Women’s Football: The Offside Rule takes a trip to The Hive

By Shafi Musaddique. Last week, London Bees' gave The Offside Rule (We Get It!) the chance to head down to their first game at The Hive. A crowd of more than 400 cheered on the Barnet-based side in their opening fixture of the FA WSL Continental Cup. In this blog, Shafi Musaddique speaks about his experience of the game and the draws of women's football.

Do you remember your first experience? I’m talking the smells, sounds and sights of going to your first football match. We’ll never be able to capture those embryonic memories again, but viewing my first women’s game last week was an eye-opening experience for many reasons.

London Bees, the women’s team affiliated with Barnet FC, hosted Millwall Lionesses in the WSL Continental Cup for the first time at their north London home ‘The Hive’. The competition includes giants Arsenal, Chelsea, Bristol Academy and a fledgling Manchester City Women amongst others. This was not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately for this novice, I had done just that.

As many of you retired with a cup of tea on a bleak, rainy Thursday evening, I took a sojourn to High Barnet station on the edges of the Northern line. But this was not where London Bees were based! I had been caught unawares – the Bees have their own Hive. My sense of excitement in the lead up to the occasion fast crumbled away into the bleak present. This was not a fun pre-match build up to any game – just why don’t the women play at the same venue at the men? Are there legitimate economic reasons? Questions swirled in a rage. This was a wet Thursday evening that better belonged to Michael Fish.

To make matters worse, I had the misfortune to walk around an empty Underhill barricaded in the teaming rain! As if by magic, two very kind women appeared, taking pity on me they drove me to The Hive. They too were lost and on their way to watch London Bees courtesy of a community programme, but could not contain their professed love for the women’s game over the men’s: the ladies stayed on their feet, made crunching tackles – no space for Luis Suarez here mate! This really was a hitchhiker’s guide to the women’s game!

I arrived fifteen minutes later than planned, just enough time to dry off under the stands and pick a clear view of proceedings. Both teams had a clear tactical plan, with Millwall’s through-balls to Shirvae Edwards posing more of a cutting threat, with a clear registered chance at seventy minutes. London Bees were reduced to pot-shots for most of the game, perhaps due to the incessant and haphazard conditions.

Whilst this was a wash-out, it certainly was not a write off. The air of old-fashioned stadia with a car park behind the goal spoke of closeness to the community. The sparse crowd at The Hive were more lively than a 60,000 attendance in the Premier League. It was particularly refreshing to see the majority were school children and younger generations from ethnic minority backgrounds. Capturing the younger and diverse sections of society is of huge importance, and the WSL can proudly say it is working towards this – ahead of its male counterpart.

The match may have finished 0-0, but I would greatly recommend going to watch your local WSL team. The crowd are boisterous, the players’ yells at one another can be heard from the stands. Even the torrential rain seemed rather romantic after a while. Just plan your journey in advance!

Tell us about your experiences of watching the Women’s Super League. Are you impressed with what you’ve seen so far? Do you think WS2 will help improve the state of the women’s game?

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