The Olympics are providing women’s football and Notts County Ladies with another massive boost, the side’s head coach says.
Rick Passmoor says the London 2012 games started a surge in interest in the women’s version of the sport, leading on to success on the field for the Lady Pies.
And he said Rio 2016 is again helping the sport and the club catch up with the men’s game – despite the lack of a Team GB football side this time around.
Passmoor appears on the August 17 edition of Notts TV’s Sports Week, and explains how television coverage on national networks during London 2012 provided a massive lift to the sport.
This had a knock-on effect for Notts County Ladies, now considered one the best sides in the country and FA Cup finalists in 2015 in front of a record 32,000 crowd at Wembley.
“The exposure we had, the games we saw, the players wanted to pull on the shirt and wear it with pride, whether it’s at Meadow Lane or for Team GB at the time,” Passmoor said.
“London 2012 was a landmark for the women’s game and we really rolled from that moment onwards.
“The lads’ game was 150 years old – the women’s professional game – only five years old.
“We’ve now got regular TV coverage of the Women’s Super League but the Olympics as well this year – it’s had the big nations and it’s truck me how tactically astute they are.”
Notts County Ladies are now seen as one of the country’s leading sides
After the 2015 FA Cup campaign, several Notts County players featured for England in the Women’s World Cup in Canada, helping the side achieve third place.
For more from Rick Passmoor and sports stories from across Nottinghamshire, watch Sports Week from 7.30pm on Notts TV on Wednesday, August 17.
The show will also be available on our catch-up service from 8pm.
