Playing the man's game: Sites of resistance and incorporation in women's football

Abstract

The following paper is an interpretive ethnographic study of a women's collegiate football team located in the South of England. For most parts of the country, Association Football is not only the national game but also functions as a male preserve. Therefore, women who have endeavoured to play the sport have often met with much opposition and oppression.

Utilising an interpretive sociological approach this paper examines the experiences of the football players within the college, and explores their relationship with other sports teams with particular focus upon the pitch and the bar as sites of resistance and incorporation.

The study highlights that their participation in the sport of football has not come about in an un-contested way. It also presents something of a dichotomy in that the women can be seen to be both actively colluding in, and visibly challenging, male hegemony in football.

Keywords:

• women
• football
• interpretive sociology
• access and equity
• hegemony