Female Football Players and Fans

Female Football Players and Fans
Author: Gertrud Pfister
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2018-02-19
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1137590254

This volume draws upon social science and historical approaches to provide insights into the world of women’s football and female fans. It gives an in-depth analysis of the development of the women’s game in different European countries and examines the experiences of female fans. An overview about women’s football in Europe shows the rise and development of the game and the increasing inclusion of girls and women in football and fan communities. To date, there has been a lack of research on female participation in football, but drawing on research studies from various European countries, the volume explores a range of issues, including how girls and women become football fans and players, how women combine football with their everyday lives, and how they may encounter stereotypes and barriers when they challenge male dominance by entering this traditionally male sport. This collection will be of interest to students and scholars in a range of fields, including sports sociology, sport sciences, gender studies, leisure studies, women’s studies as well as fandom and cultural studies.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary
Author: Frankie de la Cretaz
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2021-11-02
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1645036618

The groundbreaking story of the National Women’s Football League, and the players whose spirit, rivalries, and tenacity changed the legacy of women’s sports forever. In 1967, a Cleveland promoter recruited a group of women to compete as a traveling football troupe. It was conceived as a gimmick—in the vein of the Harlem Globetrotters—but the women who signed up really wanted to play. And they were determined to win. Hail Mary chronicles the highs and lows of the National Women’s Football League, which took root in nineteen cities across the US over the course of two decades. Drawing on new interviews with former players from the Detroit Demons, the Toledo Troopers, the LA Dandelions, and more, Hail Mary brings us into the stadiums where they broke records, the small-town lesbian bars where they were recruited, and the backrooms where the league was formed, championed, and eventually shuttered. In an era of vibrant second wave feminism and Title IX activism, the athletes of the National Women’s Football League were boisterous pioneers on and off the field: you’ll be rooting for them from start to finish.

Women on the Ball

Women on the Ball
Author: Sue Lopez
Publisher:
Total Pages: 312
Release: 1997
Genre: Soccer
ISBN:

Women's football is the fastest growing international sport for women and Women on the Ball is the first book to give a comprehensive account of the women's game. It details the pioneering players and clubs, and includes many interviews

Footballer: My Story

Footballer: My Story
Author: Kelly Smith
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2012-07-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1446488594

All Kelly Smith ever wanted to be was a footballer. Blessed with brilliant talent which she honed with hours of practice, it was soon clear to all who saw her that Kelly was the best women’s footballer that this country had ever produced. Yet for this shy girl from Watford, it would be a long and difficult journey to the pinnacle of the world game, and one which would involve the hardest of challenges. After starting drinking to mask her loneliness thousands of miles from home in the United States, a series of career-threatening injuries led to severe depression and a battle with alcoholism. But with the fighting spirit that was so essential on her path to be Britain’s first women’s professional player, Kelly bounced back to inspire Arsenal to countless trophies and become England’s record goalscorer. Footballer: My Story is the inspirational tale of a woman with a drive to succeed. It is the unique inside story of a star in a sport enjoyed by millions yet often not granted the recognition it deserves. And as she nears the end of a glittering playing career, it is the story of how Kelly Smith became what she always wanted to be. A professional footballer, in a professional league.

Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back

Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back
Author: Jessica Luther
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2020-09-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1477322175

Triumphant wins, gut-wrenching losses, last-second shots, underdogs, competition, and loyalty—it’s fun to be a fan. But when a football player takes a hit to the head after yet another study has warned of the dangers of CTE, or when a team whose mascot was born in an era of racism and bigotry takes the field, or when a relief pitcher accused of domestic violence saves the game, how is one to cheer? Welcome to the club for sports fans who care too much. In Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back, acclaimed sports writers Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson tackle the most pressing issues in sports, why they matter, and how we can do better. For the authors, “sticking to sports” is not an option—not when our taxes are paying for the stadiums, and college athletes aren’t getting paid at all. But simply quitting a favorite team won’t change corrupt and deplorable practices, and the root causes of many of these problems are endemic in our wider society. An essential read for modern fans, Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back challenges the status quo and explores how we might begin to reconcile our conscience with our fandom.

Under the Lights and In the Dark

Under the Lights and In the Dark
Author: Gwendolyn Oxenham
Publisher: Icon Books
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2017-07-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1785781545

Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer takes an unprecedented look inside the lives of professional football players around the world – from precarious positions in underfunded teams and leagues, to sold-out stadiums and bright lights. Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Gwendolyn Oxenham tells the stories of the phenoms, underdogs, and nobodies – players willing to follow the game wherever it takes them. Under the Lights and in the Dark takes us inside the world of women's soccer, following players across the globe, from Portland Thorns star Allie Long, who trains in an underground men's league in New York City; to English national Fara Williams, who hid her homelessness from her teammates while playing for the English national team. Oxenham takes us to Voronezh, Russia, where players battle more than just snowy pitches in pursuing their dream of playing pro, and to a refugee camp in Denmark, where Nadia Nadim, now a Danish international star, honed her skills after her family fled from the Taliban. Whether you're a newcomer to the sport or a die-hard fan, this is an inspiring book about stars' beginnings and adventures, struggles and hardship, and, above all, the time-honored romance of the game.

Futbolera

Futbolera
Author: Brenda Elsey
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2019-05-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 1477310428

Latin American athletes have achieved iconic status in global popular culture, but what do we know about the communities of women in sport? Futbolera is the first monograph on women’s sports in Latin America. Because sports evoke such passion, they are fertile ground for understanding the formation of social classes, national and racial identities, sexuality, and gender roles. Futbolera tells the stories of women athletes and fans as they navigated the pressures and possibilities within organized sports. Futbolera charts the rise of physical education programs for girls, often driven by ideas of eugenics and proper motherhood, that laid the groundwork for women’s sports clubs, which began to thrive beyond the confines of school systems. Futbolera examines how women challenged both their exclusion from national pastimes and their lack of access to leisure, bodily integrity, and public space. This vibrant history also examines women’s sports through comparative case studies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, and others. Special attention is given to women’s sports during military dictatorships of the 1970s and 80s as well as the feminist and democratic movements that followed. The book culminates by exploring recent shifts in mindset towards women’s football and dynamic social movements of players across Latin America.

Sport and Its Female Fans

Sport and Its Female Fans
Author: Kim Toffoletti
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2012
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0415883814

Why do women follow sports? What can female fandom tell us about gender relations in sport? This book explores these questions by bringing together the varied strands of research being conducted internationally across the social sciences and humanities on this emerging and topical field.

World Cup Women

World Cup Women
Author: Meg Walters
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2019-11-19
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1510756302

This is the illustrated story of 23 soccer players who worked together to become World Cup champions and heroes to millions of men, women, boys, and girls across America and around the world. In July 2019, a record number of people all around the world tuned in to watch the Women's World Cup, which took place in France. Fifty-two games, twenty-four teams, four weeks . . . one winner. Megan Rapinoe had waited for this day since she attended a World Cup game as a teenager, and Alex Morgan had set her sights on a World Cup victory of her own as she watched Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Team USA win in 1999. Years of hard work, determination, and practice put Megan, Alex, and their teammates in the perfect position, and they took full advantage. Rose Lavelle, Tobin Heath, Alyssa Naeher, Crystal Dunn, Ali Krieger, Julie Ertz, Carli Lloyd, and the rest of the US Women's National Team returned home from France with the title, the trophy, and their nation's pride, becoming the first team in history to win four Women's World Cup titles! New York City threw a parade in their honor, and fans lined the streets, clapping and cheering and chanting their names. These women were on top of the world—they'd come so far. They'd achieved their dreams! World Cup Women highlights Team USA's tournament experience and provides a glimpse into what shot them to the top . . . and what may keep them there a little longer.

Female Fans, Gender Relations and Football Fandom

Female Fans, Gender Relations and Football Fandom
Author: Honorata Jakubowska
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2020-09-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000174069

This book assesses the transformation of football fan culture from a gender perspective. Referring to the notions of homosociality, hegemonic masculinity and performative perspectives on gender and fandom, it investigates the processes of women entering the world of football fandom. Drawing on multidimensional qualitative and quantitative research, the book analyses different aspects of female fandom, such as women’s socialisation to be a fan, building their sense of fan identity, ways of performing fandom, and gender. Also, it explores the response of male fans by shedding light on the sense-making process of a growing number of female fans in the stands and its consequences for prevailingly male football culture. This study stands out for its richness and diversity of empirical material used in order to make a significant contribution to our understanding of social dynamics related to the changing nature of female football fandom. The book is fascinating reading for researchers and students in a broad range of areas, including gender studies, sociology of sport, football, women’s studies and Central Eastern European studies. It is also a valuable resource for scholars, and football and club authorities who have an interest in understanding the development of female football fandom and its impact on the male fandom community.