Canada 2015: perceptions and experiences of the organisation and governance of the Women’s World Cup

Abstract

Just as female fans have been ignored, there has also been a tradition of women’s football in England being equally invisibilized, most obviously in studies and media which purport to present a full history of the game. That includes the way it is treated by the game’s governors. FIFA has a strange ambivalence to its leading female football practitioners. Much of the run-up to the 2015 Women’s World Cup was overshadowed by the decision to play the tournament on artificial pitches rather than grass, and the threats of legal action from a group of high-profile players. However, the tournament was also the biggest ever, with an expanded number of teams, and an additional round-of-16 before the quarter-finals. This paper discusses fans’ perceptions and direct experiences of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, whether in person or by following the tournaments via the media coverage. Based on my original qualitative interview data gathered in Canada during the tournament, it is increasingly clear that there was a significant amount of fan dissatisfaction around the planning and scheduling of the matches and the organisation and publicity of the tournament as a whole, much of it directed at FIFA. Several people suggested that the Women’s World Cup is treated as less important and interesting by the governing body, by the media and the public at large simply because it is a women’s tournament and thus perceived as second-rate.