Once upon a time
my brother worked for a publication called My
News. Its raison d’etre was to provide community news and promote small
businesses. Kieran’s job meant leaving the office to report on parish news, council
meetings and charity efforts. All important, all vital. However, the one thing
that really piqued his interest was sport. During the 2009-10 season he was
tasked with reporting on his local team, Watford FC Ladies. A huge fan of football
Kieran had never, however, been to a women's game. He was thoroughly
entertained. A seven-goal thriller. Unfortunately, all seven went to the away
team as Chelsea trounced Watford.
From there a love
affair was born. Or more accurately a relationship, as it hasn’t been a passing
fling that died a death when he changed jobs, rather a constant in
his life for the past ten years. Along with his friend Hamish, they established
the UK’s first women’s football podcast. When Hamish moved, Kieran worked with experts
from around the globe to provide an in-depth look at the world game. From
here, he’s worked with TalkSport, BBC World Service, The Independent and
Evening Standard to offer insight into this ever-growing sport.
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| If you think he's handsome, you should see his brother. |
None of his media
accreditations have been achieved by nepotism or luck, they’ve all been
garnered through hard work. He’s flown himself around the world, often at his
own expense, to report on the game. But don’t for a second think I’m playing
the world’s smallest violin for him. When you do something you love, it’s not a
sacrifice, rather a pleasure. He has and would do it for no money. (I hope your
current employers don’t read that sentence, bro, otherwise your pay cheque
might look a bit smaller next month.) Just as fans travel around the world
supporting their team, Kieran does the same. First and foremost, he’s a fan.
Secondly, a journalist. Probably an entertainer third. (I couldn’t help the
David Brent reference.) He loves the women’s game because it is as competitive
as the men’s but played with a spirit that befits it. There is less simulation,
tribalism and disrespect. There is more personal sacrifice and dedication. With
the money being less, you have to really want it.
This love and
knowledge of the game has coalesced and led to the formation of The Making of the Women’s World Cup, a
book about the origins and evolution of the beautiful game within the biggest
tournament of all. The book is co-authored with Jeff Kassouf, a leading light
in women’s football journalism, responsible for The Equalizer, a website
dedicated to North American soccer coverage. With Jeff in the US and Kieran in
the UK, how did these two forge a special relationship? Initially, the pair met
through Twitter and then in person at a soccer conference in Baltimore. Striking
up a bond, these febrile brains plotted a book on women’s football. With Robinson publishers on board,
an imprint of Little Brown Book Group, the two lads have combined to
produce a winning tale of inspirational women and teams.
With Jeff being an
expert on the American game, he has written most of the chapters chronicling
the US’ brilliance. With Kieran knowing less about America, he’s contributed to
the sections on England and the rest of the world. The book has a foreword from
Kelly Smith, who is only behind Rooney, Charlton and Lineker as England’s
greatest ever goal scorer. After that, the book is told out of chronology: a
good decision in my eyes as it allows for the writers to crisscross and overlap, adding depth and layers, without succumbing to repetition. Also, it gives it a
choose-your-own-adventure feel where you can start with the chapter that most
interests you and move through the book how you like.
I chose to start
with Jeff’s chapter on ‘The Early Years’ of the Women’s World Cup. What I read
re-enforced what we already know: sport, society and politics is intertwined. The
racism we’re currently hearing in grounds is indicative of the pernicious
rhetoric we hear from today’s politicians. The sexism that female footballers
endured was symptomatic of a world where women didn’t have equal opportunity.
It wasn’t until 1991 when the first Women’s World Cup took place. Unlike today,
FIFA weren’t overly enthused by it. Having Mars company on board as sponsors, they used the confectioner’s as a quasi-stalking horse. If the tournament was
successful, FIFA would take credit for it; if it wasn’t the sweets manufacturer
would count the cost. As a result, the first World Cup was officially called
the ‘First FIFA World Championship for Women’s Football for the M&Ms Cup.’
Even Kim Jong-Il, a fan of big titles, would feel this a little wordy. On top
of that, the tournament was truncated into two weeks and 80-minute matches. Clearly, the
women weren’t being treated the same as men; the battle for recognition was
only just beginning.
The sexism women
are subjected to is a trope that runs through the book. When reading about
Marta, the greatest player of all time, we read about the challenges
she faced to gain acceptance. Born in Dios Riachos in the Alagoas state of
Brazil, the region was rife with prejudice. In one sorry tale, she is forced to
withdraw from a tournament because an opposition manager refuses to field a
team if she plays. As a result, aged just fourteen she travelled three days to play
for Vasco de Gama, Rio de Janeiro’s team. From here, she moved to Sweden to play
professionally. These tremendous sacrifices got her to the World Cup final in
2007. It’s a travesty that a person who went on to become the world’s best had
to leave their childhood, their home, their country to realise their potential –
it’s also inspirational, a true sign that greatness cannot be suppressed.
There are so many
inspirational stories in the book. One that enthralled was the story of the
Japan team. In March 2011, the nation was hit by an earthquake killing twenty
thousand, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Darkness had descended on the
land of the rising sun. With the World Cup just months away, football didn’t
seem so important. Japan are a wonderful team on the eye. I saw them in the
2012 Olympic Final with Kieran and was so impressed by their tika-taka style
of play. Although they were beaten that day, their use of the ball was sublime,
a joy for footballing purists. Poetically, Japan went one step further in 2011.
Coming back twice from behind in the final, the game went to penalties. There,
Saki Kumagai kicked the winning penalty to take Japan to World Cup glory. Sport
cannot rebuild a nation. It can’t reawake the dead. But it can provide dignity,
restore pride, when all hope is lost. Even America’s players had to
concede that eleven players can't compete with the will of a nation.
So I really loved
reading the book, and not just because my brother co-wrote it. I love football
and get a kick out of the people who kick it. With sponsorship coming in,
participation growing, there will hopefully come a day when we won’t have to
hear about sexism in sport. If that day comes, this book will serve as a testament
to the people who fought so hard for the chance to play
on the biggest stage of all.
The Women’s World
Cup kicks off in France on 7th June, twenty four nations will
compete in ninety minute games, with 720,000
tickets already sold. Proof that we’ve come a long way from 1991. It seems if
you build it, they will come.
The Makings of the Women’s World Cup is available to buy here:
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