In 1955, Germany’s Football Association (DFB) rejected a plan to set up a women’s league on the following grounds:
“In battling for the ball, female loveliness disappears. Their bodies and souls will suffer inevitable damage and the public display of their bodies will offend decency and modesty.”
Wow.
Women’s football in Germany has clearly come a long way in the last 50 years and it was no surprise on Tuesday when the double world champions were given the nod from FIFA to host the 2011 World Cup.
What can we look forward to from a women’s World Cup in Germany? It goes without saying that it will be a lower key event than the 2006 men’s tournament that was such a success but if the DFB can be believed it will still be a pretty big party, and anecdotal evidence suggests they may be right.
Around 20,000 people turned out in Frankfurt at the start of the month to welcome the players back to Germany after they successfully defended their world title in China (see the picture above).
I was in Stuttgart covering the world cycling championships at the time and plenty of people were crowded round TVs at the event craning for a view of the final as the riders zoomed past unwatched. As my colleague Catherine Bosley notes in her survey of the women’s game, the German TV audience for that final was around nine million, for a share of well over 50 percent.
It’s a fair bet that Germany’s games will be well attended, probably even sell-outs, but will the public get motivated to watch, say, a group game between Denmark and New Zealand on a wet afternoon in Wolfsburg? Maybe so. This will be the first time since 1995 that the women’s World Cup will be held in Europe and we can assume that European teams will bring a lot of fans.
But will we see a return of the Fan Miles, the singing and the flag-waving, the public consumption of beer and sausage on such a staggering scale? Five years on from possibly the best World Cup ever staged, let’s hope so.
Kevin Fylan, Reuters sports correspondent in Berlin, who wishes the World Cup was always in Germany
PHOTO: Germany striker Birgit Prinz holds the World Cup on the balcony of the Frankfurt city hall during the welcoming ceremony of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup winners in front of thousands of fans October 1, 2007. REUTERS/Boris Roessler/Pool
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9 comments so far
[...] Original post by Kevin Fylan [...]
- Posted by » Here we go again — Germany to host 2011 World CupTo my shame, I don’t follow women’s football at all. The profile could definitely do with a bit of a boost (a prize for the best profile-boosting joke submitted).
- Posted by fionaI wouldn’t be sorry. I don’t think many people follow the women’s game and for one very good reason. It’s not very good.
- Posted by LondonThe women’s game was good and exciting in 1999, 2003 and again this year. Each 4-year cycle the teams have improved. The Germans were polished as well as efficient, they certainly don’t lack team skill. The Brazilians were the best looking team and could have beaten Germany if their forward line was as incisive in the final as it was against the US and Australia.
- Posted by Bob MarleyNorth Korea looked really good tactically except they lacked the will up front and settled for too many long-range attempts at goal.
Some interesting matchups we did not get to see were Germany-US, North Korea-Brazil, US-Australia, and England-Australia.
No doubt that some players of the German team could do with some PR advice… I don´t want to sound sexist, but a bit of style could probably boost the public interest in the game.
- Posted by ElenaElena, you sound like the old head of UEFA, Lennart Johansson:
- Posted by Kevin Fylanhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football /women/4102440.stm
And Bob, I agree this year’s World Cup was better than ever. The German achievement of winning it again without conceding a goal won a lot of new fans here. If Franz Beckenbauer can sort out the weather again I think we’re in for another great tournament.
- Posted by Kevin Fylan[...] I should have written a short blog post that mentions and celebrates the fact that Germany will host the Women’s World Cup in 2011. To make up for it a little, here’s a link to a blog post, that mentions and celebrates the fact that Germany will host the Women’s World Cup in 2011. (Reuters Soccer Blogs) [...]
- Posted by Weekly Dose 06.11.07 - Miscellaneous - The Offside - German Football League BlogNice game.I like it.
- Posted by Hosting