Beyond Bend It Like Beckham : The Global Phenomenon of Women's Soccer / Timothy F. Grainey ; foreword by Brittany Timko.

Includes bibliographical references.

part 1. Rapid growth in the United States. Title IX, soccer moms, and pioneering players -- U.S. National Team, 1996-1999: "Welcome to our party" -- Professional women's soccer and the WUSA: "The best three years of my life" -- Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) -- pt. 2. Challenges in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The state of the game in the Middle East -- Challenges and successes in Africa -- Latin America: fighting machismo attitudes -- Women athletes: objects versus wholesome role models -- pt. 3. Building leagues and national team programs. Ancestral roots: leveraging the diaspora to build the game abroad -- National leagues around the world -- Overcoming a fifty-year ban in England -- Canada's youthful road to success -- Conclusion: "The future of football is feminine."

"Though it burst into public consciousness only with the 1999 World Cup, women's soccer has been around almost as long as its male counterpart, flourishing in England during and after World War I. From the rise of women's soccer following Title IX legislation in the early seventies to the watershed 1999 World Cup performance that turned the American team into instant celebrities, soccer is now the most popular sport for girls and women, with participation growing exponentially worldwide. Beyond "Bend It Like Beckham" presents the first in-depth global analysis of the women's game--both where it has come from and where it is headed. With commentary from key players, coaches, and administrators, Timothy F. Grainey follows the sport's reach into the unlikeliest places today, even countries where women were banned from playing soccer just a few short years ago. Though women in the United States and Canada still fight for equal treatment and funding, their situations differs markedly from the hostility, abuse, and even outright bans that some women still encounter in trying to pursue an activity they love. Through the prism of soccer, this book explores the struggle for women's rights abroad, in countries as diverse as Sweden, Russia, South Africa, Pakistan, Australia, and Iran"--Provided by publisher.