The women’s world cup has attracted the attention of the world, with packed stadiums watching the action live – while in the UK the game between England and Scotland last weekend reached the biggest audience that had ever been recorded for a woman’s match (4.6 million people tuned in to watch).
The FA – ever eager to pretend they saw this coming have put up their Head of Women’s Football, Dame Sue Campbell, in front of the cameras this week to claim that she thought “the women’s game in England is at a tipping point now and if we were to win this tournament it’s not just about inspiring lots of people but making sure there is somewhere for them to participate in it as well.”
At Leisure Leagues, away from the meddling of the FA for years and without receiving the millions and millions of pounds of taxpayer funding they get, we have been leading the way for almost 30 years.
As Media man Andy Thorley said: “It makes me laugh when I hear about this supposed “boom” in women’s football, this ‘tipping point’ that they keep referring to. I have worked here for well over a decade and we have always had plenty of women’s teams and mixed teams playing throughout the network. If they’d asked us, we would have told them what was happening at the turn of the decade – but as always, they are just catching on!”
It is not just in the UK where hundreds of women play in the league network.
Leisure Leagues ethos has always been that football should – and indeed must – be open to all, both men and women, regardless of background, ethnicity or orientation.
In our leagues across the world then the story is the same, but especially in Pakistan, where the vision of World Group and Leisure Leagues Pakistan was that football simply had to become accessible to all.
As well as the fact that The Smurfs had won the first ever ladies leagues in the country,
And their exercise and fitness programmes have dramatically improved the lives of many young girls and women throughout the more than eighty places that their Leagues take place in – plus the winners of the Gojal Cup last year (pictured) gained coverage.
Andy said: “The wonderful work they have done – but also our staff all across the world in all counties – shows really, just how out of touch the FA are and how far behind the times they have been.
“As ever, they are welcome to come and catch us up, if they like.”
Anyone – male or female – who wants to join our leagues, can go to www.leisureleagues.net and select the country of their choice.
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