| Women's football in Africa | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | Confederation of African Football |
International competitions | |
Women's football in Africa can be divided into distinct historical periods. Football is one of several sports played by women in Africa with the sport facing several challenges during development. Initially seen as a male participant sport women have long held leadership and support roles within football in Africa. [1]
Peter Alegi, has identified distinct time periods with the development of Women's football in Africa including, "emergence and development (1970s–1980s), growth and transition (1990s), and institutionalization (2000–present)." [2] During the 1960s and 1970s, male football administrators across Africa were largely uninterested in supporting the development women's football teams. [2] Prior to the 1960s, women's role in sports revolved around support for their male players, both on the field and at home. [2] Although in Nigeria women teams were playing during the 1940s with the matches being reported in the national newspaper Nigerian Spokesman. These games featured women playing in shorts and were attended by a number of spectators. [2] In South Africa in the 1960s, women several tried to create women's football clubs including Jessie Maseko who tried to create a girls high school football club in 1962. [3] In Cape Town a high school team called the Mother City Girls was created and played against boys' clubs. [3] Women set up teams without the help or support of the Nigerian Football Association. [2] By the 1970s, regular matches were being played by women in Senegal and South Africa. [3] During the late 1970s, the national football federation started to set up women's league across the country. [3]
In South Africa, white women were allowed to play football in the 1960s because of apartheid. [2] Despite their race, those women still managed to grow women's involvement in the sport, subverting many gender expectations. [2] Social scientist Cynthia Pelak quotes in Peter Alegi's African Soccerscapes that "South African women of European ancestry challenged gender expectations and forged new opportunities and identities in soccer." [2] African women were prohibited from participating, often taking up roles in different teams' fan clubs. [2] This led to the formation of the South African Women's Football Association (SAWFA). [2] Very few African female players were able to play on teams, as the South African government wanted a chance to reenter international sports. [2] South African women's involvement in football grew dramatically after the end of apartheid in the 1990s. [2] Black women became the majority of players, switching roles with white players, who were now in very few supply in the country. [2]
As Peter Alegi states in his book African Soccerscapes, "The boom in women's soccer around the world in the 1990s and 2000s fueled the creation of women's leagues and clubs and the further strengthening of the game in Africa." [2]
Football has had to compete with a number of sports that are more popular with women across the continent, including track and field, netball, basketball, team handball and other sports. [2] The masculine nature of football has proved a deterrent to women's involvement in football in Africa. [2]
While women were not always playing the game, they supported Footballs development by the 1920s women took on support roles that freed up time and resources which allowed men to actively participate. [4] [ clarification needed ] During the 1960s in South Africa, women began to emerge as leaders in the sport, taking on leadership positions in fan clubs. [4]
Single women were attending games by the 1960s. [4] [ clarification needed ]
Before 1985 across the globe very few countries had a national women's football team. [5] In Africa, this was true with for many countries including Burundi and Madagascar with their senior national sides having yet to play a FIFA sanctioned match. [6] [7]
The South African Football Association is the national administrative governing body that controls the sport of football in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). SAFA was established in 1991. The South African Football Association is the second Football Association in South Africa to be named the South African Football Association and it is also the second football association in South Africa to affiliate to FIFA. The present day South African Football Association, unlike its predecessor allows for a mixed-race national team.
Football is the most popular sport in Nigeria. The Nigeria national football team competes regularly for international titles and many Nigerian footballers compete in Europe, particularly in England. Nigeria has one of the finest national teams in Africa and has produced many notable footballers including Mudashiru Lawal, Rashidi Yekini, Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo and Mikel John Obi.
The FLN football team, also known as Le onze de l'indépendance was a team made up mainly of professional players in France, who then joined the Algerian independence movement of the National Liberation Front (FLN), and assisted in organizing football matches against national football teams. The FLN linked African football to anti-colonial resistance using the idea of Pan-Africanism as a legitimizing tool and symbol of national identity.
The West African Pilot was a newspaper launched in Nigeria by Nnamdi Azikiwe ("Zik") in 1937, dedicated to fighting for independence from British colonial rule. It is most known for introducing popular journalism within Nigeria. The main focus of the newspaper was to promote Nigerian independence from colonial rule. Football was a topic often used within the media to promote these various arguments of independence. With humanistic language and powerful ideas, the West African Pilot successfully promoted the humanity of African workers in this colonized world. The newspaper dismissed the idea that sports and politics are to be separated, further supporting African's connection to the game and adding specific cultural impact to the game itself; this supported a new kind of identity pertinent to the Nigerian people. Through fictional stories and football centered symbolism, the newspaper was even said to have, "created the possibility of a new form of imagined community", setting the stage for how a modern society should be.
The Ivory Coast women's national football team represents Ivory Coast in international women's football and is controlled by the Ivorian Football Federation. They played their first international match in 1988. The team is currently ranked 64th in the FIFA Women's World Rankings and as the 6th best team in CAF.
The Kenya women's national football team represents Kenya in women's football and is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation.
The Lesotho women's national football team is the national team of Lesotho and is controlled by the Lesotho Football Association.
The Liberia women's national football team represents Liberia in international women's football. It is governed by the Liberia Football Association. It has played in five FIFA recognized matches.
The Libya women's national football team is the national football team of Libya. It does not have FIFA recognition. It is not ranked by FIFA. There are development plans in the country to improve the state of women's football.
The Mauritania women's national football team represents Mauritania in international women's football and is controlled by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (FFIRM). The team played its first international match in 2019 as a friendly against Djibouti in which they lost three to one. Fatou Dioup scored Mauritania's first international goal.
The Niger women's national football team represents Niger in international women's football. It is governed by the Nigerien Football Federation. It has played in four FIFA recognised matches, two of which were losses to Burkina Faso women's national football team in 2007. There is an under-20 women's national team who were supposed to participate in the 2002 African Women U-19 Championship but withdrew before playing a game. There are problems that impact the development of the women's game in Africa that effect Niger.
Football is the most popular sport for women in Somalia. However, Somalia does not have a women's national football team with FIFA recognition, and have never played in a single international fixture. They are in a region that faces many challenges for the development of women's sport. Football is the most popular women's sport in the country and teams do exist for women to play on though they are few. Participation rates dropped by a large number in 2006. The sport's governing body in the country is not providing much support for the game and faces its own challenges.
The Lesotho women's national under-17 team represents the country in international competitions.
The Lesotho women's national under-20 football team represents the country in international youth women's football competitions.
The Kenya women's national under-20 football team represents Kenya at an under-20 level in women's football and is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation.
The Kenya women's national under-17 football team represents Kenya at an under-17 level in women's football and is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation.
Women's football in Nigeria has been increasing in popularity for many years. The Nigerian Women's Championship is funded by the government to improve the Nigeria women's national football team. Many females in Nigeria face prejudice for playing the sport.
Football is the most popular sport in Africa. Indeed, football is probably the most popular sport in every African country, although rugby and cricket are also very popular in South Africa.
Women's football in Seychelles faces several development problems inside the country including a lack of popularity for the sport, and few female players and teams. Women have gained football leadership positions in the country with one coaching a men's team and another umpiring international matches. There are other development issues for the sport that are ones facing the whole of Africa.
Women's football in Madagascar faces several development problems inside the country including a lack of popularity for the sport, and few female players and teams. Women have gained football leadership positions in the country with one coaching a men's team and another umpiring international matches. There are other development issues for the sport that are ones facing the whole of Africa.
