Women have played soccer from the beginning of the twentieth century. Yet, for most people, their impression is that women only began playing the sport at a professional level over the last few decades.
In this unit, we will explore the long history of women’s football—from its earliest beginning, to the glory days of the Dick, Kerr ladies team in England in the 1920s, the first starts in the United States, to the adventurous futboleras of the 1950s, the unofficial Women’s World Cup in Mexico in 1971 (which set record crowds that still stand today), the impact of Title IX on collegiate soccer in the U.S., and up to the modern-era of FIFA World Cup and Olympic tournaments.
We will discover the pioneers, the trailblazers, and icons that not only played soccer at the highest levels but also used their position to advance women’s rights and push for greater equality within the sport.
And let’s get ready for Brazil 2027, and USA-Mexico-Costa Rica-Jamaica 2031!
Topics to Discuss
- The early history of women’s soccer [Apr 2]
- The early history of women’s soccer in the U.S. [Apr 14]
- Google Slides (Maple, Clutch, and Zayu)
- The USWNT: Title IX, collective bargaining, and the continued struggle for equal pay-equal rights / Marta & Brazil [Apr 21]
Readings
See group readings (Maple / Clutch / Zayu) for Unit 5 – Weeks 11, 13, and 14.
End of Semester
- LDOC: April 28 / Exit Survey
- Reading Day: April 30
- Final Exam: May 7, 2-4:30pm
