Could a woman play for a professional team?

[selym]

Jonnas said:

selym said:

When Jay Bothroyd played for Udinese, I'm sure the Iraqi(?) owner was trying to arrange to have a female player on the books.

Perugia....

Thats the one......

[New POD]

I'm all for equality, and I would like to see men and women play football* together. and soccer too.

• football as in Rugby would be brilliant if women played on the same team as men.

[Challo]

A friend is helping Brighton Ladies at the moment with some strength and conditioning training and he said some of the girls have very good skills levels and technically very good. They will always be at a slight disadvantage in relation to the physical attributes of the game but the gap is getting closer all the time. The more pro teams the better the standard.

[simoid]

vonuber said:

Yes, if they are good enough why not? I pity the first woman who does that, given the likely abuse she will suffer.

I'm good enough to play for the wimmen's teams. Will they let me?

[obob]

No, firstly because men can't play with women because a) they won't tackle them b) because women are terrible.
A few years ago the Doncaster Belles were training on a pitch next to where we were. Us being mainly unfit fatties who played Sunday league and had just lost our first game 12-1. They asked if we want to play them, so we did and they were absolutely terrible. I don't know about their technical ability but Doncaster were a top team and they never got the ball from us.

[anonymous-user]

Don't usually pop my head in here, so be nice.

Look up Hayley Wickenheiser. One of if not the best female ice hockey player in the world. Canadian. Played in male leagues until 13. Tried out for an NHL team. Then went to Europe where the game is less physical. Dallied in Scandinavian league three level teams.

Big gulf. Can't fight genetics. Same reason I couldn't outrun Usain Bolt or Mo Farah, no matter how hard I trained.

[epom]

simoid said:

vonuber said:

Yes, if they are good enough why not? I pity the first woman who does that, given the likely abuse she will suffer.

I'm good enough to play for the wimmen's teams. Will they let me?

I think that says an awful lot, why is it such a big deal that women can't play on mens teams ? No one would dream of letting men play on the women's teams. Having said that there are some superb players out there.

[Hackney]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I agree that the levels of speed and strength are lacking. But there is plenty of skill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SVtqv6RzJc

Dodgy keeper!
Actually although the gap has closed, I think the standard of keeping has furthest to go.

[RobDickinson]

I know its tennis but I think women's tennis is perhaps more competitive than women's football..

"During the 1998 Australian Open, sisters Serena and Venus Williams boasted that they could beat any man ranked outside the world's top 200. The challenge was accepted by Karsten Braasch, a German player ranked No 203 (his highest ranking was No 38). Before the matches, Braasch played a round of golf in the morning, drank a couple of beers, smoked a few cigarettes, and then played the Williams sisters for a set each, one after the other. He defeated Serena, 6-1, and Venus, 6-2. Serena said afterwards "I didn't know it would be that hard. I hit shots that would have been winners on the women's tour and he got to them easily.""

From what I have seen of top end womans football they have some ball skills but are hugely off the pace on the rest of the game.

[Hugo a Gogo]

I don't think the ultimate fitness, strength or speed is the issue

Is Lionel Messi the strongest guy on the park?
can any players run 100m in 10.49 (the women's record)?
how many can do a 2.23 Marathon?

it's self-perpetuating, women can't play top level because they don't play top level, they aren't coached top level, so they don't play top level ad infinitum

you're only picking from a tiny pool of the naturally athletic women who've ever kicked a football

in Britain and many other places every single boy gets a chance to play football from an early age, and the best are picked out
even then, out of 40-ish million men how many Premier players?

It's like saying can anyone from India (for example) play in the Premier League, no they're all crap, sunday league at best - but why not, there's no reason at all why an Indian couldn't be as fit as any top footballer?

edit: although that tennis stuff is very interesting

Edited by Hugo a Gogo on Friday 24th January 09:36

[Dan_1981]

U17 women beat U17 men.

Although from reading the report it appears they needed 27 players to do so.....

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/52/89539...

[Kitchski]

Terminator X said:

Dan_1981 said:

You'd need new changing rooms.....

Use the one for the gays? Re the OP, never say never but they'd have to be freaks ie very manly to compete.

TX.

Edit - damn you Kitchski

Don't hate the player....

[Challo]

Hugo a Gogo said:

I don't think the ultimate fitness, strength or speed is the issue

Is Lionel Messi the strongest guy on the park?
can any players run 100m in 10.49 (the women's record)?
how many can do a 2.23 Marathon?

it's self-perpetuating, women can't play top level because they don't play top level, they aren't coached top level, so they don't play top level ad infinitum

you're only picking from a tiny pool of the naturally athletic women who've ever kicked a football

in Britain and many other places every single boy gets a chance to play football from an early age, and the best are picked out
even then, out of 40-ish million men how many Premier players?

It's like saying can anyone from India (for example) play in the Premier League, no they're all crap, sunday league at best - but why not, there's no reason at all why an Indian couldn't be as fit as any top footballer?

edit: although that tennis stuff is very interesting

Edited by Hugo a Gogo on Friday 24th January 09:36

Exactly this. It will take a good few years but the gap will get smaller. Yes watching the Women's game today does have some comical players, but overall technically they are getting betterand they have a tiny pool to choose from compared to the mens. Kelly Smith has been one of the standout players in the womens game for years.

[obob]

Challo said:

Exactly this. It will take a good few years but the gap will get smaller. Yes watching the Women's game today does have some comical players, but overall technically they are getting betterand they have a tiny pool to choose from compared to the mens. Kelly Smith has been one of the standout players in the womens game for years.

It may get smaller but there will still be a gap.

Secondly how do you overcome the psychological aspect? They debated this in cricket, but then realised that a bloke wouldn't want to bowl 95mph bouncers at a woman. The same goes for football, the men wouldn't want to go in hard for a tackle at all.

[obob]

Oh and Doncaster are a pro team who regularly finish at the top so they train properly and they couldn't get close to a bunch of slightly overweight chain smokers who have the odd kickabout. so the gap is massive

[joema]

I think it would be good for womens sport and would encourage younger girls to get into sport.

Although more women and young girls are taking up sport there are still far too few. Then there are the large amount that drop out in their teens. Until society changes its attitude and more parents encourage their children to take up sport its going to take a while for the gender gap to significantly decrease.

Not sure about the physical side. But for football its a combination of skill/knowledge/fitness. Look at Neymar, he looks like a girl and manages. But there isnt that skill pool to build on with the numbers currently playing.

[obob]

joema said:

I think it would be good for womens sport and would encourage younger girls to get into sport.

Although more women and young girls are taking up sport there are still far too few. Then there are the large amount that drop out in their teens. Until society changes its attitude and more parents encourage their children to take up sport its going to take a while for the gender gap to significantly decrease.

Not sure about the physical side. But for football its a combination of skill/knowledge/fitness. Look at Neymar, he looks like a girl and manages. But there isnt that skill pool to build on with the numbers currently playing.

You forgot pace, power, strength.

[Hugo a Gogo]

you could easily find a stronger, more powerful woman than Neymar

so what is the difference, why can't women do it?

[NISMOgtr]

Hugo a Gogo said:

you could easily find a stronger, more powerful woman than Neymar

so what is the difference, why can't women do it?

You will not be able to find one who has stronger legs than him that's for sure. He looks skinny, but he has big quads and very strong ones at that. Overall he is quite strong - just looks weak on TV. You cannot be one of the top players in the world and be weak.

Same with Messi, he looks small but is incredibly strong for a guy his size.

Women will never be able to match or even come close to men in sports - cricket is where it is most comical.

[Hugo a Gogo]

seriously, there are no women in the world with stronger legs than Messi or Neymar?

never mind some dude in Doncaster