The THFC Women's Team Thread

[Lifelong]

I'll admit i'm not a huge fan of the women's game but i fear the club are missing out on a huge growth area here. If we are going to be involved in this then do it properly, don't be half arsed about...it'll only go one way if we are....

 

[Saoirse]

They are not half arsing it ?? they got promoted 3 years ago and are trying to break down an elite 3 that have years advantage. Very much doing it properly.

This is true, but it's also true that we're having to play catch-up because for so long we did half-arse it.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Although we're miles behind city, Arsenal and Chelsea we were pretty much on the same level as United up until a few years ago but they have kicked on more than us. We are improving but it's a gradual process. I think we should be aiming for another 5th place finish this season. Anything more than that would be a huge bonus.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

Whilst technically true, we never actually competed with them. They were allowed to enter the second division with no promotion and blew the league apart. We were lucky two teams went up that year, as they had internationals amongst semi pros.

Good point, so I guess that shows that progress can be made quite quickly if a lot of resources are thrown at it.

 

[Lifelong]

Good point, so I guess that shows that progress can be made quite quickly if a lot of resources are thrown at it.

And this is my point in a nutshell……..those that chuck money at it will over take us….and you can’t tell me we’re not in a position to do the same…….

 

[Lifelong]

They are not half arsing it ?? they got promoted 3 years ago and are trying to break down an elite 3 that have years advantage. Very much doing it properly.

Then take the opportunity to enlighten rather than ridiculing with the ?? emojis…….as I said I don’t follow the womens game but anyone who wears our shirt deserves respect…and a club in our position should be allocating more funds to this….

 

[ShelfWatcher]

I don't think the club should be throwing money at the women's team. The money the women earn through TV, match day etc of course should go to them.
They get the chance to play in the main stadium paid for by followers of men's football. That's a fantastic investment in the women's game alone
Apparently our women hold the WSL attendance record of 38000. Let's see if they can break that V United
The more that watch the more they should earn.

 

[littlewilly]

Some of you are real short-term thinkers. Fortunately we've had a progressive Chairman who saw the need to put infrastructure first, with a vision that long-term success can come in a sustainable way once you get the facilities and revenue streams in place. This is exactly what the Club are seeking to do with the women's game. Be patient.

Council awards 25-year Whitewebbs Park lease to Spurs

Concerns raised over public access when football academy is opened, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter The former northern clubhouse of Whitewebbs

enfielddispatch.co.uk

 

[Ben1]

I don't think the club should be throwing money at the women's team. The money the women earn through TV, match day etc of course should go to them.
They get the chance to play in the main stadium paid for by followers of men's football. That's a fantastic investment in the women's game alone
Apparently our women hold the WSL attendance record of 38000. Let's see if they can break that V United
The more that watch the more they should earn.

Yeah, I don't agree they should be chucking money at it, but investing is different, they need support to get off the ground unfortunately. The money being talked about is pennies for the club, the women have paid two fees for players in their history I believe, both around 20k. Ultimately though, I'd love it to become sustainable, makes it a better playing field for football. So many historic womens teams have been wiped off the map by the 'blg clubs' chucking money at it last few seasons.

I think there are rules to prevent the extremes though. The record fee for a womens player is 1mil, so theoretically a club willing to invest as they are rn, could just sign everyone. But they haven't, because they can't.

 

[Mattspur]

They are not half arsing it ?? they got promoted 3 years ago and are trying to break down an elite 3 that have years advantage. Very much doing it properly.

We got promoted the same season as Man Utd and they've pulled away from us massively. If Liverpool do the same thing now they're in the WSL it'll be a massive failing of the club.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

And so it begins. The griping and bickering about investment, where the money should come from and how we run it has started. Coming soon complaints about signings, the manager and performances. In some cases driven by people who don't actually give two fucks about it really.

Women's football has truly arrived on SC

 

[PT]

How much are tickets usually?t

75 quid for a season ticket for an adult, 35 quid for a youth. Match tickets are really cheap too.

 

[Mattspur]

Yeah, they're a completely different story as a club to Spurs, having been placed in that division unfairly, they didnt have to work there way up AT ALL. They've also hit the ceiling and can't get beyond 4th, whilst we're 5th, so not al that successful.

Also funny you use the Liverpool example, a club notorious in the womens game for winning the title then scrapping the team for parts with zero investment. Could not be a worse example to use tbh.

Sure, United’s promotion was unconventional but once we were both in the WSL we had the same opportunity as they did. I don’t agree that United have reached a ceiling. They were closer to City than we were to United and they’ll look to catch them over the next couple of seasons. They’re trying to turn a “Big 3” into a “Big 4”.

I didn’t use Liverpool as an example of anything. I just said that if they overtake us, we’re doing something wrong. Sounds like you agree.

 

[Marty]

Brisbane Road will be rocking next season with all this new interest!!

As you're all here ready to discuss how good or bad the team is, lets get back to football. What do we think of the summer signings so far? What other areas do you think we should be bringing in before we fly off to America?

Still need a striker, don't they? Scoring goals felt difficult for them last season.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

 

[Lifelong]

Yeah, if you want respect and enlightening, rather than ridicule, don’t come into the women’s team page with the opener ‘I’m not a huge fan of the women’s game’ before telling us how the club is run on the women’s side.

The club were certainly years behind the game on this, no doubt. But they’re now investing at the level we’re at. The women’s game has progressed so much in even 3 years that teams cannot cheat their way to top with quick investment like United (btw they finished 4th, we finished 5th so hardly sensational now). Even they’ve hit a brick wall. Players want CL football and stuff like that now, it’s become much more like the men’s game in structure.

We won’t get left behind though, we’re the 5th best team in the country and I’d be surprised if we aren’t again. But the top 3 established elite have 2 WC players for every position, so it’s a slower process. As I said, big spending United raced to 4th and still haven’t finished top 3 themselves and they have half the England team!

(For those learning, top 3 in WSL gets CL, Europa doesn’t exist yet. Arsenal, city and Chelsea get these spots every year atm)

Thank you for taking the time to reply…as I said I’m prepared to be enlightened……as far as whether we are taking the right approach only time will tell…

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Speaking of Kerys Harrop - This is a link to her letter to the Lionesses on the OS


You can tell how much that win, and really the whole tournament has meant to her - and the impact of all the women who came before to set that stage. Really a good note, imo/

Spoiler: Letter

Well, where to begin, what a day it was yesterday! I have hardly slept and the first thing I did this morning was check the news and re-watch everything about the Lionesses winning the Women’s Euros. I have sat for the last couple of hours smiling at my phone and loving every single piece of information on social media about the success of the girls last night.

I was very fortunate to have been at the game yesterday. The atmosphere at Wembley was electric and the crowd gave the Lionesses the push they needed to win the match. A home Euros with England vs Germany in the final at Wembley stadium! It’s what dreams are made of.

As a former England player, who has played alongside some of the more experienced players - such as Ellen White, Mary Earps and Lucy Bronze - I know it will have been their ultimate dream to play in a home Euros final. To go on and win the trophy in front of a record crowd for any Euro’s final - men’s or women’s - of over 87,000 people is phenomenal.

I was sat in the crowd yesterday and I was quite emotional. I am a player who has been lucky enough to play at the top level of women’s football now for 15 years and never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that an England game would attract an audience big enough to sell out Wembley.

I played for England when we won the U19 European Championships in 2009 and there wasn’t much of a crowd watching us even though we were the first England team to win a major tournament since the men’s team famously won the World Cup in 1966.

Fast forward to 2022 and the media attention surrounding the Lionesses is just incredible. They are now global superstars (rightly so!) which is testament to every member of the squad who has played so brilliantly across the whole tournament. The Lionesses proved that if the product on the pitch is good, fans will watch in their thousands. Long may that continue in women’s football.

There have been numerous times in the past where the England Women’s team have come heartbreakingly close to winning a major tournament. One of the main reasons I believe why the Lionesses have been so successful this time round is investment.

The FA Women’s Super League turned fully professional around 2017 and in the last few years you can see how much the quality has improved. The girls have been able to train full time as professional footballers and not hold down a part time job too. With anything in life the more you practice the better you become hence why now the quality of women’s football is much better than in previous years.

Most players in the Women’s Super League can now choose to focus fully on football. This is due to significantly higher levels of investment from the men’s clubs who support their women’s teams, the FA, and partners. The women’s game is attracting more sponsorship than ever before and I am sure, after the success of the Lionesses last night, the interest is going to go through the roof. There’s never been a more exciting time for women’s football in this country and I can’t wait to see what the game will be like a decade from now.

The win last night will not only positively affect the women’s game at the elite level, but at grassroots level too. With the visibility and exposure, young girls across the country will now have role models who they can look up to and aspire to be one day. I coach girls football teams of all ages at grassroots clubs and seeing the Lionesses achieve their dreams last night will no doubt inspire them to chase theirs.

It’s been incredible to see the support across the country for the Euros. I saw this morning that the final last night was the most viewed TV programme of 2022 – more than the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!

A record-breaking 17 million viewers tuned in on BBC One with a further six million viewers streaming the game online. I really hope those viewing figures translate to more people going down to support their local women’s team - whether they are in in the Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship or tier six of the women’s football pyramid.

We play our first game of the new WSL season on Saturday 10 September against Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and there’s no better feeling than stepping out on that pitch. I really hope the momentum keeps going from the Euros and we see a record crowd at the stadium supporting the women’s game.

I also hope these figures will transfer to a grassroots level too with more young girls playing football across the country. A legacy must be created now after the success of the Lionesses and like Ian Wright said - if girls football isn’t available at every single school across the country after the success of this tournament we are doing something wrong! To every little girl reading this who wants to be a footballer, there’s nothing stopping you.

I could write all day about England winning the Euros, but I would like to dedicate my final words to the England players of the past who have paved the way for the current Lionesses to achieve their success. The likes of Kelly Smith, Faye White, Rachel Yankey, Hope Powell, Fara Williams, Mary Phillip, Karen Carney, Laura Bassett…too many names to mention.

These are some of the women who are the pioneers in the women’s game. They sacrificed so much when the basic needs for women’s footballers weren’t met. They broke down so many barriers and built a platform which every player in the league today is benefitting from. These incredible women have been through some heartache when wearing an England shirt and for them to finally experience the highs of an England team winning the Euros must have meant so much. That win last night was for you ladies!

All that is left for me to say is…IT FINALLY CAME HOME!

 

[Saoirse]

Looks like the West Lower is already sold out for the open vs Man United bar a fewer singles, and they've started opening the closest parts of the North Lower.

 

[kursaal]

Arsenal sold as many tickets 24 hours after England's victory than had already booked for the North London Derby.

 

[Saoirse]

I’d love us to make a proper show of this. The squad deserve it. COYS!

Also for anyone genuinely concerned over club investment, what better way to show the women’s side should be fully backed than to show up and back em!

I very likely will go. Only thing against it is that I wouldn't make it to the men's game at City, but I'll see if my friend is up for this one as that'd swing it. I'll defo do the Arsenal away game and make it to Brisbane Road at least a couple of times! Not been since the NLD at WHL, could never motivate myself to make it out to Barnet haha