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Come So Far – Women’s World Cup 2023

Crispin Thomas

Wednesday, June 7th, 2023

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 come so far and its nearly here :
The Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand
so much to admire and enjoy
and guess what
this time we’re one of the favourites-
Early mornings late nights ahoy!
I’m excited are you?

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 but first… back-track:
I remember the first time I watched doubles at tennis
it was too fast…points over too quick and low on rallies and drama
but i got into it and stuck with it and now I love it

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 it was like that with my first real women’s live game
there on the screen in the early days
a Women’s FA Cup Final : Arsenal v Chelsea
Peterborough or somewhere in front of maybe 5000
mainly mums and little girls -the levels weren’t there yet
the atmosphere like a school swimming gala
and shock horror a girl commentating!
but I watched it
and I’m not proud to admit it I watched it
not just because it was on the BBC
and not just because I loathe Sky BT et al
but because it was on and because it was free
but it got me into it
and yes I was hooked
and I realized back then
that aside from some grainy black and white WW1 footage
and two great books on Lily Parr and the wonderful Dick Kerr Ladies
(before those in charge took it on themselves
to ban the Women’s game from 1921 -1970 )
I’d never really bothered to take a look more closely
why….concepts?. maybe ..more fool me.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 suddenly the proverbial penny dropped
this game we love
so macho and male dominated for so long
was for everyone and always has been
but for whatever reason
neglected un-supported and not taken seriously
un-encouraged for decades by the so-called ‘powers that be’
no doubt compounded
by that archaic and totally un-PC suggestion
from the unbearably creepy Sepp Blatter
“‘Let women play in tighter shorts’” ***
god forbid!

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 fortunately times have moved on
money and funding worldwide has improved..slowly
and yes Women’s football
still has a long way to catch up
but I sat there enthralled
watching the Women’s World Cup in France 2019

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 the skills the endeavour
the celebratory atmosphere
the colour and noise from travelling fans in their droves
from the UK Canada Australia Nigeria Japan USA and beyond
but above all
the new levels of sophisticated and stunning football
from incredible goalkeeping and sturdy defending
to sweet moves and fearless strikers
is something else and a joy to behold

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 ok so we lost to USA in the semi-final but a huge spark had been lit…
and since then record -breaking attendances
with the Lionesses winning the 2022 Euros
has seen a huge advancement and excitement across the country
and indeed the world

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 check it out…you’ll be amazed
it might just grab you
and have you saying to yourself too …as I began

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 come so far and its nearly here :
The Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand
so much to admire and enjoy
and guess what
this time we’re one of the favourites-
Early mornings late nights ahoy!
I’m excited are you?

Notes

Women’s World Cup Australia/ New Zealand~Thu 20 July-Sat 20 Aug 2022

PLEASE SEND US YOUR WWC 2023 POEMS THIS JULY & AUGUST
Your poems will be archived in’Your World Cup Poems’ in ‘Crispin’s Corner.’

NEW ZEALAND: Thu 20 July New Zealand v Norway 08.00*
AUSTRALIA : Thu 20 July Australia v Republic of Ireland 11.00*
Group D :
Sat 22 July England v Haiti 10.30*
Fri 28 July England v Denmark 9.30*
Tue 1 Aug China v England 12.00*
Final Sat 20 Aug 11.00* (* UK Ireland time)

https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand2023

ABOUT THE POEM
(Parts of this adapted from a poem first published here in 2019.)

***Blatter’s totally un PC comment ‘suggestion ‘ for increasing the popularity of women’s football, January 2004.:

‘Let women play in tighter shorts’
“Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball. They could, for example, have tighter shorts.
“Female players are pretty, if you excuse me for saying so, and they already have some different rules to men – such as playing with a lighter ball.
“That decision was taken to create a more female aesthetic, so why not do it in fashion?”

Ouch!

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Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/come-so-far-womens-world-cup-2023/