Going global at last

England's young starlet, Jess Clarke 

I was recently sat on a train heading out of New York City when my eye was drawn to an advertising poster which showed 4 women jumping for joy in front of a sports stadium….. an advert for this summer’s women’s soccer world cup to be held 4000 miles away in Germany. It's the 6th tournament to be played since the first one in China back in 1991 and off the field it’s shaping up to be the best tournament yet. Ticket sales have been phenomenal with over 450,000 already sold meaning that many of the stadiums will be full to capacity. Then there’s the tv coverage which promises to deliver imagery unparalleled in the history of women’s football - a long way from the days of a lone cameraman with a microphone!!!!! For some games FIFA tells us there will be 18 cameras as well as the provision of spider cams and helicopter cams, let’s just hope that the quality of the imagery is matched by informed pundits who can speak knowledgeably about the game……. Not the Andy Grays and Richard Keys of this world!!!!

Atlanta Beat and USA star Kylie Wright

On the field the competition should be intense and the 11-0 scoreline which opened the last tournament in 2007 should quite definitely be consigned to the past. Each group appears to be nicely balanced and although it has top seeds and favorites the games ought to be closer and more competitive than ever before.

My personal interest lies with England in group B and the USA in group C. Both groups seem to be very finely balanced and I think ripe for a few surprises. In group B I’m sure Mexico will be keen to show that their victory over the USA in qualifying was no fluke, whilst New Zealand with an astute English head coach don’t expect to be in Germany just to make up the numbers. It’s Japan, though, that I’m really excited about, they are a neat and precise team, well  deserving of their 5^th spot in the world rankings. The English will have to be at the top of their game to beat them. In group C the USA lead by Swedish head coach Pia Sundhage will have to overcome Sweden, Korea and Colombia, not an easy group by any stretch of the imagination. Always a powerhouse of women’s football the USA uncharacteristically made hard work of qualification this time around so it will be interesting to see whether that was just a blip on the radar, or a symptom of something more seriously wrong in the American game. 

Kelly Smith, the England and Boston striker in action against Spain

Realistically though can anyone seriously see any other outcome other than a German victory in the final? They have dominated European competition since 1989 and have also convincingly won the last two world cups. On home soil, urged on by a home crowd they should be unbeatable. Although I can't finish this blog without acknowledging the pressure that they will be under to deliver to an expectant nation. How they deal with a level of hype and media attention that has so far been unseen in the women’s game could be the deciding factor in the eventual outcome of the tournament. 

Whatever happens I for one can’t wait, let the games begin

England's Sophie Bradley in a tussle for the ball with Sarah Hagen of the USA in a U23 international in 2010

What makes soccer a man's game?? !!

I grew up in late 60's / early 70's Britain when football was king and my dreams were just like any of the other kids who lived on my street. I was going to play professionally for Chesterfield FC and then after leading them to the 3rd Division Championship I would be transferred to the mighty Leeds United where I would go on to win First Division Championships with the best team in Europe.

Unfortunately there was a bit of a problem, some-one neglected to tell me that football is a boys game and girls can't play




Since that time I've wracked my brains to try to figure out just what it is that makes football a man's game:

Perhaps it could be the incredibly complicated objective of the game,  defend your own goal and attack your opponents goal, it's simply too much to ask of the delicate female brain!!
But then maybe not, as netball and field hockey both have the same basic premise and neither of these are men's games.


Maybe it's the laws of the game, there are 17 of them after all and it is a well know fact that when it comes to Law XI (the rule of offside) women have no clue whatsoever!!
Then again maybe the men don't fully understand it neither, given the number of disputed decisions and passionate TV and media debates.

I suppose I should also mention the incredibly difficult techniques that have to be mastered in order to play the game, perhaps because these are such difficult movements a woman can never hope to play the game properly!!
However, having said that I have always marveled when you give a toddler of either gender a ball their first instinct is to kick it because this is the easiest way to make it move. There's also the simple fact that playing with a ball is an incredibly fun thing to do, you just have to watch their faces. I would dare to suggest that anyone who plays the game never grows out of this.


Basically in any sensible world there is no rational reason  to continue to accept the notion that football is a man's game. Instead we should think of it as the People's game, fun to play, absorbing to watch and suitable for all. Then when our children dream of their future we should encourage them to be whatever they want to be and if that means a young girl on a suburban street wants to be a professional footballer then so be it......

Dare her to dream, encourage her to practice and give her every opportunity to succeed.


Thank you for reading and perhaps you'll come back again soon, better still I hope you'll be interested enough leave me your comments and opinions

Take care, till next time

Just a kick in the grass, or on the turf

When I worked in football we used to debate long and passionately about qualities that go into making a player special. Now that I'm a photographer I guess the question is how do I use this knowledge to portray the game that I love.

For me it's always been about high quality technique with an ability to perform at pace as well as under pressure. The player must also be able to perform in motion and I just love to see great balance.

With this in mind therefore, why not take a look at a                   few photos from this weekend when  I covered the the New York State high school boys varsity soccer championships. See what you think then why not leave me a comment