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79-756: The Boston Breakers were an American professional women's soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston . The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers , who competed in the defunct Women's United Soccer Association , as the Boston area's professional women's soccer team. Boston would eventually be awarded BOS Nation FC in 2023 that would begin play in 2026. The Breakers played their home games at Jordan Field in Boston and were managed in their final season by Matt Beard . The original Boston Breakers played in

158-808: A Paralympic event. The CONCACAF W Championship is a women's football competition organized by CONCACAF that often serves as the qualifying competition to the Women's World Cup and the Olympics. The CONCACAF W Gold Cup had its inaugural edition in 2024 . It featured 12 national teams (8 from the CONCACAF region, and 4 invited from the CONMEBOL region) and was won by the United States . European women's tournaments featuring national teams were held in Italy in 1969 and in 1979 as

237-727: A 5–1 scoreline. The 1939 competition was a more organised affair and the Edinburgh City Girls beat Dick, Kerr 5–2 in Edinburgh , following this up with a 7–1 demolition of Glasgow Ladies in Falkirk to take the title. The English Women's FA was formed in 1969 as a result of the increased interest generated by the 1966 World Cup . The ban in England was maintained by the FA for nearly fifty years, until January 1970. The next year, UEFA recommended that

316-696: A final total attendance of 312,199. The first known World Cup tournaments for women's teams are the 1970 Women's World Cup in Italy and the 1971 Women's World Cup in Mexico, both of which hold attendance records and were organised by the international women's association FIEFF . Some other major tournaments were the Women's World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan (1978–1987) and the Women's Mundialito in Japan and Italy (1981–1988). FIFA effectively ignored women's football prior to

395-461: A highly debated one within the owners of the professional football clubs and the Femexfut. Of 33 clubs in the top two tiers, about a quarter of the teams are owned by three groups: Grupo Pachuca ( Pachuca , León ), Grupo Caliente ( Tijuana , Querétaro , Dorados de Sinaloa ) and Grupo Orlegi ( Santos Laguna , Atlas ). Of those groups that own more than one team, that ownership is usually split between

474-555: A member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 24 games, finishing with 6 wins, 2 draws, and 16 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at eighth place in a nine team league. The 2015 Boston Breakers season, was the club's tenth overall year of existence, sixth consecutive year, and third year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 20 games, finishing with 4 wins, 3 draws, and 13 losses. They did not qualify for

553-416: A penalty shoot-out and winning its fourth title in the competition. While a number of features continue to improve, this is not the case for female coaches. They continue to be under-represented in a number of European women's leagues. However, the popularity and participation in women's football continues to grow. In 2022, FC Barcelona had the two largest reported attendances for women's football since

632-418: A ten-team league. The 2017 Boston Breakers season was the club's twelfth overall year of existence, eighth consecutive year, and fifth year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 24 games, finishing with 4 wins, 7 draws, and 13 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season in ninth place of a ten-team league. After failed last-minute attempts to sell

711-484: Is a competition for women's national football teams governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). India won the first 5 editions, beating Nepal four times and Bangladesh once in the final. Bangladesh is the current champion having defeated Nepal by 3–1 goals on 19 September 2022 in the final. The OFC Women's Nations Cup is a women's football tournament for national teams who belong to

790-484: Is an international women's football competition held every two years and sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It was first contested in 1991, but was not held biennially until 1998. Nigeria is the most successful nation in the tournament's history with 11 titles. The CAF Women's Champions League is an international competition that involves the top women's club teams from countries affiliated with

869-552: Is with Paris Saint-Germain , with matches between the two teams sometimes referred as the "Classique féminin". Paris is OL's main contender for national titles, as they finished in second place of D1 Féminine seven times. Lyon had never lost the D1 title to PSG until 2021 when PSG finished ahead of Lyon, and won five Coupe de France finals against Paris. In 2017 both teams reached the Champions League final, with Lyon beating Paris after

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948-615: The 2023 Pan American Games . The under-23 team/olympic team, is an intermediate category between the senior team and the youth teams. Implemented by FIFA since 1992 to participate in the Olympic Football Tournament to replace amateur teams. The under-23 team won the gold medal in the 2012 Olympic Football Tournament in London and bronze medal in the 2020 Olympic Football Tournament in Tokyo. The under-20 team has participated in

1027-520: The 1970 Women's World Cup in Italy, supported by the Martini & Rossi strong wine manufacturers, and entirely without the involvement of FIFA . This event was at least partly played by clubs and won by Denmark. A second edition, the 1971 Women's World Cup , was hosted by Mexico the following year. The final, also won by Denmark, was played at Estadio Azteca , the largest stadium in North America at

1106-577: The 1971 Women's World Cup final between Mexico and Denmark (110,000) at the Azteca Stadium , when they played Real Madrid (91,553) and Wolfsburg (91,648) at Camp Nou for the 2021–22 UEFA Women's Champions League . In April 2024, the 2023–24 A-League Women season set the record for the most attended season of any women's sport in Australian history, with the season recording a total attendance of 284,551 on 15 April 2024, and finishing with

1185-462: The 1999 final on penalties against China (with a competition-record crowd of over 90,000 in Pasadena ). Germany won consecutive world titles in 2003 and 2007, winning finals against Sweden and Brazil respectively. Japan became champions in 2011 , the country's first senior football world championship. The United States won the tournament again in 2015 and 2019 . Spain won the tournament for

1264-399: The 2011 World Cup , which advanced Australia to the quarter-finals. Her goals made her the first Aboriginal player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament. The league announced on January 30, 2012, that it had suspended the 2012 season . On February 9, 2012, the club announced it would compete in the newly formed WPSL Elite for the 2012 season, with the expectation that it would rejoin

1343-589: The FIFA U-20 World Cup 17 times and were world runners-up in 1977 and third place in 2011 . The under-17 team has participated in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 15 times and were two-time world champions ( 2005 and 2011 ) and two-time world runners-up ( 2013 and 2019 ). The women's under-20 team has participated in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 10 times, the best participations are reaching

1422-591: The Harvard Crimson , from 2009 through 2011. In 2012, shortly after joining the newly created Women's Premier Soccer League Elite , the Breakers moved their home field to Jordan Field . As of 2017, Boston Breakers games were streamed exclusively by Go90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers. As part of a three-year agreement with A&E Networks , Lifetime broadcasts one NWSL Game of

1501-640: The Laws of the Game , are used for both women's and men's football. After the "first golden age" of women's football occurred in the United Kingdom in the 1920s, with one match attracting over 50,000 spectators, The Football Association instituted a ban from 1921 to 1970 in England that disallowed women's football on the grounds used by its member clubs. In many other nations, female footballers faced similarly hostile treatment and bans by male-dominated organisations. In

1580-484: The Mexican Football Federation . On January 11, 2013, the league held its player allocation for the national team players, with Boston receiving seven players, including two returning former Breakers Heather O'Reilly and Heather Mitts . The other players assigned to the Breakers were Anisa Guajardo, Adriana Leon , Sydney Leroux , Cecilia Santiago , and Rhian Wilkinson . The 2013 Boston Breakers season

1659-698: The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was launched with initial support from the soccer federations of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In 2017, Liga MX Femenil was launched in Mexico and broke several attendance records. The league is composed of women's teams of the men's counterpart teams in Liga MX . On 20 March 2024, the league in collaboration with the NWSL , announced a new international competition named Summer Cup . This competition will feature six teams from Liga MX Femenil that will compete against teams from

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1738-668: The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The competition has served as a qualifying tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup since 1991. After the lifting of the FA ban, the Women's Football Association held its first national knockout tournament , the 1970–71 WFA Cup . Southampton Women's F.C. was the inaugural winner and became the Cup-winner eight times. From 1983 to 1994, Doncaster Belles reached ten out of eleven finals, winning six of them. As of 2023, Chelsea are

1817-530: The Philadelphia Independence May 23, 2011. Leslie Osborne was inducted during halftime of a home game against Sky Blue FC . In 2017 the official supporters group of the Boston Breakers, The Boston Armada, began a tradition of awarding one player at each home game with a supporters award. Officially dubbed "The Chunk Award", it recognized a player's individual contribution to the team during

1896-508: The UEFA Women's Championship was then dominated by Germany , who won eight titles, including six in a row from 1995 to 2013. The only other teams to win, as of 2022, are Norway in 1993 , the Netherlands at home in 2017 , and England at home in 2022 . The UEFA Women's Champions League is an international competition that involves the top women's club teams from countries affiliated with

1975-561: The WUSA from 2001 to 2003. In the final season in the WUSA, the Breakers had their best record (10–4–7) and placed first in the regular season before losing to the Washington Freedom in the semifinals. The formation of Women's Professional Soccer was announced on September 4, 2007, during which time it was also announced that a franchise had been awarded to Boston. The Boston Breakers franchise

2054-524: The 1920-21 season. After only two seasons, in 1922 under the president Ulises Garza Ramos, the two leagues were unified to found the Federación de Foot-ball Asociación and creating the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza which was the highest level of Mexican football at that time. The following year it was renamed Federación Central de Fútbol due to its greater national influence, and it was its members who promoted

2133-592: The 1970s, international women's football tournaments were extremely popular, and the oldest surviving continental championship was founded, the AFC Women's Asian Cup . However, a woman did not speak at the FIFA Congress until 1986 ( Ellen Wille ). The FIFA Women's World Cup was first held in China in 1991 and has since become a major television event in many countries. Women may have been playing football for as long as

2212-526: The 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in China. FIFA's first officially-recognised women's international match is France–Netherlands (1971), albeit a retroactive recognition decided in 2003 . The first FIFA Women's World Cup was held in China in November 1991 and won by the United States . The runners-up, Norway , became the 1995 champions, beating Germany in that final, in Sweden. The United States won

2291-671: The African governing body CAF . The AFC Women's Asian Cup is a quadrennial competition in women's football for national teams which belong to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the oldest women's international football competition and premier women's football competition in the AFC region for national teams. The SAFF Women's Championship , also called the South Asian Football Federation Women's Cup ,

2370-513: The Breakers acquired Heather Mitts and former Breakers players, Kristine Lilly and Angela Hucles . The club acquired Amy Rodriguez as the first overall pick in the 2009 WPS Soccer Draft in St. Louis on January 30, 2009. The Breakers played their debut match in the inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer against FC Gold Pride in Santa Clara, California , losing 2–1. Its first home match

2449-534: The European Competition for Women's Football . They were not recognized as "official" by UEFA, which opposed women's football until the 1970s. The UEFA championship began in 1984 under the name European Competition For Representative Women's Teams . Now, it is also commonly referred to as the UEFA Women's Euro. The 1984 tournament was won by Sweden . Norway won the 1987 edition. Between 1987 and 2013,

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2528-594: The European governing body UEFA . The Copa América Femenina is the main competition in women's football between national teams that are affiliated with CONMEBOL . The Copa Libertadores Femenina , formally the CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina , is the international club competition for women's teams that play in the CONMEBOL region. The competition started in 2009 in response to the increased interest in women's football. The Women's Africa Cup of Nations

2607-422: The FA stating that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged." Players and football writers have argued that this ban was due to envy of the large crowds that women's matches attracted, and because the FA had no control over the money made from the women's game. Dick, Kerr Ladies player Alice Barlow said, "we could only put it down to jealousy. We were more popular than

2686-636: The FMF with FIFA in 1929. The first national championship endorsed and organized by the new FMF was held in the 1927-28 season still in the considered league's amateur era until 1942. The Federation has three operational centres: the Central Office, the High Performance Centre ( Centro de Alto Rendimiento , CAR) and the Training Centre ( Centro de Capacitación , CECAP). The governing body of

2765-695: The Federation is the General Assembly that conforms with the participation of the Liga MX with 55% of the votes; Liga de Expansión MX with 5%; Liga Premier, with 18%; Liga TDP, with 13%, and the Amateur sector, with 9%. The executive and administrative body is the National Council, which comprises five members, one from each of the divisions mentioned, and are elected every four years. The first Mexican national team

2844-528: The NWSL. The inaugural edition is scheduled to kick-off in July 2024. A 2014 FIFA report stated that at the beginning of the 21st century, women's football was growing in both popularity and participation, and more professional leagues were being launched worldwide. From the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup tournament held in 1991 to the 1,194,221 tickets sold for the 1999 Women's World Cup , visibility and support of women's professional football had increased around

2923-470: The WPS for the 2013 season. The semi-pro league had no restrictions on whether players were professional or amateur. After the WPS season was suspended, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher returned to her former club, Turbine Potsdam , after playing for the Breakers during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. In 2012, the Boston Breakers competed in the Women's Premier Soccer League Elite . The team finished in first place clinching

3002-589: The Week on Saturday afternoons. The Breakers were featured in the nationally televised Game of the Week on September 2, 2017. Previous seasons' games were broadcast on YouTube, MediaBoss Television, ESPN , and Fox Sports . The team had an official supporters group called the Boston Armada as well as an independent supporters group called the Riptide, who cheered from a standing section known as "The Dock". Michael Stoller

3081-433: The Women's National Football League. The Indian Women's League was launched in 2016. The country has held the top-tier tournament, Indian Women's Football Championship , since 1991. In 1985, the United States women's national soccer team was formed. Following the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup , the first professional women's soccer league in the United States, the WUSA , was launched and lasted three years. The league

3160-521: The campus of Harvard University in Allston, Massachusetts . Jordan Field was formerly known as Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium . The Breakers played at Dilboy Stadium in the Boston suburb of Somerville, Massachusetts for their 2012 and 2013 seasons, the move from Harvard to Dilboy concurrent with their league move to the WPSL Elite . Boston used Harvard Stadium , the 30,323 seat home football stadium of

3239-508: The club to the owners of the New England Revolution and to local commercial real estate developers, the Boston Breakers officially folded on January 25, 2018 and did not participate in the NWSL in 2018. Reports generally blamed lack of marketing and resultant limited fanbase for the club's demise. The Boston Breakers played their home games for their final four seasons at Jordan Field , a 4,100 seat, multi-purpose facility located on

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3318-421: The creation of Mexico's first national team. Finally in 1927 the current Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación was reorganized and established. The Federation was renewed by the clubs: Club México , Real España , Necaxa , América , Asturias , Aurrerá and Germania , with the president Humberto Garza Ramos, the general secretary Juan B. Orraca and the treasurer Manuel Alonso who registered and affiliated

3397-418: The final. The honours of the senior national team consists of 16 official titles: 1 FIFA Confederations Cup , 12 CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup , 1 CONCACAF Cup and 2 NAFC Championship . The first women's national team was originally established in 1963, but its first FIFA-recognized match was in 1991. Its first match was in 1970 with a victory against Austria , although its first FIFA-recognized match

3476-501: The first competition in the spring of 1922. The winners were Stoke Ladies who beat Doncaster and Bentley Ladies 3–1 on 24 June 1922. In 1937, the Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. , who had lost to Scotland's Rutherglen Ladies in 1923 but continued to be proclaimed as "world champions", played the Edinburgh City Girls in the "Championship of Great Britain and the World". Dick, Kerr won the competition with

3555-533: The first inductee during a halftime ceremony on May 17, 2009 when the Breakers hosted the Washington Freedom . During her final season in 2003 Meinert was named the WUSA's Most Valuable Player for the regular season and MVP of the WUSA All-Star Game. Angela Hucles was inducted on May 1, 2010 during a home game against the Chicago Red Stars . Kristine Lilly was inducted during halftime of a match against

3634-427: The first recorded "national" women's football event, known as the "Kartini Cup", took place in 1981. The competition was held on an amateur level. Later competitions were also held in an amateur and semi-professional level, including the 1982 appearance of the first women's league, Galanita. The Pertiwi Cup , which drew contestants from throughout all of Indonesia, was first played in 2006. The first professional league

3713-464: The first round proper getting more than the women's winners. Mexican Football Federation In 1919, the Mexican amateur league was divided into two leagues (Liga Mexicana and Liga Nacional). Due to the expulsion of Tigres México shortly before the start of the season, Real España and España Veracruz withdrew in solidarity and founded their own league. The separation of the leagues took place in

3792-509: The first time in 2023 . Since Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament , a Women's Football Tournament has been staged at the Olympic Games . Unlike in the men's Olympic Football tournament (based on teams of mostly under-23 players), the Olympic women's teams do not have restrictions on professionalism or age. The participation of Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic tournament

3871-487: The first women's international matches against a French XI team in 1920, and also made up most of the England team against a Scottish Ladies XI in the same year, winning 22–0. Despite being more popular than some men's football events (one match saw a 53,000 strong crowd), women's football in England was halted in December 1921 when The Football Association outlawed the playing of the game on association members' pitches,

3950-507: The game has existed. Evidence shows that a similar game ( cuju , also known as tsu chu ) was played by women during the Han dynasty (25–220 CE), as female figures are depicted in frescoes of the period playing tsu chu . Annual matches being played in Midlothian , Scotland, are reported as early as the 1790s. In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardized rules to prohibit violence on

4029-509: The globe. However, as in some other sports, women's pay and opportunities are lower in comparison with professional male football players. Both national and international women's football have far less television and media coverage than the men's equivalent, but also generally have far lower average attendances. This discrepancy is on-going, while research indicates some viewers are not even able to distinguish between professional women's and men's football. Olympique Lyonnais main rivalry

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4108-514: The match. The trophy for 2017 represented the unofficial mascot of the Boston Breakers, "Chunk", a bulldog owned by Boston Breakers Academy head coach Lee Billard. Women%27s association football Women's association football , more commonly known as women's football or women's soccer , is the team sport of association football played by women . It is played at the professional level in multiple countries , and 187 national teams participate internationally . The same rules, known as

4187-560: The men and our bigger gates were for charity". Despite the ban, some women's teams continued to play. The Northern Rugby Union did not follow the FA ban, so the short-lived English Ladies Football Association (1921–1922) played some of its matches at rugby grounds. In other countries, women's football was further debilitated by nationwide bans which often resembled the English FA's measures. The German Football Association banned women's football from 1955 until 1970. Women's football

4266-404: The merger of the NAFC and CCCF , Mexico was one of the founding members of CONCACAF in 1961, winning its first title in the new North American confederation in the 1965 CONCACAF Championship . Mexico is also the only non-UEFA or CONMEBOL member national team to win an official senior title organized by FIFA, winning the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup at home, after defeating Brazil 4-3 in

4345-478: The national associations in each country should manage the women's game. In 2002, Lily Parr of Dick Kerr's Ladies was the first woman to be inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame. She was later honoured with a statue in front of the museum. It was not until 2008 (87 years later), that the FA issued an apology for banning women from the game of football. In 1970, the Torino-based Federation of Independent European Female Football (FIEFF) ran

4424-405: The new FIFA president Gianni Infantino was elected in the wake of the Garcia Report corruption scandal. In April 2017, the Federación, with Canada and the United States , announced a joint bid to host the World Cup. It was awarded on 13 June 2018; 134 votes versus the Morocco bid by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation with 65 votes. Mexico will host 10 matches, Canada 3 matches, and

4503-424: The pitch, making it more socially acceptable for women to play. The first match of an international character took place in 1881 at Hibernian Park in Edinburgh , part of a tour by Scotland and England teams. The Scottish Football Association recorded a women's match in 1892. The British Ladies' Football Club was founded by activist Nettie Honeyball in England in 1894. Honeyball and those like her paved

4582-427: The post-season playoffs, and finished the season at ninth place in a nine team league. The 2016 Boston Breakers season was the club's eleventh overall year of existence, seventh consecutive year, and fourth year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 20 games, finishing with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 15 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at tenth place in

4661-409: The quarter-finals (1970 and 1986) both as hosts. The first senior titles achieved by the national team were in the football tournament in the multi-sport event of the Central American and Caribbean Games , winning two gold medals ( 1935 and 1938 ). The first official senior titles achieved by the national team were in the NAFC Championship , winning both editions ( 1947 and 1949 ). After

4740-416: The quarter-finals (2010, 2012 and 2022). The women's under-17 team has participated in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 7 times and were world runners-up in 2018 . The Mexican football is composed of four men's professional divisions: The first professional women's league in the country was the Liga MX Femenil, the top level of women's football in Mexico. The issue of multi-team ownership has been

4819-417: The regular season title with an 11–3–0 record, the best season in the franchise history. They lost 3–1 against the Chicago Red Stars in the WPSL Elite semifinals. The team was coached by Lisa Cole. In November 2012, it was announced that the Breakers would be one of eight teams in a new women's professional soccer league sponsored by the United States Soccer Federation , the Canadian Soccer Association and

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4898-496: The then current team ownership, and did not require the sale of teams in excess of the one team limitation. The issue reemerged in November 2013 when TV Azteca , owner of Monarcas Morelia, paid out 124 shareholders of Club Atlas US$ 50 million to acquire the club, which for years had been struggling financially. In September 2012, former Federación President Justino Compeán confirmed plans to bid. On 4 March 2016, Federación President Decio De Maria announced continued interest after

4977-406: The time of the First World War , female employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for men fifty years earlier. A team from England played a team from Ireland on Boxing Day 1917 in front of a crowd of 20,000 spectators. The Irish side of this match was dramatised in the play Rough Girls in 2021. Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. of Preston, England played in one of

5056-510: The time, in front of crowds estimated at 110,000 or 112,500 attendees. During the 1970s, Italy became the first country to have professional women's football players on a part-time basis. Italy was also the first country to import foreign footballers from other European countries, which raised the profile of the league. Players during that era included Susanne Augustesen (Denmark), Rose Reilly and Edna Neillis (Scotland), Anne O'Brien (Ireland) and Concepcion Sánchez Freire (Spain). Sweden

5135-434: The title holders and Arsenal are the club with a record 14 wins. Despite tournament sponsorship by some companies, entering the cup actually costs clubs more than they get in prize money. In 2015, it was reported that even if Notts County were to win the tournament, the £8,600 winnings would leave them out of pocket. The winners of the Men's FA Cup in the same year received £1.8 million, with teams that did not even reach

5214-434: The top two tiers of the league and act as a form of player development. In May 2013, the Liga MX club owners approved banning a person or company from owning more than one team. The issue came to fore when rumor was that Carlos Slim , whose telecommunications company América Móvil owns a 30% stake in Grupo Pachuca, sought to acquire Guadalajara ; he would refute the speculation. The ban applied to future acquisitions, not

5293-435: 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. In August 1917, a tournament was launched for female munition workers' teams in north-east England. Officially titled the "Tyne Wear & Tees Alfred Wood Munition Girls Cup", it

5372-420: Was a bone of contention because England and other British Home Nations are not eligible to compete as separate entities. Eventually, both the women's and men's Great Britain teams fielded some players from the other home nations, but without their associations' active support. Although there are women's teams of blind football (5-a-side) and cerebral palsy football (7-a-side), women's football has never been

5451-435: Was against St. Louis Athletica on April 11, 2009, in which the Breakers lost 2–0. The Breakers finished the season in fifth place with a 7–9–4 record. On January 16, 2012, the Breakers announced that they signed United States U-23 national team defender, Bianca D'Agostino . The Breakers also acquired Australian national team forward Kyah Simon in anticipation of the 2012 season. Simon scored two goals against Norway in

5530-439: Was also banned in France from 1941 to 1970. In Brazil, the Vargas regime and the military dictatorship legally prohibited women and girls from playing football from 1941 to 1979. Following the FA ban on women's teams on 5 December 1921, the English Ladies' Football Association was formed, with 58 affiliated clubs. A silver cup was donated by the first president of the association, Len Bridgett. A total of 23 teams entered

5609-455: Was also known as "The Munitionettes' Cup". The first winners of the trophy were Blyth Spartans , who defeated Bolckow Vaughan 5–0 in a replayed final tie at Middlesbrough on 18 May 1918 in front of a crowd of 22,000. The tournament ran for a second year in season 1918–19, the winners being the ladies of Palmer's shipyard in Jarrow , who defeated Christopher Brown's of Hartlepool 1–0 at St James' Park in Newcastle on 22 March 1919. At

5688-570: Was established in 1923, its first match was that same year with a victory against Guatemala and its first international participation was in the 1928 Olympic Football Tournament in Amsterdam. The national team has participated in the FIFA World Cup 17 times, the first participation was in the first edition in Uruguay 1930 playing the opening match against France . The best participations are reaching

5767-512: Was held in 2019 under the name Liga 1 Putri . In Australia, the W-League, now known as A-League Women , was formed in 2008. In 2015, the Chinese Women's Super League (CWSL) was launched with an affiliated second division, CWFL. Previously, The Chinese Women's Premier Football League was initiated in 1997 and evolved to the Women's Super League in 2004. From 2011 to 2014, the league was named

5846-569: Was in the 1991 CONCACAF Women's Championship against USA . The women's national team has participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup 3 times, the first participation was in USA 1999 . The first senior titles achieved by the women's national team were in the football tournament in the Central American and Caribbean Games , winning three gold medals (2014, 2018 and 2023). They also won the gold medal in

5925-508: Was officially unveiled on October 26, 2008. At the time it was the only professional women's sports team in Massachusetts. Joe Cummings was named the President and General Manager and he had previously worked for the Breakers franchise in the WUSA. In September 2007, Tony DiCicco was appointed as the club's first head coach. During the WPS national team player allocation on September 16, 2008

6004-474: Was spearheaded by members of the World Cup-winning American team and featured players like Mia Hamm , Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain , as well as top-tier international players like Germany's Birgit Prinz and China's Sun Wen . A second attempt towards a sustainable professional league, the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), was launched in 2009 and folded in late 2011. The following year,

6083-447: Was the club's eighth overall year of existence, fourth consecutive year, and first year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 22 games, finishing with 8 wins, 6 draws, and 8 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at fifth place in an eight team league. The 2014 Boston Breakers season was the club's ninth overall year of existence, fifth consecutive year, and second year as

6162-629: Was the first to introduce a professional women's domestic league in 1988, the Damallsvenskan . In 1989, Japan became the first country to have a semi-professional women's football league, the L. League – still in existence today as Division 1 of the Nadeshiko League . In 2020, Japan established the first-ever women's professional league in Asia, the WE League , which started on fall 2021. In Indonesia,

6241-501: Was the managing partner of Boston Women's Soccer, LLC, the ownership group overseeing the Breakers. In summer 2009, the Breakers began a tradition of honoring legends from the past with commemorative banners at Harvard Stadium . The award's Pillars of Excellence name was influenced by the stadium's iconic colonnade. Players from both Boston Breakers (WUSA) and the WPS/WPSL Elite/NWSL entry are considered. Maren Meinert became

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