24 September 2007

Why Women's Football World Cup Is Fun to Watch.

1. More Goals - Around 3.5 a game compared to around 2.5 in the Men's game. Plenty of 2-2 and 3-2 games with lots of late goals.
2. More Shots on Goal - About twice the goalmouth action as the Men's game.
3. Less Cheating - Most top football in the men's game is spent watching players roll about on the floor play-acting, wasting time, etc. None of that in the Women's World Cup.
4. Less corruption - The best team rather than the best cheats will win the women's World Cup. And because there is less money in the women's game there is less bribing of officials beyond the normal FIFA dictat to get the hosts past the first round.
5. More spectacular long range efforts and goals - The keepers are smaller and it shows, it is well worth a dip from 30 yards.
6. Slower game (By the way if you think women's football is slow - check out the 1966 England WC win) - which allows better players more time to show ball skills. What the women lack in strength and pace they almost make up for in skill (goalkeeping errors aside) and as the game develops it will get faster.
7. Contrary to what Ian Dale thinks, this game will catch on - it is the fastest growing both in terms of fans and players. 90,000 watched the last final in the US, which attracted over a million fans through the turnstiles throughout the tournament. Maybe a billion people will see this tournament on TV. This is the top team sport for women and one of the world's most watched tournaments.
8. Better Goal celebrations.

Don't get me wrong, the quality is...
not that good. An average mens non-league team would probably beat the women's world champions 20-0, but that does not mean it is not good to watch. Top women in other sports regularly attract similar audiences to the men. The women's game has been held back but while it is developing (and it is developing fast) there is an innocence to the sport that is priceless. It is well worth a watch. Check BBC2 Weds and Thurs lunchtime for Semi-Finals and Saturday for Final.

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