What does representing their country mean to female footballers?

International football has acted as a world stage for women; a platform for their fight, especially so now, as we can see has been the case for Afghanistan’s female football team.

The first official England and Scotland Women’s international was played 100 years after the first men’s official international between the same two sides. Within those 100 years women were most definitely playing internationally, and often sides would play tours and competitions unofficially representing England. So for many women, representing their country meant not being officially recognised in their victories and defeats.

Now, there are women who will be representing their country this summer for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, some for the very first time. With them, they carry the history of the women who played, both unofficially and officially, before them.

This episode focuses on the importance of the deep connection between women’s football and international tours and competitions over the years.

Guests

Khalida Popal

Vox pops recorded at: the women’s Manchester Derby at Academy Stadium.

SFX Credits

SFX used is licensed under a Creative Commons 3 license from freesound.org and freesfx.co.uk - full list and links here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zGiH0598srvgx6MRKrkNvHr92EWZMYWACqzcSsOlEBM/edit