headlines by commenting on the gigantic pay gap between them and male footballers of the same calibre. What a man at this level makes in one week is often more than any woman will make in one year. They have pointed out that their wages are not enough to retire on, so many of the Lionesses choose to study while they are still playing, in order to have a job to fall back on when they reach the end of their football careers. Leah Williamson, for example, is studying to become an accountant. Many players in the WSL balance the game with working another job so that they have enough money to live on, contributing to higher stress levels, which some have attributed the growing ACL crisis to.

I will admit that I, like many others, have only started keeping up with the women’s game in recent years. While I was first drawn to the men’s game, I quickly realised that they both have so much to offer, but there are just some things about the women’s game that I think many people would enjoy. While I’m sure it’s not for everyone, I wanted to share these in order to encourage more people to give it a go, as exposure is the only thing that will help the game grow and ensure equal opportunities in the future.

Reason 1: the drama

Now, this is a reason that might appear quite shallow at first, but if you’re not really a sports girlie and prefer to watch shows in which everyone is involved in messy dating, this could be the space for you. While this absolutely is not the focus of watching the women’s game, it is an interesting side that you just simply don’t get to experience with the men.

One fan, during the Women’s World Cup in 2023, decided to create a chart in order to work out who was in a relationship with who, deeming Australia the gayest team in the World Cup. It just adds a little more drama when you have exes facing off against one another for their national teams; even more so when they’re playing on the same team. For example, Sam Kerr, Australian international, used to date teammate Caitlin Foord, who now dates her Arsenal teammate Katie McCabe. Meanwhile, Katie McCabe used to be in a relationship with her Ireland teammate, Ruesha Littlejohn. If you want to see more of this, just search ‘WOSO couples chart’.

Drama aside, it’s also just lovely to see the more wholesome sides of these relationships. Kristie Mewis and Sam Kerr, for example, just announced they are expecting their first child together, and there have recently been many weddings among players.

Reason 2: accessibility

Whilst it can cost an arm and a leg to attend a men’s game, with no promise of being even remotely near the pitch, tickets to the women’s games are much more affordable, particularly for students. My sister and I attended a game in April 2024 at Wembley Stadium, and we were sitting in the 7th row for just £12.50 each, with tickets being even cheaper higher up.

With less teams in the WSL, it’s also just not as overwhelming to start keeping up with; they play less games in a season because of this. They also often play in smaller stadiums, which is hopefully something that will change in the near future, but for now it means you have a much better chance of meeting players and chatting to them. My sister is a season ticket holder for Brighton, as it’s our local club at home, and she sees many of the players every time she goes to watch; they always make an effort to say hello, and some of them even recognise her and her friends now when they go to greet them after the game.

There’s a lot of great content on YouTube, on the England channel, as well as the different club channels here in the UK, and I’m sure the same goes for other countries too. This can be a great way to learn more about different players and they’re always a good laugh. A lot of WSL games are also shown on YouTube, making them free to watch and therefore no real commitment is required.

Reason 3: atmosphere

Everyone I’ve attended a game with has pointed out how lovely the atmosphere is at the games. There’s such a wide demographic of people, including lots of younger children whose parents probably would feel a bit anxious bringing them to a men’s game.

There’s usually a band playing, and some chants, maybe even a Mexican wave if you’re lucky, but it’s never rowdy, and normally sits at a nice volume. The Lionesses’ games in particular are always a lot of fun, with some interactive light shows and an opportunity to get your picture on the big screen.

Back in October, my housemates and I went to watch the Lionesses v. South Africa in Coventry, and despite the cold, it was such a good game to watch, and the crowd was positive despite not a huge amount of the seats being filled. My friends even commented on how nice it was to see such a range of people coming along in support of the team, and how they felt that the atmosphere was a lot more welcoming than what they would have expected of a men’s game.

Reason 4: Support the girls!

While there has been some controversy over this opinion, I personally see less diving, less rolling around and less shouting at the ref than what I see when the men play. Of course, it does happen in both games, but in general, the women get crucified on social media for exhibiting these sorts of dramatics, and while it doesn’t make it right, it does generally mean that they are probably more reluctant to conduct themselves in this way, and play isn’t so interrupted.

They get the job done! At the end of the day, here in England, the women’s team managed to do something highly significant by winning the Euros a few years ago, which the men have struggled to do for years upon years. I think I speak for everyone when I say watching last year’s Euros was painful every match, watching the team win by the skin of their teeth before bottling it in the final (which was a disappointing 20th birthday present for me). I’ve heard plenty of men argue that the standards are different, but at the end of the day, one team brought home a trophy, and the other did not.

Finally, you’re doing something significant for the equality of football, and of sports more generally, by directing your attention towards the sport and supporting them, even if it’s just tuning in to a match next time there’s one showing on ITV. I truly believe there’s something there for everyone to enjoy.

Lauren Haynes

Warwick '25

Hi, I’m Lauren, a Psychology student at the University of Warwick! I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts and writing articles for Her Campus. My interests mainly include music (I love a concert) and pop culture, as well as being an avid Sims 4 player, and I’m excited to bring some of these into my writing!