Man Utd Women’s Team

Demon Barber

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Joined
Nov 14, 2022
Messages
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I think I'm trying to distract myself from the disappointment of today's result, but I noticed that we now have over 25, 000 messages about our women's team. I think that is phenomenal and deserves celebrating.

A huge thank you to @Grande for kicking it all off way back in 2017, and of course to @jojojo for keeping things in order.

There are a couple of other United forums that do not tolerate any discussion of our women's team. The misogyny sickens, but doesn't necessarily surprise me.

So, a huge thank you each and every one of you who contribute or have contributed to this quite unique forum. It's such a positive and healthy community.

Bring on Wolfsburg!
 
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Demon Barber said:
I think I'm trying to distract myself from the disappointment of today's result, but I noticed that we now have over 25, 000 messages about our women's team. I think that is phenomenal and deserves celebrating.

A huge thank you to @Grande for kicking it all off way back in 2017, and of course to @jojojo for keeping things in order.

There are a couple of other United forums that do not tolerate any discussion of our women's team. The misogyny sickens, but doesn't necessarily surprise me.

So, a huge thank you each and every one of you who contribute or have contributed to this quite unique forum. It's such a positive and healthy community.

Bring on Wolfsburg!
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Well said. I love that we have our 'safe' space of the Caf without fear of nonsense.

It is gutting to see mod comments on the posts on r/reddevils over on Reddit admonishing people for reporting and complaining about posts regarding the women's team. I am thankful for those guys maintaining the stance that the subreddit is for ALL things Manchester United, but it sure doesn't feel like the majority share that view at times.
 
Demon Barber said:
I think I'm trying to distract myself from the disappointment of today's result, but I noticed that we now have over 25, 000 messages about our women's team. I think that is phenomenal and deserves celebrating.

A huge thank you to @Grande for kicking it all off way back in 2017, and of course to @jojojo for keeping things in order.

There are a couple of other United forums that do not tolerate any discussion of our women's team. The misogyny sickens, but doesn't necessarily surprise me.

So, a huge thank you each and every one of you who contribute or have contributed to this quite unique forum. It's such a positive and healthy community.

Bring on Wolfsburg!
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Yes well said.
I feel totally comfortable commenting here without fear of the usual trolling that comes with commenting on any women’s sports.
Excellent work by all to keep it this way.
 
Demon Barber said:
I think I'm trying to distract myself from the disappointment of today's result, but I noticed that we now have over 25, 000 messages about our women's team. I think that is phenomenal and deserves celebrating.

A huge thank you to @Grande for kicking it all off way back in 2017, and of course to @jojojo for keeping things in order.

There are a couple of other United forums that do not tolerate any discussion of our women's team. The misogyny sickens, but doesn't necessarily surprise me.

So, a huge thank you each and every one of you who contribute or have contributed to this quite unique forum. It's such a positive and healthy community.

Bring on Wolfsburg!
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Now I’m moved.

I remember being shocked at learning how many attempts honorable women had made of playing football for Manchester United (their team) and to help Manchester United have football for both boys and girls, men and women, and how certain people had actively shut them down so far as to send 17 year old top talents packing to Liverpool and Man City to play their football there. It was as if somebody couldn’t read or understand the meaning of the words: Manchester. United. I have two daughters whom have played football and cheered for United, and it felt strange that they shouldn’t be eligible to dream of the Theatre of Dreams on the basis of no good reason at all really.

I think I just wanted to point to all the women and girls who had actually played for Manchester United, in name, colours and or heart, and was maybe surprised that there was any response at all. And overjoyed at @jojojo making contact to suggest a regular part of the RedCafé dedicated to the RedWomen (sic).

One of the funny things I remember, apart from the interest of several members, and some very helpless attempts at sticking the boot in, was how Suzanne Wrack of The Guardian entered the thread to get material for an article about the Glazers and the lack of a womens team at United, which later resulted in a little wave of critical attention towards in particular The Glazers for devolving what was actually in great need of evolving. And a little more than a year later, they had turned 180 degrees, and we were getting a womens team!

The most joyous thing about for me I think was realizing that many people had felt the same need and had the same thoughts, and to see that. And today, hater as I am of matchday threads, it gives me such warmth seeing the activity of several other Red Devils taking an interest in how Ella Toone and the rest of the gang is doing. I pich my arm sometimes. So I want to thank all of you who use the forum, and any other fora, for cheering on our current batch of pioneering players, who are less and less continuing the pioneering tradition, and more and more just keeping The Red Flag flying high!
 
As @Grande mentioned there was a bit of a debate about how to organise when United set up the team. Older discussions about a possible women's team were in the United forum, I guess they kicked up once or twice a year but had nowhere to go really - just various ways to say "I think we should have one" v "I think it's a waste of money."

Once United actually announced they were going ahead, we had a bit of a debate about how to handle it. I wanted multiple threads - matchday threads, player threads, manager threads etc. But the likelihood was that none of them would have much traffic so they'd quickly fall off the first page of topics and get lost in the noise - and that's assuming we could keep them mostly troll free.

The sub-forum, built on the lines of the United youth team sub-forum, was an attempt to see if we could build up a mini community. Which, one way or another, I hope we have.

There's some debate around the rest of women's football that goes in the ordinary football forum at the moment. Some people think we need a sub-forum for that as well. But I really don't think we've got the number of topics nor the number of posters for it to make sense. Not yet anyway.

So yes. 25000 posts is something of a milestone. But that feeling that we've built a bit of a mini community is even better. Cheers to all the regulars and greetings to all the occasional visitors.
 
This place has been especially great for me as someone -- probably the only one around here -- who doesn't follow the men's game at all. (N.B.: This isn't because of any ideological or political reasons: I just enjoy the women's game much more than the men's.)

So, congratulations and thanks to everyone who has made it possible -- and thanks especially for making me feel welcome despite my being a Yankee who hopes the USWNT beats the Lionesses in the final of the next World Cup. :cool:
 
jojojo said:
As @Grande mentioned there was a bit of a debate about how to organise when United set up the team. Older discussions about a possible women's team were in the United forum, I guess they kicked up once or twice a year but had nowhere to go really - just various ways to say "I think we should have one" v "I think it's a waste of money."

Once United actually announced they were going ahead, we had a bit of a debate about how to handle it. I wanted multiple threads - matchday threads, player threads, manager threads etc. But the likelihood was that none of them would have much traffic so they'd quickly fall off the first page of topics and get lost in the noise - and that's assuming we could keep them mostly troll free.

The sub-forum, built on the lines of the United youth team sub-forum, was an attempt to see if we could build up a mini community. Which, one way or another, I hope we have.

There's some debate around the rest of women's football that goes in the ordinary football forum at the moment. Some people think we need a sub-forum for that as well. But I really don't think we've got the number of topics nor the number of posters for it to make sense. Not yet anyway.

So yes. 25000 posts is something of a milestone. But that feeling that we've built a bit of a mini community is even better. Cheers to all the regulars and greetings to all the occasional visitors.
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Would it be possible to move the women's team forum from under the men's team in the forum list? That is, give it its own line on the forum list instead of hiding it under the men's team forum. This would hopefully raise the visibility of the women's forum, however small. I suppose the same can be said for the youth forum, which is listed under the men's.
 
@DMacgraw - It's absolutely nothing to do with me, and I sort of get your point about raising the visibility - however neither the women nor the youth are under the men's forum. Both are under the Manchester United Forum.
 
jojojo said:
As @Grande mentioned there was a bit of a debate about how to organise when United set up the team. Older discussions about a possible women's team were in the United forum, I guess they kicked up once or twice a year but had nowhere to go really - just various ways to say "I think we should have one" v "I think it's a waste of money."

Once United actually announced they were going ahead, we had a bit of a debate about how to handle it. I wanted multiple threads - matchday threads, player threads, manager threads etc. But the likelihood was that none of them would have much traffic so they'd quickly fall off the first page of topics and get lost in the noise - and that's assuming we could keep them mostly troll free.

The sub-forum, built on the lines of the United youth team sub-forum, was an attempt to see if we could build up a mini community. Which, one way or another, I hope we have.

There's some debate around the rest of women's football that goes in the ordinary football forum at the moment. Some people think we need a sub-forum for that as well. But I really don't think we've got the number of topics nor the number of posters for it to make sense. Not yet anyway.

So yes. 25000 posts is something of a milestone. But that feeling that we've built a bit of a mini community is even better. Cheers to all the regulars and greetings to all the occasional visitors.
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I mostly browse the Caf on my phone, where the United Women forum isn't visible unless you go into the United forum. What are the chances the women's team gets its own space on the front page instead of a subsection of the United forum? It might encourage more traffic that way, and it would make it easier for me to get to the subsection of the forum.

I wanted to catch all the MUFCW games this season but have missed a handful unfortunately. I honestly much prefer watching the women's team to the men's team, it feels like a much more laid back and enjoyable experience for me.
 
Demon Barber said:
@DMacgraw - It's absolutely nothing to do with me, and I sort of get your point about raising the visibility - however neither the women nor the youth are under the men's forum. Both are under the Manchester United Forum.
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@Demon, I should clarify that I quoted @jojojo's excellent post to remind us of how far the women's forum has come, and to add a suggestion for how to make it even more prominent. I was hoping that moderators with the ability to effect changes would see and consider it. Over to you @jojojo....

I also agree that the women's and youth forums (fora?) are under the Manchester United Forum, but as I see it, most members just click the Manchester United Forum to follow the men's team, and few even notice the women's and youth forums underneath. I think interest in the women's and youth forums would be heightened by displaying them prominently on their own lines in the forum list. But maybe that's just me.
 
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Love this, loving the women’s team at the moment. Improved but still not enough! I wonder when they’ll start heavily investing in some of the top players?
 
ForeverRed1 said:
Love this, loving the women’s team at the moment. Improved but still not enough! I wonder when they’ll start heavily investing in some of the top players?
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It's arguable that we already have. Bringing in the likes of Rolfo (even if she may be in the twilight of her career, class is permanent as demonstrated by her goals against Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint Germain). Growth has been organic, every year we get just a little bit better.

We are lamenting the squad depth, and understandably so but it is still better than last season. We lost one starter in Grace Clinton and one squad player who barely played in Aoife Mannion, replacing with Rolfo, Zigiotti Olme and Park, two of which have been huge upgrades to the starting XI.

It is also really important to remember that Manchester United are operating the women's team at a profit, whereas Arsenal, City and Chelsea all make losses of 5 to 10 million quid. We will get there, it will take time but we will!

Mark my words, Man Utd Women win the league and have an open top bus parade (hopefully taking in Leigh!) before Man Utd Men do.
 
Grande said:
One of the funny things I remember, apart from the interest of several members, and some very helpless attempts at sticking the boot in, was how Suzanne Wrack of The Guardian entered the thread to get material for an article about the Glazers and the lack of a womens team at United, which later resulted in a little wave of critical attention towards in particular The Glazers
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I remember reading this article years ago - I did not know she actually joined the thread.

For anybody interested, here is the article from March 2018:

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...d-womens-football-move-better-late-than-never

And this from 2024:

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-being-hindered-by-indifference-and-confusion

I think things have finally settled down at United. There is excellent cohesion in the squad and we are attracting key players rather than losing them. Yes, the women were pushed aside at Carrington during the refurbishment, but they now have probably the world's best facilities.

Matt Johnson gave an interesting interview on the United podcast (Inside Carrington on the official site and youtube) where he said that even the academy girls and women have tailored fitness programmes, dieticians etc.

I agree with @AmarilloMike that we will win the WSL before the men win the Premier League again!
 
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Demon Barber said:
I agree with @AmarilloMike that we will win the WSL before the men win the Premier League again!
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I guess the Women went pretty close 2 years ago when it went to the last day. Although we have been further off since then, in my opinion the current crop is the best ever Women's team we have had, just need that squad depth to fight on all fronts.
 
Rood said:
I guess the Women went pretty close 2 years ago when it went to the last day. Although we have been further off since then, in my opinion the current crop is the best ever Women's team we have had, just need that squad depth to fight on all fronts.
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Yeah, the two fronts challenge is a big factor in terms of depth. Man City is currently surfing that wave.
 
Rood said:
I guess the Women went pretty close 2 years ago when it went to the last day. Although we have been further off since then, in my opinion the current crop is the best ever Women's team we have had, just need that squad depth to fight on all fronts.
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Grande said:
Yeah, the two fronts challenge is a big factor in terms of depth. Man City is currently surfing that wave.
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I totally agree. Finishing fourth in the league this year, continuing to retain players and recruit a couple more, could see us thrive next year. Unless we actually win the Champions League this year!
 
Pretty much all of our women are playing internationals/friendlies tonight and tomorrow. Good luck to them, and hopefully no injuries.
 
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