Football is Football. End of.

Thousands of girls and women play football week in, week out—from grassroots to the professional game. And the numbers speak for themselves.

In the Nottinghamshire Girls & Ladies Sunday League, there are 294 teams and over 4,600 registered players. That’s not a niche. That’s a movement.

Being a father to a footballing daughter—and with Anthony’s daughter also in the game—women’s football is naturally high on our agenda. When your daughter plays, you see the game differently. You notice the progress, the passion, and the commitment at every level.

One thing we don’t do? Compare it to the men’s game. That would be wrong on so many levels. The funding, the infrastructure, the history—men’s football is simply further down the road. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t space for the women’s game.

My daughter has played for six years. I’ve supported her, watched her, and that’s led me to watching women’s football—whether that’s Tier 5 at Mansfield Town, Tier 3 at Nottingham Forest, or England Lionesses at Wembley. I’ve been there.

Do I still prefer the men’s game? Yeah, I do. It’s what I grew up with. But I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. Women’s football has a different pace, a different crowd, but it’s still football. And that’s the bit people get mixed up—it doesn’t matter who plays it or where. It’s the same game.

Take Nottingham Forest Women playing at the City Ground. The branding, the build-up, even Mull of Kintyre before kick-off—it’s identical to the men’s matchday experience. It creates a proper one club feeling.

Then you flip to a Lionesses game at Wembley—nearly a full house. People will say they give tickets away, and yeah, they do. But let’s be real—if even half the crowd spends a tenner, that’s still a solid turnout. 

And of course, all surrounding businesses will benefit too.

And then, back to grassroots—30 girls on a freezing Sunday morning, turning up to play. Why? Because they love the game as much as the boys do. Competing, developing, learning, and staying fit. That’s the point.

Now, I find myself as an assistant coach in the girls’ game, seeing first-hand the impact football has. And honestly? It deserves the recognition. Women’s football has the players, the fans, and the passion.

So here’s to every girl and woman playing with the same love for the game as the men and boys.

Because in the end, it’s football. Simple as that.

And if your daughter wants to play, then let her play. Its her game too.