England international David James feels the quality of
world football could be increased if women were allowed to compete
alongside men.
Girls are prevented from playing alongside boys beyond the age
of 11, but there have been huge advancements in the female game in
recent years and James is convinced women can compete on an equal
footing.
James believes football needs to appeal to a wider market and he
feels the best way to achieve this is to give women the chance to
prove they are capable of competing alongside men.
“I’d say the game should be more inclusive, by which I mean
women as well as men,” James told The Sun. “People laugh, but women
could hack it in the men’s game, no question.
“I’m not saying a woman would be the best player in the world,
because the physiological differences may make that impossible, but
they’d be good enough to compete against men.
“And having watched a lot of football, I’m sure they’d put more
effort in than a lot of the males I’ve seen in my time.
“Invite women to play and the quality of the game would
definitely increase.”
