Casey Stoney appointed to PFA Board

[theacademic]

Just wondering what members thought of this appointment that was announced yesterday: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24935248

The Players' Union was established in 1907 and became the PFA in the late 1950s, thus highlighting the first female appointment for over 100 years.

[Stadt]

Read this as Casey Stoner and was thinking why the hell has a Moto GP rider been appointed

[Guest ttfn]

There are literally thousands of men playing professional football in this country and what? 200? women.

The men's game is so far removed from the women's game that on the face of it I really don't see what she will bring to this role. She may beat phenomenally intelligent and wise woman, but her experience in women's football is almost completely irrelevant for the needs of 99% of the people in the union.

Smacks of tokenism.

[Bert]

Whether you agree or not it's a step in the right direction for the women's game.

[21st Century Fox]

So there are 17 members of the Management Committee, one of which is a woman. That's 5.8% female representation.

 

Going by the figures in that article there are 100 female members of the PFA and 3,500 men. That's 2.7% female members.

 

So they're 3.1% over represented.

 

IT'S PC GONE MAD!!!!

 

[Guest MattP]

Tokenism. A little embarrassing, fully expected.

I can't understand why they haven't appointed Hope Powell though.

You can then tick the female, black and LGBT boxes all at once.

[Stadt]

Tokenism. A little embarrassing, fully expected.

I can't understand why they haven't appointed Hope Powell though.

You can then tick the female, black and LGBT boxes all at once.

If only she was disabled.

[21st Century Fox]

Tokenism. A little embarrassing, fully expected.

I can't understand why they haven't appointed Hope Powell though.

You can then tick the female, black and LGBT boxes all at once.

 

You'd assume it's because she's not a player....

[Guest MattP]

You'd assume it's because she's not a player....

For someone so bright it's amazing how many times you struggle with sarcasm.

If only she was disabled.

If that happens she'll be presenting MOTD.

[21st Century Fox]

For someone so bright it's amazing how many times you struggle with sarcasm.

If that happens she'll be presenting MOTD.

 

It's not really sarcasm if it doesn't make sense in the first place.

[Guest MattP]

It's not really sarcasm if it doesn't make sense in the first place.

Oh yes it is.

[Stadt]

If that happens she'll be presenting MOTD.

Possibly but I think she'd just take over from Dyke.

[Guest MattP]

Possibly but I think she'd just take over from Dyke.

It will be a toss up between her and luring Claire Balding back from the BBC.

Probably get them both on.

I watched her show the other week and the guests were John Amichi and Gareth Thomas. If you were doing a comedy parody of it you couldn't have done it better.

[Stadt]

It will be a toss up between her and luring Claire Balding back from the BBC.

Probably get them both on.

I watched her show the other week and the guests were John Amichi and Gareth Thomas. If you were doing a comedy parody of it you couldn't have done it better.

I wonder how far they would have gotten in their careers had they been straight?

[Guest MattP]

I wonder how far they would have gotten in their careers had they been straight?

Balding would be covering Dressage once a year and Holmes would be working a female nightclub toilet.

[21st Century Fox]

Oh yes it is.

 

Yeah you're right, maybe I just like my sarcasm with a dash of humour. I remember you using that same line in another thread. Horses for courses and all that.

[Guest MattP]

Yeah you're right, maybe I just like my sarcasm with a dash of humour. I remember you using that same line in another thread. Horses for courses and all that.

I often get the impression you don't like anything with a dash of humour, lighten up.

[21st Century Fox]

I often get the impression you don't like anything with a dash of humour, lighten up.

 

I just have high expectations.

 

[Guest MattP]

Don't spend too much time on here then.

[21st Century Fox]

Don't spend too much time on here then.

 

That ship sailed a long time ago.

[steveherbe]

There are literally thousands of men playing professional football in this country and what? 200? women.

The men's game is so far removed from the women's game that on the face of it I really don't see what she will bring to this role. She may beat phenomenally intelligent and wise woman, but her experience in women's football is almost completely irrelevant for the needs of 99% of the people in the union.

Smacks of tokenism.

I'll tell you what she'll bring to the role - hopefully a nice pot of tea with a knitted cosy, and a plate of home made cakes. Women in football, ffs! They dont allow men into the womens institute, but somehow get away with that.

[Father Ted]

Absolute waste of time, the women's game is laughable.

[Stadt]

It makes me laugh when people (99% women) try and defend women's football.

[Jordan]

There are literally thousands of men playing professional football in this country and what? 200? women.

The men's game is so far removed from the women's game that on the face of it I really don't see what she will bring to this role. She may beat phenomenally intelligent and wise woman, but her experience in women's football is almost completely irrelevant for the needs of 99% of the people in the union.

Smacks of tokenism.

 

 

I'll tell you what she'll bring to the role - hopefully a nice pot of tea with a knitted cosy, and a plate of home made cakes. Women in football, ffs! They dont allow men into the womens institute, but somehow get away with that.

 

 

Absolute waste of time, the women's game is laughable.

Are you all intentionally being obtuse or did you just fail to read the parts in the article that say the PFA is now working with women's football, and that the PFA now represents players from the England national team and the WSL?

 

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WOMEN TRYING TO CHANGE THE MEN'S GAME. Please, stop acting like everyone is trying to cut off your testicles.

 

As Stoney herself said,

 

"I want to take women's football forward. This enables us to have a voice for the women's game and spread awareness of the great things the PFA do and can offer."

 

 "[The PFA] were key in moving things forward for us. Even from the PFA annual general meeting on Wednesday, women's football was high on the agenda.

"Being on the management committee now, I will try and engage more female members."

"It's a massive step forward for the women's game."

 

Simply put, women are now professional footballers, they needed a union, and they found themselves a powerful and well-funded ally in the PFA. And--as a few of you have pointed out--women's football is a different beast than the men's game, the PFA will have to act differently to represent and to act in the best interests of their female members. As such, it only makes sense to have a little bit of female representation on the management committee. Even if this is only a "token" appointment, it is encouraging for female footballers. That's it, and that's all.

[Guest ttfn]

Are you all intentionally being obtuse or did you just fail to read the parts in the article that say the PFA is now working with women's football, and that the PFA now represents players from the England national team and the WSL?

 

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WOMEN TRYING TO CHANGE THE MEN'S GAME. Please, stop acting like everyone is trying to cut off your testicles.

 

As Stoney herself said,

 

"I want to take women's football forward. This enables us to have a voice for the women's game and spread awareness of the great things the PFA do and can offer."

 

 "[The PFA] were key in moving things forward for us. Even from the PFA annual general meeting on Wednesday, women's football was high on the agenda.

"Being on the management committee now, I will try and engage more female members."

"It's a massive step forward for the women's game."

 

Simply put, women are now professional footballers, they needed a union, and they found themselves a powerful and well-funded ally in the PFA. And--as a few of you have pointed out--women's football is a different beast than the men's game, the PFA will have to act differently to represent and to act in the best interests of their female members. As such, it only makes sense to have a little bit of female representation on the management committee. Even if this is only a "token" appointment, it is encouraging for female footballers. That's it, and that's all.

Your entire post seems to be suggesting a women's PFA. 

 

Based on your post, if you've got a problem with what I wrote I'd suggest you haven't read my post properly. I have no doubt that there are very intelligent and eloquent female footballers out there (albeit their existence would be somewhat at odds with the braindead former male players who seem to pollute these positions), but having one on the board of a union for which she has no affiliation or understanding of the career conditions of 99% of those in the union seems absolutely ridiculous.