By OkayGoal 
Women’s soccer teams are frequently or officially known as the “lady (fill in the blank)”. The term “lady” reinforces outdated gender norms, suggesting that women in soccer must uphold a certain level of grace and decorum, whereas male soccer players are seen simply as athletes, no qualifiers needed. This archaic trend is everywhere: professional leagues, club leagues, collegiate, and even middle and elementary school levels. The NWSL has been safe from this phenomenon, but the Women’s Super League in the UK is a different story.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, women’s soccer started gaining traction again after 50 years of what was essentially a ban on professional women’s soccer in the UK. In 1969, the Women’s Football Association was founded with the intention of establishing National and Premier League teams for women. And in 1971, UEFA issued an order to the men’s association to force those leagues to allow women’s extension teams. This original eight-team league would eventually evolve into several different things, among them today’s Women’s Super League, the highest level of women’s soccer in England. And every one of those teams had “lady” or “ladies” crammed into their title.
There are a dozen teams competing in this year’s Women’s Super League: Tottenham, Everton, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove, Liverpool, Manchester City and United, West Ham, Leicester City, and Arsenal. Most of these teams were established, in some way, shape, or form, between the 70s and early 2000s. But it wasn’t until 2017 that one brave team decided to drop the “ladies” from their team name.
On July 28, 2017, Arsenal announced that they would officially rename their team “Arsenal Women Football Club” and refer to them as only “Arsenal” whenever possible. This change came 30 years after the club’s founding. This was a step toward a more modern and equal professional soccer landscape in England. Most of the teams in the league would follow suit the next year.
This may seem like a small thing, but there is a big difference between “ladies” and “women.” A lady is prim and proper. She doesn’t get dirty or throw her hair up in a messy, sweaty ponytail. A woman is fierce and takes risks. She knows her worth and is determined to let everyone else know too.
Now, in 2025, every women’s team in the WSL is a women’s team, not a “ladies” team. May the rest of the sporting world see this as something to aspire to as we continue in the fight to be taken seriously as athletes!
Featured image via Getty Images
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