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Under the Lights and In the Dark
Under the Lights and In the Dark: Untold Stories of Womens Soccer | Gwendolyn Oxenham
8 posts | 3 read
In 2004 football author, journalist and award-winning documentary maker Gwendolyn Oxenham played futebol feminino for Santos FC, Brazil. The team hitchhiked to practice, shared their field with a horse and wore hand-me-downs from the mens team. If this was Brazil, the mecca of futebol, what did the womens game look like in other countries? Under the Lights and in the Dark takes us inside the world of womens football, following players across the globe, from Portland Thorns star Allie Long, who trains in an underground mens league in New York City; to Fara Williams, who hid her homelessness from her teammates while playing for the English national team. Oxenham takes us to Voronezh, Russia, where players battle more than just snowy pitches in pursuing their dream of playing pro, and to a refugee camp in Denmark, where Nadia Nadim, now a Danish international star, honed her skills after her family fled from the Taliban. Whether youre a newcomer to the sport or a die-hard fan, this is an inspiring book about stars beginnings and adventures, struggles and hardship, and, above all, the time-honored romance of the game.
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klu13
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Great

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arlenefinnigan
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Pickpick

This is brilliant, a great insight into women's football and the struggles and successes some women have had. The American terminology takes a bit of getting used to if you're English ("what are 'cleats'?!") but it's a great compelling read. The chapter about the Liverpool Homeless team in particular was really moving. Thanks for the recommendation @bookriot #BooksAndBooze

arlenefinnigan @LoveToReadLiveToRead aye. Pollen county's very high here and gin stops hay fever 😉 5y
LoveToReadLiveToRead Haha, I‘m going to claim this as fact from now on! 5y
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LoveToReadLiveToRead Oh wow! I thought you were joking!! Better start carrying a hip flask with me then!! 🤧🍸 5y
squirrelbrain Why did no one tell me that before?! Have terrible hay fever and mmmmm gin! 🍸 5y
MicheleinPhilly What do you call the shoes? 🤔 5y
arlenefinnigan @MicheleinPhilly football boots. Does 'cleats' refer to the boots or just the studs? 5y
MicheleinPhilly AH! The studs but we use it to essentially describe the shoes overall. Like “I need a new pair of cleats.” 5y
28 likes11 comments
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arlenefinnigan
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'Manchester hooligans' 😂

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arlenefinnigan
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Well done USA #lovelibraries📚 #BooksAndBooze

Texreader Yes!!! ❤️ ⚽️ 🇺🇸 5y
kspenmoll 🙌🏻🙌🏻❤️⚽️ 5y
29 likes2 comments
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arlenefinnigan
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Come on England #lovelibraries📚 #BooksAndBooze

Cathythoughts I have a little granddaughter just started camogie... I‘ll be cheering on the girls ! One of these days 🤞🏻😍 5y
MicheleinPhilly I currently have a house full of Swedes so...😉 5y
arlenefinnigan @MicheleinPhilly my great great grandma was Swedish, I'm claiming the win either way 😉 5y
MicheleinPhilly That‘s how my wife feels when the U.S. and Sweden play. 5y
20 likes1 stack add4 comments
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suzisteffen
Pickpick

A fast, mostly fun, sometimes infuriating read that ends at soccer home in Portland Park. Many issues from many countries get mentioned and a bit glossed over, but the thrust is fighting for equality. Read it on my way to the World Cup, so that‘s cool. Bunch of Riveters there already! 4⭐️⚽️

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suzisteffen
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My #Thorns are on the cover of this book that I got two years ago and I guess needed the World Cup to spur me on to read. #soccer #FIFAWWC (heck, *I* might be on the cover - if I was at this game, I‘m up there waving a scarf 😂)

rretzler Been at a bunch of WWC games, as well! 5y
suzisteffen @rretzler this year?!?! Or in 2015 or?? Jealous! :) (we head out for Europe on Thursday tho) 5y
suzisteffen @rretzler oh also this photo is of the club, not country, but does have a lot of 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇩🇰🇮🇸 national team players in it. 😂 5y
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rretzler No, we went in 1999 and 2003 when it was in the US. We went to the men‘s 2006 when it was in Germany and we‘ve been to lots of qualifiers for both the men‘s and women‘s US teams. We live in a suburb of Columbus, OH where the first soccer specific stadium for the MLS was built so there have been lots of games here and we‘re within 6-8 hours of Chicago, Washington DC, and New York City so we‘ve traveled there for games too. (edited) 5y
suzisteffen @rretzler Wonderful! Fantastic! Are you part of the Crew??? Gosh, I wish y'all could float an NWSL team too. As you say, good stadium! 5y
rretzler We had season tickets to the Crew starting in ‘97 (their 2nd year) up until about 5 years ago. We just got too busy with our boys‘ soccer (17 yo and 14 yo) to get to a lot of the games. Both went to Crew games as tiny babies and learned to dribble a soccer ball about a month after they walked! They both played club soccer - the 14 yo still plays but the 17 yo “retired” last year since he knew he didn‘t want to play in college. 5y
rretzler When the first women‘s soccer league started, I think we were in line for an expansion team, but then the league folded. 😔 I haven‘t heard any more since then, but we almost lost the Crew last year when the former owner wanted to move to Austin, and it took awhile for the team to be saved, so I‘m not counting on a women‘s team anytime soon. 5y
suzisteffen @rretzler yeah I know about the Crew - WHAT an effort that was to keep them. I know the Timbers Army folks joined in. Yeah, I wish the NWSL had a lot more money, teams, and marketing! 5y
13 likes8 comments
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Citymouse
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I inhaled this in one day. If you have any interest in soccer, I highly recommend it!

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