Britain
The Times September 12, 2006
Girls cannot play football: The Bridgnorth team believe that they would have been treated differently if they were boys (Andrew Fox)
Clubs refuse to host final in case girls harm pitch
By Alexandra Frean, Education Editor
FOOTBALL’S offside rule may be hazy to some, but the game’s gender rules seem perfectly clear: girls should stay away.
At least that is how it seems to the two sides in the England under-14 girls’ National Cup Final, who have been waiting to play their match since May because no major club will let them use their ground.
Officials are at a loss to explain this lack of generosity, although one club has commented that “the girls might mess up the pitch”.
For the teams at Toynbee Sports College in Hampshire and Bridgnorth Endowed School in Shropshire it has been a huge disappointment.
Gemma King, now 14, who plays in the midfield for Bridgnorth, said that the prospect of playing the cup final at a major club ground had spurred her team on.
“It was so exciting at first to get to the final, but the fact that we have had to wait so long has taken some of the excitement out of it,” she said. “The first ground we were supposed to play at turned us away because they were doing repairs. I think that because we are girls, we were given lesser treatment.”
Her teammate Emma Atkins, who hopes one day to play for England, is also suspicious. “Perhaps if we were a boys’ team, it might have been organised quicker,” she said.
Simon Tindall, the Bridgnorth coach, said that fears that the girls might tear up the pitch were ridiculous. “How much damage could 14-year-old girls do, compared with fully grown men?” he asked.
Justin Innes, the head of physical education at Toynbee, said that it was disappointing that the clubs should be so uncooperative, given that both Ministers and the footballing establishment were trying to encourage more participation.
John Read, the chief executive of the English Schools’ Football Association, which organises the competition, said that it was unbelievable that it had not been able to find a club willing to host the match.
“We have tried 35 professional clubs without success,” he said. “A couple that did offer their grounds fell through.”
He insisted that gender had nothing to do with it. “When we ask for the grounds, we don’t tell them it’s for boys or girls,” he said. He added, however, that the under-14 boys’ cup final was played in May at Northampton Town’s ground.
He said that money might be an issue, since the ESFA asks to use grounds rent-free, offering just to pay the club’s costs.
A spokesman for the FA Premier League, which has been supportive of girls’ football, denied that gender was involved, but conceded that certain clubs liked to host competitions such as the FA’s youth tournament for boys because it gave their scouts a chance to look for fresh talent.
GROUNDS FOR REJECTION
Clubs approached to host the English Schools’ Football Association under-14s girls’ national cup final include Colchester United, of the Coca-Cola Championship; Swindon Town, Peterborough United and Yeovil Town of the Coca-Cola League; and Oxford City, Forest Green Rovers and Kidderminster Harriers of the Nationwide Conference
Previous finals have been staged at the grounds of Bristol City, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham United
Among the reasons for turning down the game were an expired safety certificate, a water-logged pitch and because the fixture clashed with an Elton John concert
thetimesonline.co.uk
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Women's football is a joke. They shouldn't play a man's game. Stick to girls' sports such as hockey or netball or rounders - or their North Americans descendants of ice hockey, basketball or baseball.
The Times September 12, 2006
Girls cannot play football: The Bridgnorth team believe that they would have been treated differently if they were boys (Andrew Fox)
Clubs refuse to host final in case girls harm pitch
By Alexandra Frean, Education Editor
FOOTBALL’S offside rule may be hazy to some, but the game’s gender rules seem perfectly clear: girls should stay away.
At least that is how it seems to the two sides in the England under-14 girls’ National Cup Final, who have been waiting to play their match since May because no major club will let them use their ground.
Officials are at a loss to explain this lack of generosity, although one club has commented that “the girls might mess up the pitch”.
For the teams at Toynbee Sports College in Hampshire and Bridgnorth Endowed School in Shropshire it has been a huge disappointment.
Gemma King, now 14, who plays in the midfield for Bridgnorth, said that the prospect of playing the cup final at a major club ground had spurred her team on.
“It was so exciting at first to get to the final, but the fact that we have had to wait so long has taken some of the excitement out of it,” she said. “The first ground we were supposed to play at turned us away because they were doing repairs. I think that because we are girls, we were given lesser treatment.”
Her teammate Emma Atkins, who hopes one day to play for England, is also suspicious. “Perhaps if we were a boys’ team, it might have been organised quicker,” she said.
Simon Tindall, the Bridgnorth coach, said that fears that the girls might tear up the pitch were ridiculous. “How much damage could 14-year-old girls do, compared with fully grown men?” he asked.
Justin Innes, the head of physical education at Toynbee, said that it was disappointing that the clubs should be so uncooperative, given that both Ministers and the footballing establishment were trying to encourage more participation.
John Read, the chief executive of the English Schools’ Football Association, which organises the competition, said that it was unbelievable that it had not been able to find a club willing to host the match.
“We have tried 35 professional clubs without success,” he said. “A couple that did offer their grounds fell through.”
He insisted that gender had nothing to do with it. “When we ask for the grounds, we don’t tell them it’s for boys or girls,” he said. He added, however, that the under-14 boys’ cup final was played in May at Northampton Town’s ground.
He said that money might be an issue, since the ESFA asks to use grounds rent-free, offering just to pay the club’s costs.
A spokesman for the FA Premier League, which has been supportive of girls’ football, denied that gender was involved, but conceded that certain clubs liked to host competitions such as the FA’s youth tournament for boys because it gave their scouts a chance to look for fresh talent.
GROUNDS FOR REJECTION
Clubs approached to host the English Schools’ Football Association under-14s girls’ national cup final include Colchester United, of the Coca-Cola Championship; Swindon Town, Peterborough United and Yeovil Town of the Coca-Cola League; and Oxford City, Forest Green Rovers and Kidderminster Harriers of the Nationwide Conference
Previous finals have been staged at the grounds of Bristol City, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham United
Among the reasons for turning down the game were an expired safety certificate, a water-logged pitch and because the fixture clashed with an Elton John concert
thetimesonline.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------------
Women's football is a joke. They shouldn't play a man's game. Stick to girls' sports such as hockey or netball or rounders - or their North Americans descendants of ice hockey, basketball or baseball.