Leaders | Substitution required

Why sex differences matter in football

Women are not simply men with long hair, even on the pitch

Lauren Hemp, an English footballer, controls the ball during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.
Image: Getty Images

For half a century, between 1921 and 1971, the Football Association, which governs the sport in England, forbade women from playing on FA-affiliated pitches. “The game”, it opined, “is quite unsuitable for females.”

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Substitution required ”

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