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Women's football

Football is more popular than ever among British girls and women. Meet Kitty and her team as they prepare for a big match.

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then, watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Preparation

Transcript

Joe: It's the most popular game on Earth. From kids playing in the street to professional players in huge stadiums, more people play and watch this game than any other. And now football, or soccer, is more popular than ever among British girls and women. There are more than 5,000 girls’ youth teams registered in England.
I'm here to meet some of the rising stars of Tottenham Hotspur, also known as Spurs, here in London. We're just a few minutes down the road from the famous White Hart Lane soccer stadium.
Spurs Football Club was set up more than 130 years ago. It's now one of the most famous clubs in the world, playing in the English Premier League. Women's teams have been playing at Spurs since the 1980s. These players are the Spurs Ladies Academy Team, and if any of them are good enough …
[Joe: I'm rubbish at this]
… they could progress to the Spurs Women's First Team.
Footballer 1: What I really like about football is the competitive side, wanting to win games …
Footballer 2: I just enjoy the competition, the atmosphere …
Footballer 3: … not being discriminated because of your sex …
Footballer 4: Like, you're with all your friends playing football, you're all doing the same thing that you love. I think it's really fun, actually.
Joe: Today we're following Kitty as she trains for a big match. Kitty, how did you get into football?
Kitty: I've been playing football since I was 9. I started playing in a park and got picked up by a coach. And now I've moved up to Tottenham Hotspur.
Joe: Are you treated any differently to the boys that play football?
Kitty: No, not at all. We get a lot of support and the same standard of coaching.
Joe: The girls' team coach is Karen Hills.
Karen: Over the last 20 years, football for ladies in this country has changed dramatically. When I was playing, there wasn't many opportunities within schools. There’s many teams that cater for girls' football. There are leagues set up, there's a structure in place from playing all the way up to Senior England Ladies football.
 
Joe: It's now several weeks later and time to put all that training into practice. Spurs Ladies Academy are playing Barking Abbey in the British Colleges League - Division One.
It's a big match for Kitty, so how's she feeling?
Kitty: Today's going to be really competitive. There are two good sides who are pretty familiar with each other. So I'm feeling quite nervous about the game today.
Joe: The teams are pretty evenly matched, but five minutes into the game, Spurs go one-nil up, and it's Kitty who scores! Barking quickly hit back with a goal of their own. Just before half time, Spurs score a second goal. And then, in the second half, Kitty has a chance to make it three-one. The final score is three-two and Kitty's team have won.
 
Joe: So, Kitty, not only did your team win but you scored two of the goals. How does that feel?
Kitty: Thank you, yeah, that was … I'm not … I haven't scored like that for a long time, actually.
Joe: And it's only early in the season, isn't it, but do you think, judging from how you guys played there, do you think it's going to be a good season?
Kitty: Yeah, definitely. I can see everyone improving every single week. And, like they helped me a lot, like, I didn't get those goals by myself.
Joe: And what does it feel like to score those goals?
Kitty: I had goosebumps from the second one. It felt so good.
Joe: So, it's a great start to the season, but there are many more matches left to play. And from what we've seen today and in training, there's plenty more excitement and tension to look forward to.

Worksheets and downloads

Women's football - exercises267.21 KB
Women's football - answers239.12 KB
Women's football - transcript257.27 KB
Discussion

Do girls have many opportunities to play football where you live?

Language level
B1 Intermediate
B2 Upper intermediate
Topics
football
women
sport
Average: 3.7 (3 votes)
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Comments

Submitted by mayracastaneda on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 19:11

In the place where I live, I consider that there are opportunities for women, since they do training in the same school as men, ensuring the identity and equality of each one.

Submitted by LuisC on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 19:09

I think that in the place where I live at the moment many opportunities are opening up since more and more women's soccer schools are being created.

Submitted by DanielDuarte on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 19:09

I think is very good that nowaday football is equeal and without discrimination for all and that many girls feel motivated to play this sport.

Submitted by KarenRodriguez on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 19:04

That's a good question, I remember when I was in school and I was in fifth grade, I used to see many girls playing soccer, but now, I'm not sure because I only know few girls who are soccer players and she was very good. but I think that girls have many opportunities to play soccer in Colombia but sometimes it is not easy for them to join a team or sometimes the conditions

Submitted by Danielaavilan on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:56

I think that girls have many opportunities to play football where I live, but in the past it wasn't the same, because previously, society had a marked sexism, and the society discriminate the girls that playing football, in the actually I feel that the society accept and support that the girls be part of this sport, and they have many opportunities to participate and to become in recognized and high-performance athletes, nevertheless, I´ve seen that when there is a men’s football game, the society support them and make him a bar, and it is so exciting, but when there is a girl’s football game, it’s not that important for the society.

Submitted by Emilio17 on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:47

Hello, Where I live there are almost no opportunities in football because they are very chauvinistic and they think that women are not good and they look very bad doing it, although in my opinion women are capable of achieving anything.

Submitted by ElizabethChaparro on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:43

Hi I don't know much about football but I think that the opportunities for girls are few. In Colombia is very famous the football and in this moment it's a little complicate because we are different points of view. People are sexist they think it is sport only for men. The girls not have many opportunities but the people change of thinking and they have achieved many things how to go a world cup

Submitted by Camila01 on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:42

Hi guys I believe that women's football in my country is not well valued and there are not so many opportunities for women. on many occasions no matter how many victories women have in football, the matches are not as broadcast or people do not give them the same importance.

Submitted by AdrianaGarcia on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:41

Hi! Yes, in Colombia have a lot of opportunities now and the feminine football is more popular than before. Althougth there is still a lot of sexism since they say that this sport is not for women. It's very good that now, we can say that feminine football in Colombia is not as discriminated as it was before. Since the team is currently categorized as one of the best in the world. Thank you .

Submitted by JhonSebastianUwU on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:41

I think that in the latest years the women´s dont have the opotunity to play a lot deports as now a days, Is cool when you can see women's learning some deports, football, veisboll, basketball etc. May be they cant earn the same money like a men but I hope that she can do it.

Submitted by SantiagoAngel on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:40

Hello everyone, In my country the football is an important sport, the boys and the girls have many opportunities in many cases, but depends the effort and discipline that each one have.

Submitted by juancamilo940 on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:38

I think yes, soccer put aside discrimination a long time ago, it has become an inclusive sport for any type of person

Submitted by KarenRamirez on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:38

Hi! The womens in my country have no opportunities, mens prefered to see six mens behind a ball.

Submitted by NicolasGuiza on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:34

Good day. I think that the opportunities are the same for the girls and the boys, because in where I live there are many clubs for both (Girls and Boys), but in a professional level I see that the support that the girls receive its very bad compared to man for example with the big leagues.

Submitted by DavidHortua on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:34

I think that women's football is discriminated a little in the world since some people consider that women's football does not have the same level as men's, something that we should change since football is the same for everyone.

Submitted by mayracastaneda on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:33

I think the girls have opportunities but not the ones they deserve, since they don't have many clubs, or in the sport channels usually stay in men's matches, it is also important to emphasize that the stigmatization of this sport is not the same as it was a few years ago.

Submitted by jaimegonzalez on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:27

It's really good, but in my country the women's football isn't appreciated. The Colombia football is more than mens, for example is Falcao García, Jamés Rodriguez and Luis Diaz. The women's football isnt valorated isn't striking yet interesting.

Submitted by Jeniffer0202 on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:27

In my country, Colombia, nowadays it is more common to see girls playing football in national teams because they have more opportunities than ever before. However, we continue in a chauvinist society and the girls who play football does not earn as much money as men. In the same way, the women's football matches are not as supported and recognized as the men's matches.

Submitted by AndresDonato on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:26

In my country, i've seen the evolution of the women's football thought it doesn't have a lot of support in this moment. Now we have women's league in Colombia and excellent young players like Linda Caicedo who is only 17 years old and surely she'll be a star player in the near future, i hope women's football still growing around the world.

Submitted by Manolo0306 on Wed, 09/28/2022 - 18:19

Currently, I think that the girls and women have more opportunities to participate in football, because there are a lot of new competitions around the world, besides in our country the women and girls have a lot of talent and in the international competitions they got a great participation and our country recognized it.

Submitted by Yeneth on Sun, 05/01/2022 - 16:52

Hi good morning. I am sure in the past, not only soccer was difficult for women, also other sports. Today there are opportunities in sports for women, but in my country it's not easy to see this situation. For example Soccer players earn more money than women.

Submitted by Angiie on Sat, 04/30/2022 - 12:54

yes, girls in Colombia have the opportunity to play soccer. many years ago this sport was not supported. men have always been supported in this sport, but we have schools to train and learn, for us soccer is a passion. free it's fun, joy. I like soccer.
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Submitted by FelipeRpo19 on Fri, 04/29/2022 - 16:59

The womens on my country have the same opportunities to play soccer, there are schools for them to train and some of my friends play soccer

Submitted by Niaparra on Fri, 04/29/2022 - 16:58

Colombian women's soccer is a great group but so far it is just becoming known and they have already made it to the World Cup, I can say that they play better than the men but they are not given enough recognition.

Submitted by Andresp45 on Fri, 04/29/2022 - 16:56

That's an interesting question, I remembered when I was on elementary school, I used to see many girls playing football but now, I'm not sure about it because I only know a girls who's a football player...but I think girls have a lot of opportunities to play football in Colombia.

Submitted by hermione123 on Thu, 12/23/2021 - 12:59

I know some girls who played soccer when i was younger. But now, i haven't seen any girls playing soccer. I kinda think girls are more interested in basketball now, since so many girls play that in my school.
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Submitted by Andrii on Wed, 11/18/2020 - 19:01

No, in my country, Ukraine, there aren't many girls playing football. To be honest, I've never seen girls playing football in my country.

Submitted by Sosol on Thu, 11/28/2019 - 20:34

This video shows that women football is more practiced in England that in France. But since the Women's World cup, french disclosed that girls play as well as boys. And me, since the world cup, I prefer watch a women match than a boy.

Submitted by kadeos12 on Thu, 11/28/2019 - 18:17

Thank to this video we can see that football is not only for a boys and that girls are perfectly able to play this sport as well. No sport is reserved for boys. Everyone can do what they want.

Submitted by eamlise on Thu, 11/28/2019 - 17:33

At home, football is open to everyone. As much girls as guys are accepted in football clubs. There is a lot of women's teams. This shows that football is not only for boys, but for girls too.

Submitted by eiledua on Thu, 11/28/2019 - 17:18

It's a good question. Where I live football is very accessible to girls, there are many clubs that have women's football teams. Which makes it easy to play football if you like it.

Submitted by JeantheCloud on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 21:32

Yes they have a lot of opportunities now and the feminine football is more popular than before. There is still some people who says that football is not for girls but it's a minority and my country's national feminine football team is here to prove that these people are wrong. It also prooves that football in France is not only for boys but also for girls and women. It's very good that now, we can say that feminine football in France is not as discriminated as it was before.

Submitted by blan_gou_01 on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 16:34

Hello Before ; it’s juste men play football but now a lot of girl play football and we have almost become Word champion in 2019

Submitted by KaliandKira on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 18:56

Hi ! We know that the football was not allowed for the girls. Today, many girls play the football. It's fabulous ! We were the girls et we're proud ! Go the girls !!!
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Submitted by empty on Fri, 07/26/2019 - 09:56

Hello . I like Football but I don't practice . could you help me please I don't know the meaning of goosebumps . Thank you .

Submitted by editor_rachael on Sat, 07/27/2019 - 17:56

Hi empty,

 

Good question! Goosebumps are little raised dots that you get on your skin when you're cold, but you can also get them when you're scared or excited. They make the little hairs on our skin stand up!

 

Hope that helps! It's great to see all the comments from you :-)

 

Rachael
LearnEnglish Teens team

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