Association football

===Women's association football===
{{update section|date=October 2023}}
{{main|Women's association football}}

[[Women's association football]] has historically seen opposition, with national associations severely curbing its development and several [[Bans of women's association football|outlawing it]] completely. Women may have been playing football for as long as the game has existed. Evidence shows that a similar ancient game (''cuju'', or [[Tsu Chu|''tsu chu'']]) was played by women during the [[Han dynasty#Eastern Han|Han dynasty]] (25–220 CE), as female figures are depicted in frescoes of the period playing ''tsu chu''.<ref name="globalgame">{{cite web |title=Genesis of 'The Global Game' |url=http://www.theglobalgame.com/aboutus.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060521234151/http://www.theglobalgame.com/aboutus.html |archive-date=21 May 2006 |access-date=22 May 2006 |work=The Global Game}}</ref><ref name="footballnetwork">{{cite web |title=The Chinese and Tsu Chu |work=The Football Network |url=http://www.footballnetwork.org/dev/historyoffootball/history1.asp |access-date=1 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106061612/http://www.footballnetwork.org/dev/historyoffootball/history1.asp |archive-date=6 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are also reports of annual football matches played by women in [[Midlothian]], Scotland, during the 1790s.<ref name="SFA">{{cite web|title=A Brief History of Women's Football|url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?curpageid=409|publisher=Scottish Football Association|access-date=18 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308172042/http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_football.cfm?curpageid=409|archive-date=8 March 2005}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12080678.display/|title=A game of two sexes|work=The Herald|location=Glasgow|date=8 February 1997|access-date=18 June 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107012935/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12080678.display/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:British_Ladies_Football_Club.jpg|thumb|North team of the [[British Ladies' Football Club|British Ladies']], the first organised women's football team, here pictured in March 1895]]
Association football, the modern game, has documented early involvement of women.<ref name=":10" /> In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardised rules to prohibit violence on the pitch, making it more socially acceptable for women to play.<ref name="FA"/> The first match recorded by the [[Scottish Football Association]] took place in 1892 in [[Glasgow]].<ref name="SFA" /> In England, the first recorded game of football between women took place in 1895.<ref name="FA">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefa.com/Womens/EnglandSenior/History/|title=Women's Football History|publisher=The Football Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325030003/http://www.thefa.com/Womens/EnglandSenior/History/|archive-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> Women's football has traditionally been associated with charity games and physical exercise, particularly in the United Kingdom.<ref name="BBC-Gregory">{{cite news |last=Gregory |first=Patricia |date=3 June 2005 |title=How women's football battled for survival |work=BBC Sport |publisher= |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/women/4607171.stm |url-status=live |access-date=19 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202110455/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/women/4607171.stm |archive-date=2 December 2017}}</ref>

Association football continued to be played by women since the time of the first recorded women's games in the late 19th century.<ref name="BBC-Gregory"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/no-longer-the-game-of-two-halves.19185657 |title=No longer the game of two-halves |work=The Herald |publisher=Herald & Times Group |date=19 October 2012 |access-date=9 March 2014 |first=Alan |last=Campbell |archive-date=29 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329014321/http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/no-longer-the-game-of-two-halves.19185657 |url-status=live }}</ref> The best-documented early European team was founded by activist [[Nettie Honeyball]] in England in 1894. It was named the [[British Ladies' Football Club]]. Honeyball is quoted as, "I founded the association late last year [1894], with the fixed resolve of proving to the world that women are not the 'ornamental and useless' creatures men have pictured. I must confess, my convictions on all matters where the sexes are so widely divided are all on the side of [[Feminism|emancipation]], and I look forward to the time when ladies may sit in [[Parliament]] and have a voice in the direction of affairs, especially those which concern them most."<ref name="Nettie Honeyball">{{cite web |last=Ladda |first=Shawn |title=Women's involvement with soccer was part of the emancipation process. |url=http://www.soccertimes.com/oped/1999/jul20.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116204454/http://www.soccertimes.com/oped/1999/jul20.htm |archive-date=16 November 2006 |access-date=4 May 2006 |work=SoccerTimes}}</ref> Honeyball and those like her paved the way for women's football. However, the women's game was frowned upon by the British football associations and continued without their support. It has been suggested that this was motivated by a perceived threat to the "masculinity" of the game.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mårtensson|first=Stefan|title=Branding women's football in a field of hegemonic masculinity|journal=Entertainment and Sports Law Journal|date=June 2010|volume=8|issue=1|page=5|doi=10.16997/eslj.44|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Women's football became popular on a large scale at the time of the [[World War I|First World War]], when female employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for men 50 years earlier. The most successful team of the era was [[Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C.]] of [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston, England]]. The team played in one of the first women's international matches against a French XI team in 1920,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dick, Kerr Ladies' FC |url=http://www.donmouth.co.uk/womens_football/dick_kerr.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521192224/http://www.donmouth.co.uk/womens_football/dick_kerr.html |archive-date=21 May 2022 |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Donmouth}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - Home Front - The Forgotten First International Women's Football Match |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5nsXCQcNm7wggTxvS0y1BnF/the-forgotten-first-international-women-s-football-match |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=BBC |language=en-GB |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812061017/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5nsXCQcNm7wggTxvS0y1BnF/the-forgotten-first-international-women-s-football-match |url-status=live }}</ref> and also made up most of the England team against a [[Women's football in Scotland|Scottish Ladies]] XI in the same year, winning 22–0.<ref name="SFA"/>

Despite being more popular than some men's football events, with one match seeing a 53,000 strong crowd in 1920,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Leighton|first1=Tony|title=FA apologies for 1921 ban|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/feb/11/newsstory.womensfootball|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=6 August 2014|date=10 February 2008|archive-date=10 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810174231/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/feb/11/newsstory.womensfootball|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC-Alexander">{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Shelley |date=3 June 2005 |title=Trail-blazers who pioneered women's football |work=BBC Sport |publisher= |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/women/4603149.stm |url-status=live |access-date=19 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202114818/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/women/4603149.stm |archive-date=2 December 2017}}</ref> [[women's football in England]] suffered a blow in 1921 when [[The Football Association]] outlawed the playing of the game on association members' pitches,<ref name=":12">{{cite book |last1=Witzig |first1=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H2T0ZD5S86QC&pg=PA65 |title=The Global Art of Soccer |publisher=CusiBoy Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-9776688-0-9 |page=65 |access-date=6 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601233310/https://books.google.com/books?id=H2T0ZD5S86QC&q=1921+fa+ban&pg=PA65 |archive-date=1 June 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> stating that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and should not be encouraged."<ref name="BBC-Wrack">{{Cite news |last=Wrack |first=Suzanne |date=2022-06-13 |title=How the FA banned women's football in 1921 and tried to justify it |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jun/13/how-the-fa-banned-womens-football-in-1921-and-tried-to-justify-it |access-date=2023-02-16 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=14 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214145355/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jun/13/how-the-fa-banned-womens-football-in-1921-and-tried-to-justify-it |url-status=live }}</ref> Players and football writers have argued that this ban was, in fact, due to envy of the large crowds that women's matches attracted,<ref name="BBC-Alexander" /> and because the FA had no control over the money made from the women's game.<ref name="BBC-Wrack" /> The FA ban led to the formation of the short-lived [[English Ladies Football Association]] and play moved to [[rugby football|rugby]] grounds.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Newsham|first1=Gail|title=In a League of Their Own. The Dick, Kerr Ladies 1917–1965|year=2014|publisher=Paragon Publishing}}</ref> Women's football also faced bans in [[Bans of women's association football|several other countries]], notably in [[Women's football in Brazil|Brazil]] from 1941 to 1979,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-02-28 |title=Women footballers: Born with talent, held back by prejudice |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43198651 |access-date=2023-02-16 |archive-date=7 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107174048/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43198651 |url-status=live }}</ref> in [[Women's football in France|France]] from 1941 to 1970,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lasserre |first=Victoria |date=July 7, 2022 |title=5 dates clefs sur l'histoire du football féminin |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.fr/histoire-du-football-feminin,2057854.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926162514/https://www.cosmopolitan.fr/histoire-du-football-feminin,2057854.asp |archive-date=26 September 2022 |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=Cosmopolitan.fr |language=fr}}</ref> and in [[Women's football in Germany|Germany]] from 1955 to 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wünsch |first=Silke |date=June 20, 2011 |title=Female footballers |url=https://www.dw.com/en/the-elusive-popularity-of-womens-football/a-15172167 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724105057/https://www.dw.com/en/the-elusive-popularity-of-womens-football/a-15172167 |archive-date=24 July 2022 |access-date=2023-02-16 |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Tytöt-04 Piteåssa.JPG|thumb|right|Young Finnish girls football team of Kolarin Kontio in [[Piteå]], Sweden, in 2014]]

Restrictions began to be reduced in the 1960s and 1970s. The [[Serie A (women's football)|Italian women's football league]] was established in 1968.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nssmag.com/en/sports/16658/calcio-femminile-italia | title=The reinassance of women's football in Italy | first=Giulio | last=Pecci | work=NSS Magazine | date=5 November 2018 | access-date=October 22, 2023 | archive-date=12 December 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212062410/https://www.nssmag.com/en/sports/16658/calcio-femminile-italia | url-status=live }}</ref> In December 1969, the [[Women's Football Association]] was formed in England,<ref name="BBC-Gregory" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=History of women's football |url=http://www.thefa.com/womens-girls-football/history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224043854/http://www.thefa.com/womens-girls-football/history |archive-date=24 February 2020 |access-date=2023-02-16 |website=The Football Association |language=en}}</ref> with the sport eventually becoming the most prominent [[team sport]] for women in the United Kingdom.<ref name="BBC-Gregory"/> Two unofficial women's World Cups were organised by the [[FIEFF]] [[1970 Women's World Cup|in 1970]] and [[1971 Women's World Cup|in 1971]].  Also in 1971, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) members voted to officially recognise women's football,<ref name="BBC-Gregory"/> while The Football Association rescinded the ban that prohibited women from playing on association members' pitches in England.<ref name=":13" /> 

Women's football still faces many struggles, but its worldwide growth<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kleen |first=Brendon |date=2022-12-21 |title=Women's Football Is Growing in the Middle East and North Africa |url=https://globalsportmatters.com/culture/2022/12/21/beyond-qatar-world-cup-womens-football-growing-middle-east-north-africa/ |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Global Sport Matters |language=en |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129023329/https://globalsportmatters.com/culture/2022/12/21/beyond-qatar-world-cup-womens-football-growing-middle-east-north-africa/ |url-status=live }}</ref> has seen major competitions being launched at both the [[Women's football around the world|national]] and [[international competitions in women's football|international]] levels, mirroring the men's competitions. The [[FIFA Women's World Cup]] was inaugurated in 1991: the first tournament [[1991 FIFA Women's World Cup|was held in China]], featuring 12 teams from the respective six confederations.  The World Cup has been held every four years since;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=103/awards/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430044344/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament%3D103/awards/index.html |archive-date=30 April 2011 |title=Tournaments: Women's World Cup |publisher=FIFA |access-date=11 March 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> by the [[2019 FIFA Women's World Cup]] in France, it had expanded to 24 national teams, and 1.12 billion viewers watched the competition.<ref name="forbes_2019wwc">{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Alana |date=21 October 2019 |title=FIFA Women's World Cup Breaks Viewership Records |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanaglass/2019/10/21/fifa-womens-world-cup-breaks-viewership-records/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424203645/https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanaglass/2019/10/21/fifa-womens-world-cup-breaks-viewership-records/ |archive-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> Women's football has been an Olympic event [[football at the 1996 Summer Olympics&nbsp;– Women's tournament|since 1996]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Moore |first=Kevin |editor-last1=Hassan |editor-first1=David |editor-last2=Mitra |editor-first2=Shakya |chapter=Football and the Olympics and Paralympics |title=The Olympic Games: Meeting New Global Challenges |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |location=London |page=68 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6nDCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 |isbn=978-0-415-74176-7 |access-date=8 January 2019 |archive-date=26 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026173434/https://books.google.com/books?id=e6nDCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

North America is the dominant region in women's football, with the [[United States women's national soccer team|United States]] winning most FIFA Women's World Cups and Olympic tournaments. Europe and Asia come second and third in terms of international success,<ref>{{Cite web |title=FIFA Women's World Cup History - Past World Cup Winners, Hosts, Most Goals and more |url=https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/2023-fifa-womens-world-cup/history |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=FOX Sports |language=en-US |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206123613/https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/2023-fifa-womens-world-cup/history |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Ryan |date=Aug 8, 2021 |title=Which country has won the most Olympic gold medals in football? |url=https://www.goal.com/en/news/which-country-has-won-most-olympic-gold-medals-football/1o1jkyn3l7wlm1vxfqzy09h6e0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110224304/https://www.goal.com/en/news/which-country-has-won-most-olympic-gold-medals-football/1o1jkyn3l7wlm1vxfqzy09h6e0 |archive-date=10 November 2022 |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Goal.com}}</ref> and the women's game has been improving in South America.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rey |first=Debora |date=2022-07-07 |title=South American women's soccer improving but some way to go |url=https://apnews.com/article/womens-soccer-sports-south-america-chile-bb6e9ae71b8ec5d05dfb5b246855d88d |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128065120/https://apnews.com/article/womens-soccer-sports-south-america-chile-bb6e9ae71b8ec5d05dfb5b246855d88d |archive-date=28 November 2022 |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref>