I'm just bumping this thread a bit, and also offering a few comments which weren't on the questionnaire.
I think the major hurdle for males watching women's football would be accusations from (female) partners as to "why are you going to watch ladies football?"
There is a great deal of history to men's football and the tribalism it generates.
Notwithstanding, all the women's football I've seen on TV has been very entertaining. A bit like watching my local team, where money hasn't made the game an arena for play-acting and gamesmanship.

I disengage, I turn the page.

Excellent points.

Football was always the working class sport and the fans understood that their heroes had to be paid sportsmen as they were working class like themselves and needed to earn a living.

Even in the 1970's fans will tell you they caught the same bus or train as the players.

Cricket, Rugby and athletics where middle class amateur sports where professionalism was frowned upon.

So to a working man football "was our sport" it was what the factory worker or miner did or watched on a Saturday afternoon to escape the grime and grind of work.

Sadly that connection has now disappeared, the history though remains.

Edited by Badger11 (14 Oct 2022 10.04am)

One more point

Watching womens tennis is like a different sport compared to mens. There’s many mismatches and 6-1, 6-0 wins. The way the matches are played is completely different and not as entertaining. Unfortunately, due to physicality, this is inevitable. There was the case of the trans cyclist. The analysis goes that due to womens hips etc, they don’t have the same push down power through the legs that men do. To make it even more challenging they’re using pitches that are too long and with goals that are too big. But they’re using lower tier professional stadiums to get people in so that’s not going to change anytime soon.

COYP

I'm Not Sure the Connection has dissapeared - as there is still a tribal nature to fans - many supporting those clubs that their dads supported. This Tribal connection has been passed through The generations, and was born in those early days, but still Exists, Even if a connection to a specific club is lost - when the kids inevitably start supporting The Man Citys/Liverpools the football tribalism, and what it's like to support a club still exists, and instead of the mutual support, a Rivalry dynamic appears.
The womens game doesn't have that same appeal, yet, - it needs time to nurture it.

"It was a Team effort, I guess it took all players working together to lose this one"

If someone has enough leisure money to spend on watching both sexes play football then good luck to them I suppose....though if you have a daughter or wife heavily into it I can see the sense.

It's not for me though.....and I think women don't tend to be into sport as much as men. Still, there will always been a level of interest.....though I think it's being massively inflated by sport broadcasters at the moment because it's so cheap and ticks all the PC boxes.

Edited by Stirlingsays (14 Oct 2022 3.17pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it
I li-li-like it, li-li-li

Not a lot.. but they're winning. That tends to appeal. The mens team need to learn a thing or two about that.

Edited by MrWhyNot (15 Oct 2022 8.51pm)