I have spent the last week documenting the Ladies or Womens Pyramid. I think the time may be right to expand my blog and include the female version of the male game as it is gaining in popularity. The appeal used to be more honest football but money has now come into the women's game so we will see the top clubs start to establish themselves as separate from the rest.
Maybe I should have left my spelling mistake in that last paragraph. I originally typed extablish themselves and that is exactly what they will do by becoming a separate class from the average teams. The process has started just as I have started logging the scores of certain women only matches.
It will be no surprise to my regular readers that I have been following Arsenal Ladies for a while now. The result at the top of my "current" sheet is Arsenal 6 Reading 1. The latest result on their own sheet is West Ham United 1 Arsenal 9. I watched both matches and as an Arsenal fan I cannot help laughing a little when an opposing player is sent off. Gilly Flaherty, an ex Arsenal player and now West Ham captain was despatched from the field for legitimately complaining about an offside goal. I can only assume that the manner of her complaint was unacceptable to the referee.
My local village have just started a women's team and Liverton United will compete in the Devon County League at level 7 of the women's pyramid, so I thought to myself that I should fill in the gaps and follow a team from every level of the women's game just like I do the men. My selections have now become Arsenal from the Super League, Lewes from the Championship as they have the lowest level of mens team as their support and I have just read that they have split from that support.
With the top two levels decided I move on down the chain. I have chosen Plymouth Argyle from the National League Southern half, and Exeter City from the next level which is Division One South West.
These two have been chosen because the mens teams are in my mens selection so it should mean fewer websites to visit when I am after information.
At level five comes the South West Regional League Premier Division and going with the Devon trend I have chosen Torquay Women. Oddly, all the other teams have chosen to be called Ladies but I suppose they need to keep the image going. Keeping things all very simple I have chosen Plymouth Argyle Reserves as my team from the South West Regional League Western Division which sits at level 6 in the pyramid.
Level 7 is the Devon County League Premier Division and I will actually watch the Liverton Ladies when I am available and Boris has not just decided to ban fans from matches for the seventy ninth time in one year. You can watch this week, but you cannot watch next week, and you must get a test if you cannot smell the women as they run onto the field. You then phone for a test and find out that Inverness has some availability so you can pop up there for a quick weekend and a test. I shall now climb down from my hobby horse which is Boris baiting, a fully deserving horse.
I will go no further than level 8 which is Devon County Division One. In this contest I choose the Exeter City Reserves. If this takes off I shall learn a lot more about the women's game and record any changes that I uncover although I think the Football Association must be delighted (well nearly) as they have gone for a One, Two, Four pattern. This is continued limited thinking from the F.A. I am very proud that the South West Regional League have elected to run three divisions at the lower level. MY model given the shape of the country would be a 1, 3, 9, 27 split which would allow greater flexibility much higher up the chain.
I intend to add a Womens Pyramid on the right hand side to join the Mens Pyramid. The header will probably also have to change but I may wait a season as I am not perfectly happy with two reserve teams in my initial selection.
Having announced that women are now part of my football analysis I can now return to my results sheet in the next post.
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