Q: What’s the chances of her coming back to play for the MVFC W-League team?
A: depends if tapable - pls send pics via pm

who cares, unless they play naked i wont be watching them

Women can’t get into an argument without getting emotional.

(that was when a discussion ensued about women coaches)

Why do we have to have a women’s team? Can’t they just be satisfied with being cheerleaders for the lads?

Should have put the money in youth football, not useless womens football.

I will definitely attend these matches if they don’t wear any uniforms.

Shirts off

nah it wa too cold. woulda loved it though. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm stiff nipples.

like any one really gives a fuck -

If MVFC (the real team, you know, the one with penii) was playing at 3am in Healesville in the middle of winter… these same people would go in a heartbeat.

The only people really contemplating it probably have very little life.

Same here, personally think the whole league is a massive waste of resources which should be put towards the important side of the game (Men’s football).

Not interested, unless they play in the nude.

This prompted a female forum member to ask that any Melbourne Victory player, whether they are male of females being treated with the same respect.

There is a fair bit of sexism expressed in here. Some of it is tongue-in-cheek (or other parts of the anatomy). A lot of it is only cliches pumped out without much thought or intention. Some of it is people genuinely expressing sexist attitudes. Some of it is wumming.

There is not much reason to expect it to be otherwise. While there is a stronger female presence in the forum than a couple of years ago, it is still a very male environment, so it is not surprising to find a fair bit of locker-room behaviour, and conscious or unconscious sexism. It is also a forum, so it is not surprising to find people saying things they hope will get a rise out of others. Sexism is a contested area in our society, so it easily generates lively conversation.

I know that there are many forumites who do not care for women’s football. That is their right. Being an A-League fans carries no obligation to like other comps. However, I think we should be able to expect MVFC supporters to behave respectfully towards MVFC players, teams, and the competitions they are in. They are part of our club.

Everyone who thinks women’s football is waste of time/money/should not exist has had a chance by now to express that opinion. I would hope the need to tell us again everytime there is a mention of the WWL will fade, and those comments will come to be seen for the spam they are. I would hope those who are not interested in the WWL will just stay away from those threads.

I would hope forumites will comment on our women players’ football tactics and performance, and not their looks or tapability. Most of all, I would hope that forumites who want to post in threads about the WWL are careful to show respect for a team that is part of our club.

While most fans responded positively to this statement others (the same that made the comments) made predictable remarks.

I am no feminist or any great advocate for women’s rights (I have made sexist comments myself once in a while….as my partner would attest) however I am aware of harassment when I see it. Personally as a ‘fat teenager’ and partly as a someone who was the only non English speaker when I went to school in Australia (later alleviated by an influx of Armenians) I am acutely aware of being singled out from a group.

Attitudes as shown in the Forum infuriate me. However while tempted I have not pursued discussions in there because I believe that ultimately it is futile. There is a Milanese saying that ‘by arguing with donkeys you risk becoming an Ass’ and that is what I feel. I would get aggravated for no reason.

I ‘tolerate’ the sexism in the area where I watch games but I don’t like it at all. Fortunately my son has plenty of examples of women to hopefully inoculate him from the toxic attitudes present in that section of the ground. There is a woman that has to walk in front of the end behind the goals where I stand. This seem to happen every match and inevitably hundreds of man start chanting ’show the tits for the lads’. When I raised the fact that such an action could be intimidating for this woman the responses were on the line that she liked it. To me that is the same thinking as the ’she asked for it’ argument.

An article which was written in the Guardian by Cath Elliott I think goes to the matter of why this behaviour occurs.

Men aren’t making these comments (about physical appearance etc.) because they respect and admire us, but because they resent our very presence and have found a method that cuts right to the core.

I believe that that explain lots of the comments coming out from some men in the forum. They see football as a male domain and any ‘interference’ either from a articulate woman supporter, or women athletes that could play them off the park three times over is resented. Football represents a world where males are males. Where gays are derided (and in fact used as a weapon of derision, especially against Sydney) and women are excluded and know their place (as objects of male desire). I love my football and I love most aspects of active support. However any homophobic and sexist behaviour appalls me. I tolerate it and ignore it. But I don’t like it at all.

Guido was born in Milan and comes from a family of AC Milan supporters. His beliefs are located in the caffelatte sipping, tertiary educated, inner suburban, left leaning lovvie category. Knows very little about the game but wants it to succeed in Australia and is fascinated by how it manages to expose aspects of Australian society and its beliefs. For read more of Guido’s writing visit The Accidental Australian.

This article originally appeared on The Accidental Australian as Sexism at the football.