It seems unfair that I should spend all this time researching European football and not attend at least one elite-level match. (Sorry Neuchâtel Xamax, but you don’t count as elite- level.) That changed when I got the chance to go to the semifinals of the Women’s Champions League tourney in Lyon with Natalie, a Pomona ’06 grad completing the FIFA Masters program here in Neuchâtel. Imagine TWO Sagehens in this fairly tiny Swiss town! CHIRP! She has a ton of experience in women’s soccer and is finishing a project on the professionalization of European women’s leagues. Given that she had more observations from Lyon, I’m taking the liberty of borrowing from her blog. (Thanks Natalie!) You can read the complete rundown here, with some incisive comments on Olympique Lyonnais and the state of “le football féminin.”
“Despite strikes on the French railway system, I managed to get to the Olympique Lyonnais in time for the semi-final matchup against Umea IK on April 10th. I was fortunate to receive comp (free) tickets to the match, but for the average person it was only 5 Euros. The security treated this very similar to any other OL match at the famed Stade de Gerland. The women rarely play in the men’s stadium, but put it in perspective. It may be the only women’s team to play a non-final match in a men’s Champions League team stadium. Ever. We walked up into the reserved section…
Arriving at the stadium club, we were greeted by daper-looking attendants checking our tickets. Once in, a wide-variety of delicious food and beverages waited to be eaten. In true Lyonnais fashion, they had pulled out all the stops. food is an art if France; even at a women’s football match.
Sitting down in one of the most famous stadium in Europe, it still seemed full of fans. I guessed correctly, almost 5,000 OL supporters had come to watch the exciting game. It was a mix of families, young adults (both men and women), and official-looking OL senior citizens. But the biggest point of interest, everyone watched the match the whole time. Whistled for bad offsides calls or missed fouls. Cheered for goals or good dribbling skills. OL dominated but only came away with a 3-2 win.
Olympique Lyonnais men and women made it to the semi-finals of their respective UEFA Champions league. Will one of them or both hold up the trophies this year?”
