Fotboll!

So in America "football" is something totally different, but in the rest of the world it means soccer.  And we love it!  My son, master L plays it (with much aplomb I must say) and I enjoy watching.  Last night the Swedish women played Denmark in EM (see Women's EURO).  It was a fast game, lots of action, head shots and running.  (How do they do it? I get tired just watching.)

Pia Sundhage is the 53 year old coach and she helped Sweden win EM gold in 1984 as a player - the first official EM for women in Luton.  So much has happened in the last 30 years for women athletes, and I want to applaud them for their tenacity and their hard work.  Can you imagine when Pia first started she called herself *Pelle* and pretended to be a boy just so she could play soccer?

Although the game last night against Denmark ended in a tie (1-1) I think the real winner is womens sports in general and that filling the arena with viewers and getting the respect that they deserve is just the beginning. (Well that of course and goalie Stina Petersen, see above, who saved the night for Denmark by saving two second-half penalites.)  Next match is July 13th at 20.30 pm against Finland.  Heja Sverige! 

History here if you like the stats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Women's_Championship