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Menstuff® presents the following review on
the movie. Finally, a movie (versus a cartoon like
Finding Nemo) that shows a couple of fathers
standing up to their wives and the culture to
support their daughter's to play soccer (they call
it football in most of the rest of the world.) It's
unfortunate. however, that a movie of this nature
comes out the same week that the WUSA, the USAs
first major women's professional soccer league,
ceases operations. 3.3.4 PG-13 [1:52]
The Review
Young reporters from Children's Express talk
to Arsenal and England star footballer Angela
Banks.
Angela Banks is one of England's top female
footballers. But unlike her male counterparts, she
can travel anywhere in the world practically
unrecognised.
She has been playing for the Arsenal ladies
since 1999 and has also captained the England
women's team. Last season she was the third highest
scorer in women's football and last year she was
the first female to win Four Four Two magazine's
award for the top scorer in all domestic
championship football.
With so much under her belt, you'd think Angela
would be raking in the money - but she doesn't earn
a penny from playing football. And as if that
wasn't tough enough, she still has to fit her
training in around her day job.
Banks first got involved in football when she
was 11, after a friend told her about a women's
team, Whitehawk, in her hometown of Brighton. If it
hadn't been that Banks says she'd never have known
that there was a women's football team in the
area.
While playing for Whitehawk, she was spotted by
the manager of Arsenal ladies and was immediately
signed up.
Despite the difficulties of juggling a full time
job with the demands of playing for both Arsenal
and England, Banks is lucky enough to have a job
working for Arsenal as development officer for
women's football. It means her bosses are more
understanding when it comes to having time off for
training and matches.
Even so, it doesn't take away the frustration of
seeing male footballers' salaries rise to
astonishing heights.
"I think the men are getting paid way over the
top," she says. "I think people will soon be fed up
with men's football because it's getting very money
orientated."
Banks admits that part of the problem is
attitudes towards women's football can still be a
bit old fashioned.
"I was at Highbury the other day and there was a
guy there with two young boys and the security guy
turned round and said 'oh you're in the company of
an England International'. They looked round and
said 'Where is he?' and he said 'It's that girl
there. She's Angela Banks, she plays for Arsenal
and England'. And they laughed and said 'Girls
don't play football'. These boys were only about
six or seven and already they've got the notion
that girls can't play football and it's very hard
to change that".
But in spite of the negative attitudes Angela
remains positive women footballers can prove the
doubters wrong.
"A lot of people come to the games and they
expect to have a laugh," says Banks, "but they
leave really impressed by the skill level and the
way we play."
So it seems the future is looking bright for
Banks and her Arsenal team mates. They will
hopefully be going semi-pro next year, which means
they'll get paid per game.
The FA has also promised that there will be a
professional league for women by 2003 and Banks
hopes this will be a good incentive for young girls
who want to get into playing football:
"A lot of girls drop out of football because
there's not a step from 16 year olds to a
professional league. We've just got to keep young
girls focused on the fact that there might be a
professional league soon.
"I've spoken to a lot of young girls on football
courses and asked what they want to do when they're
older and now they're actually turning round and
saying 'I'm going to be a professional
footballer'."
Source: This story was produced
by Emma Dennis-Edwards, 14, Carmen Kalnars, 13 and
Danyel Edwards, 16. It was published in the
Highbury & Islington Express.
www.childrens-express.org/dynamic/PUBLIC/bending_it_like_230802.htm
or www.kids-in-mind.com/b/benditlikebeckham.htm
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