While women's football is very much at the centre of the world of sport, this has not always been the case; some interesting facts and stats sometimes go under the radar, or at least to me. Here are some facts I recently learned about women's football, but you might already know them.
Stina Blackstenius has a strong last name. Her last name, Blackstenius, comes from her father's family. He lived on a farm called "Blacksta", and her grandfather's name was "Sten". She, her father, and her brother are the only ones who have that name in Sweden. Also, a fascinating fact is that her first name is not Stina but Emma.
Keeping on the theme of Arsenal, the women's team went unbeaten between 2004 and 2009. Although the team was semi-professional at the time, the quality of football differed from today's, and they were far more developed than any other women's club; it was still a significant milestone. They went 108 consecutive league games without a defeat, showing their historical dominance. In the modern era, with the WSL, the longest unbeaten run is 34 games, set by Chelsea with 28 wins and 6 draws, which ended at the beginning of December.
In 1999, the USA hosted the women's World Cup, where over 90,000 fans watched the final, and the USA were crowned champions. In recent years, women’s football in England has followed suit, with world-renowned stadiums such as Stamford Bridge and The Emirates accommodating the rising number of keen match-goers.
In 2002, the FA revealed that football had become the most popular participation sport for women and girls in England. This was three years before their target and may have had something to do with Bend It Like Beckham being released the same year.
For the 2021/22 season, Chelsea Women's old out their season-ticket allocation and played at the historic Stamford Bridge on multiple occasions. The red side of London matched this outstanding accomplishment when Arsenal Women's sold out the 60,704-seat Emirates Stadium in their semi-final clash with Wolfsburg.
In 2008, at the age of eleven, Keira Walsh was named Greater Manchester Young Sports Person of the Year. This award was not for her achievement in football, but in fact, badminton. She was ranked number 1 in the county in the under-12 badminton between 2007 and 2009. She described it as her “second sport”. In 2022, she still played badminton in football’s off-season “as a way of keeping fit”.
Many would believe that either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer at the international level. But that would be wrong. The answer is that Canada's women's striker Christine Sinclair holds the goalscoring record. She has scored a world record of 190 international goals in 331 appearances.
Four countries have ever won the Women’s World Cup since the inaugural tournament took place in 1991 in China. The most recent edition was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2023; the next will be in 2027, hosted by Brazil. The four winning nations are the USA, Germany, Norway and Spain.
Ada Hegerberg, who won the first-ever Ballon d’Or, once said she learned more about leadership from arguing with her older sister Andrine in the garden, who also became a professional footballer. Then, in any formal coaching session, the two would play one-on-one games where quitting wasn’t allowed.
Leah Williamson recalled that, as a young girl, she played on an all-boys team where she faced physical aggression from opponents, prompting her mother to make her wear a gum shield. As she recalled, she was sometimes “kicked” or tagged, and she was the only girl on the pitch, with opposing parents often shouting, “Get the girl.” They recalled that this only made her stand out more, though she noted, "It was worth it, because it meant I got to play". Though she did mention that she loved when her Grandmother would take her to matches, as her grandmother was less strict about the protective gear.
Sam Kerr has sport in herbloods. Her father, Roger Kerr, was a professional Australian rules footballer. Her brother Daniel Kerr won two AFL premierships. Kerr played Australian rules until switching to association football at the age of 12, mainly due to gender restrictions. Team Captain Sam Kerr is the only female football player to have won the Golden Boot in three different leagues across three continents.
On the lines of Australia, the women's side is known as the Matildas, which comes from the folk song “Waltzing Matilda.”
Add comment
Comments