Women kick their way into football
Published On April 16, 2015 » 2454 Views» By Davies M.M Chanda » Features
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• THE Shepolopolo sing the national anthem before a match.

• THE Shepolopolo sing the national anthem before a match.

By MADALITSO BANDA and CHRISTETER MACHA-CHIZHYUKA –
During commemoration of the  International Women’s Day last month, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) hailed women for their proficiency in undertaking the task of making this country’s  football exploits to be recognised on the international arena.
FAZ President Kalusha Bwalya urged women not to engage in a ‘self belittling’ line of thought because they are competent participants in the game of  football.
Bwalya celebrated the tireless efforts made by women in the development of Zambian football in both the men’s and women’s versions of the sport.
“In recent times, the women’s teams have made the country proud by qualifying for the FIFA U17 world cup and the CAF women’s championships for the first time”.
The FAZ President further said  there were also successes  in coaching and administrative capacities such as refereeing.
“Most notably,  Gladys Lengwe, who is an international referee and one of the few women who officiate in the men’s ‘premier league. With dedication, discipline and focus together we can achieve more,” Kalusha said.
John Simkin, in his article titled ‘Women and Football’ published in the Spartacus Newsletter of September 1997 and updated in August 2014, revealed that, Scotland seems to be the first country in the world to encourage women to play football.
In this article, it is revealed that in the 18th century, football was linked to local marriage customs in the Highlands when single women would play football games against married women.
Single men would watch these games and use the evidence of their footballing ability to help them select prospective brides.
Nettie Honeyball helped to pioneer women’s football in England when in 1894 she placed an advert in the press and persuaded about 30 young women to join the British Ladies Football Club,  adds the article by Simkin .
On  August 4, 1914, England declared war on Germany at which time the role of women changed dramatically as men left jobs to fight overseas. At that time the women working in factories began to play football during lunch-breaks but at the end of the First World War most women lost their jobs in the munitions factories. However, some retained their interest in football.
At first,  men found it difficult to accept that women should play football. Unstoppable though, women’s football has continued to grow in popularity.
The number of women’s teams playing in Britain increased from around 500 in 1993 to about 4,500 in 2000. There are also over 6,500 women coaches in Britain. In 2002 the Football Association published figures to suggest that football has become the top sport for girls and women in Britain.
In Africa, women’s football is one of several sports played by women though faced with several challenges during development like elsewhere in the world.
Primarily, football is seen as a male participant sport with administrators uninterested in supporting the development of women football teams.
The masculine nature of football has proved a deterrent to women’s involvement in football in Africa. This is  according to a  2007 publication titled;  “Womens’ Football  in Africa” by  Martha Saavedra of the Centre for African Studies, University of Berkeley, California, USA.
Obstacles such as local cultures, political,  economic, limited access for women in Africa to international opportunities to play and low social priority mitigate against the participation of women in this sport.
Zambia Soccer Fans Association president Peter Makembo said, the community has however now accommodated females in playing football.
Football Association of Zambia, currently has two leagues for the women which fall under FAZ and this is the  Lusaka Amateur Football Association.
They consist of a total 12 football clubs in Lusaka and 10 on the Copperbelt- Ndola, Luanshya, and Chingola towns specifically.
The women’s football team in Zambia have made some achievements that gives them promising hopes, like the under 17 managed to qualify for the World Cup in October 2014,  even though they did not manage to qualify to the next round.
Though ranked 119th best team in the world and 19th best in CAF, the senior women football team, have been doing well and managed to qualify for the CAF Africa Women’s Championship (AWC) though they only ended in the group stage.
Medical professionals  have time and again advised that regular physical exercise is good for the body, mind, and soul.
Additionally, the Women’s Sports Foundation has discovered that sports offer some extra benefits for women and girls in addition to having fun and getting fit which include the fact that,  it increases endurance, speed and agility. It is a great way to make new friends and also that,  it is a winning combination of cardio and strength training.
Football is also more motivational than running, can improve mood, and helps relieving stress.
“If you play regularly, at any level, you protect yourself from all the diseases that come from an inactive lifestyle, such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes,” says Dr Michel D’Hooghe, Chairperson of the FIFA Medical Committee.
“Furthermore and this is particularly important for women, playing football helps to protect bones from osteoporosis,” adds Professor Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer.
This is because the running, jumping and kicking needed to play the game increase bone density, which is an important way to reduce the risk of bone fractures.
Further, playing football improves balance and coordination while at the same time, helping to build confidence.— ZANIS.

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