I FEEL I must respond to Chris Stevens (‘Having the women’s results at top is political correctness gone mad,’ May 28). Reading his letter, it is fairly obvious he is of the ‘women’s football is rubbish’ brigade without even watching a game.

Why should the women’s results not be first? When it comes down to it, Oxford United Ladies being in Women’s Super League 2 are the highest ranked team of any gender. There may be more males playing the game, but the women’s game is the fastest growing participation sport in the country, thanks to the FA’s (and other organisations) involvement. On the skills level women are getting close to men, since coaches in the women’s game are becoming better, and players more willing to learn. There are numerous Uefa A coaches coaching women’s teams.

I have been following the women’s game since 1980 and, yes, in those days some of the play wasn’t great, but the improvement has been massive since then. The attitude within the female side is much better than the men. At the recent Champions League game between Arsenal Ladies and Birmingham City (admission £5) there was some of the best football I had seen for years. And, after the game, when in the men’s sport you would just leave the ground, on that day visiting the clubhouse you would find yourself chatting to the players (including many internationals) about that game and of the women’s game in general.

Would you get that at a men’s Champions League game or any men’s Premiership game for that matter? This is not ‘political correctness gone mad’, but well in line with the FA’s intention of inclusion as far as the game is concerned.

When I first started watching Barnet Ladies seven years ago, you were lucky if there were 20 spectators.

However, at London Bees (Barnet’s new incarnation) there were 313 people watching an entertaining WSL2 game.

I suggest that Mr Stevens makes an effort to go to a few women’s games. If he does not have to travel as far as I do to Edgware to watch the London Bees, he can pop along to Abingdon United’s ground over the summer (the women’s game has taken the plunge and is playing throughout the whole year) and watch his local WSL2 Club Oxford United Ladies. He will be pleasantly surprised at the standard.

BRUCE TAYLOR
Member, London Bees FC and supporter of the women’s game
Beech Crescent
Kidlington

 

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