IT'S STILL A MAN'S GAME?

TLDR

Early male influences, socialization into sport, notions of femininity, and cultural contexts shape how girls and young women access football, with youth sport organization playing a crucial role. This article investigates national similarities and differences in how women enter football and whether gender relations continue to impact their access and opportunities. The study uses 40 semi‑structured interviews with top‑level women footballers from England, Germany, Norway, and Spain. The findings show that men still exert considerable influence on the women's game, and even when women do not consciously resist, they incorporate men's meanings into the sport.

Abstract

This article investigates national similarities and differences with respect to how women enter the world of football and whether gender relations continue to impact on both their access to and opportunities in the sport. The data comes from 40 semi-structured interviews with top-level women footballers in England, Germany, Norway and Spain. Early male influences are discussed in relation to: existing work on socialization into sport, notions of femininity, and the different cultural contexts. The organization of youth sport is identified as a crucial factor in influencing girls and young women's opportunities to play football. Furthermore, although men continue to have a considerable influence on the women's game, even when women have no conscious intentions of resistance, they incorporate their own meanings into the sport.