From Pompeii to the Women’s World Cup: 2,000 Years of Female Football

In Pompeii a new find has been made that could be the first ever pizza! Or at least, it’s a picture containing something that looks very much like a pizza. Unfortunately the guys in charge of the latest excavation there say the cheesy bits can’t be mozzarella – that didn’t exist in the first century – so it’s a boring old flatbread.

But what’s coming out of the Italian town preserved by a volcanic eruption 2,000 years ago is still remarkable as long as you don’t want it to be an American Hot: an oven for 100 loaves, a bed, fragments of mattress, a friendly snake shrine. And, with around a third of the town still under ash, there is so much left to come.

The Ancient History of Female Football

Now the women of Pompeii didn’t as far as we know play ‘calcio storico’, the earliest form of football found in Italy,as that came much later. But there were women playing a version of football called cuju two millennia ago in Han China.

And unless you were subject to a cheekily early commute, their descendants will have kicked off 2023’s Women’s World Cup by the time you read this, with the opening ceremony having been at 7.30am followed by co-hosts New Zealand v Norway.

The European Champions

Two home nations have made it to the finals – European champions England and the Republic of Ireland, whose first-ever match at this level is the second game of this tournament. They kick off today at 11am against Australia. Ireland captain Katie McCabe has spoken of their desire to leave a legacy back home.

England’s Legacy

But what could England’s legacy be? It was just under a year ago they won the Euros on home soil at the national stadium. Chloe Kelly’s celebration became iconic – local girls I met in Qatar last year mimed it to me with their hijabs – and captain Leah Williamson in her bucket hat came to symbolise something fresh, unapologetic and powerful.

But winning consecutive major tournaments is a rare feat. The delayed Euros may present an advantage in terms of continuity – the usual two years is long in football – but the starting XI named by England manager Sarina Wiegman in every Euros game last year has been carved up.

Golden Boot winner Beth Mead, two-time domestic player-of-the-year Fran Kirby and perhaps most importantly Williamson are all out with serious injuries; top striker Ellen White and second-most capped international and key squad presence Jill Scott have both retired.

The Managerial Calibre of Sarina Wiegman

Added to that, the groundswell of local support could not be more geographically remote. And that’s before you consider the strength of the competition, with the three-peat-hunting USWNT the most obvious.

Wiegman’s calibre as a manager is going to be key in the next month. Should England make it to the final that will be her fourth straight appearance there, having won the 2017 Euros and reached the 2019 World Cup final with the