Instructions
Do the preparation task first. Then, watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.
Preparation
Worksheets and downloads
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.
Discussion
Do girls have many opportunities to play football where you live?
Comments
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 !!!
Hello . I like Football but I don't practice .
could you help me please I don't know the meaning of goosebumps . Thank you .
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
While we are in a macho world as of now, I can say that my country allows women to practice different sports, different national teams have their women's teams and the different schools of soccer in which I practiced I been able to do it with women, in my opinion women have the right to practice and play football, since we have the same rights and if we look in Colombia have great Olympic medalists who are women.
i think the women that play soccer in my country have much oportiunities because they can participate in various team with different coach and sponsor. they can travel to much places around the world to championships because they practice since very little. they play soccer with women very good that teach to be better.
In my country, women have the same oportunities at sports than men, it is false that you cant do something that other people can do perfectly for your gender
in my country the women's football is not popular because the possibilities are very few and the support is very bad this will be better if more institutions of this sport are obtained for women because many academies are only for men, another problem are the esteoreotypes that many discriminate and alienate women in this sport.
I don´t Know, i consider that in my country the opportunities is very scarces, because here the womens do not have the same opportinuties that in other countries, because in my country there´s a lot sexism and this is the principal reason of why in my country dont many opportunities.
In Colombia, the girls have many opportunities play soccer in soccer schools, but in the moment that want to play in a professional team, the men do not let, because in Colombia exist a lot of sexism, also, she believe them "Weak sex".
in colombia the women dont have the same opportunities that´s men because our society has a chauvinist culture
Hi everybody
In my opinion, i think that is to difficult the women be professional, because in my culture football is a thing only for men. I really love football and i wish that women have the same opportunities because they can play very well, only need supports from us
OK, in my country no have much importance for the football with womens because have much sexism and the mens have more popularity between the country
in my country, so far women are opening the field because Colombia is a country where there is little possibility for women footballers but little by little they have been able to have possibilities to be professionals. More and more sponsors are supporting their talent and they are going to play the best teams in the world.
No, I think that in Colombia prefer teams where play boys, because they think that boys play better and this in false for me. Everyone are same and that just play mes is unfair.
I think that my country should let play more women, they can play as men do and also support more the women team.
I think that in Colombia there are almost no womens football opportunities, because big companies do not want to sponsors these womens teams. But someday will change this idea in my Country and we will be world champions in womens soccer.
i consider that in my country the womens dosent play soccer because they prefer other things but in colombia the mens play better than women because the mens like soccer because for they are a passion
I think that in our country the girls like the soccer but they don´t have many opportunities because our culture doesn´t like much soccer. Something woman play soccer because is must funny but something woman think that is the man
yes, but is very difficult, in my country the some woman like play a sport, for example in my school y don't see a girls play fotoball, but in my neighborhood, the girls play fotball or the other sport. i thing, that the girls no see the oportunity for play
The girls practiced football in my country but have less oportunities than men, because the men have many oportunities women who like football and practice it can become professionals but it is very difficult. The women who are professional players are the best players in the world. There are colombian women
yes, of corse, in Colombia we have the best girls football team of latinamerica. They are very good players. I relly like to see that kind of match
no, the oportunity is most for the men, because the men in the last years they have had a better process that the women, and now the volved and the women now playing football.
is a interesting question, but in my country the opportunitys for the girls about she are playing footbal in my country, ist very common see mens played football than girls, and ist very sad this situacion. I will hope this situacion get better.
Yes, of corse that because in my country have team to football to girs and is the best teams in the country is site in Bogota city, you go to parctis in old moment.
In my country all the girls have many opportunities to practice this sport, but no all the girls like football :(
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