Germany won the Women’s World Cup yesterday, beating Brazil 2-0 and managing to ellicit whoops of excitement from my footie loving boyfriend and, no, it had nothing to do with their legs. I know this year’s event has improved his view of women’s football no end, and hopefully that of the many other football fans who refuse to take women’s football - and women’s sport in general - seriously.

I’m not into football, so I don’t really feel qualified to add much more, but it seems perfectly clear to me that the lack of financial support for women’s football has a detrimental effect on the quality of the game and instead of banging on about women’s supposed inherent weakness at physical activity, I’d suggest its detractors consider that while the top male England players get paid thousands upon thousands of pounds a week to do nothing but train, the top female players will be returning to their day jobs as postwomen, mothers and students.

At least the German team will be pocketing 50,000 euro each for their win, which is somewhat more inspiring than the set of crockery and ironing board they took home in 1988 after winning the European Championships.

Photo by *Dario*, shared under a Creative Commons License.

Posted by Laura Woodhouse on 1 October 2007, at 5:00 PM