I wrote a mini musical some 30 years ago and have now discovered it’s out of date. That must be one definition of old age. The show is called Why Can’t the Girls Join In? It’s about females playing football. Well, recent events in Australia have answered that question.
A new professional competition involving eight teams has begun in Australia playing what is known as Aussie Rules. The first week of matches saw lock-out crowds and huge television ratings. This new competition is for female players only.
So what’s the point of my mini musical? Surely it’s out of date. Well, yes and no. The money paid in the women’s competition is far less than the men earn. The women’s competition is about a third as long as the men’s season. And the females play most of their games before the men’s season starts. How much publicity would the female version of the game get if run at the same time as the big boys?
It’s been a great start for women in football but they still have a fair way to go to become full-time professionals. And on that basis, I think my mini musical still has a smidgeon of relevance and, it’s an opportunity to discuss the growth of women’s sport in general and women in football in particular.
Why Can’t the Girls Join In? is one of 25 mini musicals in my book amazingly titled 25 Mini Musicals. Look under Musicals.