2. 'There's just not enough demand for it, sorry'

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Stand-up comedian Maisie Adam presents her stand-up special where she discusses her love of football and her experience of the women’s game ahead of the Women's World Cup 2023. For Maisie, football has always been there, even when all the signs have been screaming that this wasn’t a sport for her. At school, where the girls curriculum neglected football in favour of the skirt-adorning Hockey and Netball. In the park, where boys wouldn’t pass to girls “because they’ll lose the ball”. And in adult life, where the local sports centre advertises Men's 5-a-side, and women's Yoga. But it’s a game where all you need is players and a ball. That’s it. Well, we have women. We have footballs. Time to pass the ball, lads. This week, Maisie reflects on football infrastructure in the UK and why it felt like you had to move to the USA, Bend It Like Beckham style, if you wanted to pursue football professionally as a woman. She's joined by the leading global scholar of women's football, Professor Jean Williams, to help her find out why this was the case for well over a hundred years. Written by and starring Maisie Adam Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Co-ordinators: Caroline Barlow and Dan Marchini Sound editor: David Thomas Photo credit: Matt Crockett A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4. This programme was first broadcast in June 2023.