January 28, 2004

Another step forward for women's soccer in Israel

Ande Merav

Editor of the women's soccer site in Israel

www.geocities.com/wsisrael

In the third round of the women's league yesterday the Maccabi Holon team, who are the current league champion and cup holders, played and beat a new team 50-0. The league is in its sixth year of operation and often sees uneven games with results of 17 or 24 goals to nil , but this one truly showed the present situation of this league.  The new team was Eironi Ariel, made up of 15-17 year old girls.

Three weeks ago the Knesset (the Parliament of Israel) decided to allow a girls league. Previously, the girls played soccer with the boys until the age of 13 and then the law stopped them. The women's league allowed them to play at age 15. Many players were lost from the game during those two years, so the case was brought before the Knesset. They decided to open a girls league.

It will be too late for the Eironi Ariel team, but that girl's league is surely going to improvethe quality of the older league