WE caught up with the Oxford United Supporters’ Panel to discuss the success of the Lionesses and backing Oxford United Women.
Last weekend, the Lionesses – the European champions – played in their first World Cup final. The result was not what we hoped for, but there is so much to take from this achievement.
Many of the Lionesses had to fight hard when they were younger just to be able to play football. They have had to demonstrate exceptional tenacity to get where they are, and now they are making news headlines, not just getting a few column inches on a back page.
Girls, including Eve who trains with Oxford United’s girls RTC, now have visible role models in the game. Eve told us what the Lionesses mean to her:
“The Lionesses have given me reason to dream, reason to hope and reason to believe in the future of the women’s game and in my own footballing pathway. To be part of the packed Wembley Stadium during the Euros and to see the impact they have had from the other side of the world during the World Cup is really inspirational.”
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It’s easy to think of the emergence of the women’s game as a something new. However, if you go back to the end of the First World War, you will find a more complex history.
Many women played football during and after the war. It was hugely popular – 53,000 fans watched a Boxing Day match at Goodison Park between Dick, Kerr Ladies and St Helens in 1920. In that same year, the men’s FA Cup final between Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town attracted a smaller crowd of 50,018. Yet within a year, the FA had banned women from playing on FA affiliated pitches, a ban which remained for 50 years.
This year, Wembley welcomed more than 77,000 for the women’s FA Cup final – the first time a domestic match surpassed the 1920 record attendance.
Grace Bailey, Her Game Too ambassador for Oxford United, said: “The Lionesses have inspired the nation for the past year, showing that women can enjoy and participate in football just as men do. They have given hope to girls that they can play the sport that they love so much. Women’s football is finally heading back to where it was in 1920.”
Oxford United Women narrowly missed out on promotion last season. Looking ahead, there is a tremendous opportunity with the proposed stadium development to one day be able to watch them in a new stadium where they will have access to the same matchday facilities, and attract similar crowds, as our men’s team.
This season’s first home match is on September 3 at Court Place Farm – why not come along and enjoy the family atmosphere?
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