Women's association football
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Women's association football is the most prominent team sport for women in few countries, and one of the few women's team sports with professional leagues.
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[edit] The History of Women's Football
[edit] The 21st century
For the Women's Olympic Football Tournament, given the general abandonment of amateur regulations in the Olympic Games in the 1990s, the national women's teams do not have restrictions due to professionalism or age, thus the tournament becomes a back-to-back re-World Cup with the best teams of the previous year's World Cup plus the hosts. However, England and other British Home Nations are not eligible to compete as separate entities because the International Olympic Committee does not recognise their FIFA status as separate nations, and it remains to be seen how, or even whether, the United Kingdom will be incorporated into the 2012 Olympic tournament, given that FIFA does not recognise the UK as a single sporting entity.
[edit] Competitions
The growth in women's football has seen major competitions being launched at both national and international level. For more information see Women's football around the world and International competitions in women's football respectively.
[edit] The Munitionettes' Cup
In August 1917 a tournament was launched for female munition workers' teams in North-East England. Its official title was the "Tyne Wear & Tees Alfred Wood Munition Girls Cup," but it was popularly known as "The Munitionettes' Cup." The first winners of the trophy were Blyth Spartans, who defeated Bolckow, Vaughan 5-0 in a replayed final tie at Middlesbrough on 18th May 1918. The tournament ran for a second year in season 1918-19, the winners being the ladies of Palmer's shipyard in Jarrow, who defeated Christopher Brown's of Hartlepool 1-0 at St James's Park in Newcastle on 22nd March 1919.
[edit] The English Ladies' Football Association Challenge Cup
Following the Football Association ban on women's teams in December 1921, the English Ladies' Football Association was formed. A silver cup was donated by the first president of the association, Len Bridgett, and this was competed for in the spring of 1922. 24 teams entered the competition, the winners being Stoke Ladies, who defeated Doncaster and Bentley Ladies 3-1 on 24th June 1922.
[edit] UEFA Women's Championship (Women's Euro)
In 1937, Dick, Kerr's Ladies played Edinburgh Ladies in "The Championship of Great Britain and the World", but there was no formal international tournament until 1982 when the first UEFA European Competition For Representative Women's Teams was launched. The 1984 Finals was won by Sweden. This competition name was succeeded by the UEFA Women's Championship and today, is commonly referred to as the Women's Euro. Norway won, in the 1987 Finals. Since then, the UEFA Women's Championship has been dominated by Germany, which has won six of the seven subsequent competitions, including the 2005 Women's Euro.
[edit] Women's World Cup
The first Women's World Cup was held in China in 1991, and was won by the USA. The third Cup, held in the United States in 1999, drew worldwide television interest and a final in front of a record-setting 90,000+ Los Angeles crowd, where the home team won 5-4 on penalty kicks.
Prior to the FIFA's establishment of the Women's World Cup, several unofficial tournaments took place,[1] including the FIFA's Women's Invitation Tournament 1988, which was hosted in Taiwan.
[edit] Youth Tournaments
Besides the United States and Germany (which won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups), the strongest women's teams have traditionally been Norway, China, and Sweden, with nations like Brazil emerging as powers.
In 2002, FIFA inaugurated a women's youth championship, officially called the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship. The first event was hosted by Canada. The final was an all-CONCACAF affair, with the USA defeating the host Canadians 1-0 with an extra-time golden goal. The second event was held in Thailand in 2004 and won by Germany. The age limit was raised to 20, starting with the 2006 event held in Russia. Demonstrating the increasing global reach of the women's game, the winners of this event were North Korea. The tournament was renamed the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, effective with the 2008 edition won by the USA in Chile.
In 2008, FIFA instituted an under-17 world championship. The inaugural event, held in New Zealand, was won by North Korea.
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Women's Football |
- Women's sports
- Title IX
- List of football (soccer) players
- Women's football around the world
- Football pools
- Gracie (film)
- Bend it Like Beckham
- International competitions in women's football
[edit] References
In a League of Their Own! The Dick, Kerr Ladies 1917-1965 ISBN 1-85727-029-0
[edit] External links
- Women's Football Official Video Site
- http://www.dickkerrladies.com
- FIFA Women's
- Women's World Football
- Women's Football Forums
- femaleSOCCER.net - UK girls and women's football
- Fair Game Magazine site - source of information on British women's football
- W-League - USA professional women's soccer/football
- Women's United Soccer Association (historic content, now defunct - USA)
- Spanish Female soccer
- Women's Premier Soccer League (USA semi-pro)
- Upfront - a voice for female football fans
- FemaleFan
- Yahoo! Directory: Women's Football
- Pink Football's News on the Women's Game
- Directory of Women's and Girl's football Teams
- Women Football in Venezuela (South America)
- Women's 5 a-side leagues
- Women's Football History
- Women's Football in Videogame? - Voting Poll
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Women's association football
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International women's football
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