I have clapped this only because I appreciate anyone who contributes to Medium and who is willing to state their case openly for the scrutiny of others.

However, I find the title to be inappropriate, wrong and bordering on abusive. I assume it was designed to raise ire and entice readership. If that is the case it will probably succeed. That does not make it a sound choice.

Women's top flight soccer is not 'objectively crap'. Indeed, your article is entirely subjective opinion. Some may even consider it opinionated nonsense or what, I suspect, you would label 'crap'.

You, 'obviously don't expect top-flight female footballers to be just as good, in every department, as the males.' I wonder why, when you previously wrote that you played with two American women who, 'were highly skilled. They tackled hard. ... could flaw a man twice their size with ease' and 'I always wanted them on my team. They were better footballers than many of the men.'

It seems that you are hardly applying 'objective' criteria in formulating the argument in your article.

Decision making is an individual action, albeit one that can be assisted in development by coaching, experience, example and such. It is also something made in a moment, within often complex scenarios. Those who criticise it or label it is as good or bad do so, inevitably, with hindsight and without intimate immersion in the circumstances surrounding that decision.

A decision cannot be wrong in the instant that it is made for none of us can predict the future and none of us can take an outside view when we are on the inside. The decision is the decision. It has to be made in an instant and only after the following events - which often involve other decisions but, as often, coincidence, accident, freak bounces or whatever - can a result be known.

In other words, it is a choice and one that is more based on reaction & experience than on deliberation. Therefore and because we can never know what may have resulted from a different choice, no decision can be labelled as 'wrong' or 'defective'. Even though, commentators readily make such assessments.

You may be right that a tall player will have more ease or a better chance of saving goals. To claim that such means that this should be a primary concern in recruiting a goal-keeper does not follow. Agility and speed are often much more important than height. It is a factor but I don't think any way as critical a one as your words suggest.

I have been a soccer supporter for around 60 years. When I first became enthralled with the game I knew of no female teams and certainly, if they existed, they had neither profile nor status.

In the last couple of decades I have increasingly gravitated towards the women's game. Although in Australia, I now consistently follow the NWSL as well as what, until recently was the Australian W League. I also watch as much international football as I am able, both male and female and continue to watch the men's game in Australia and men's matches from the English Premier League, etc.

More and more. I delight in the skills, determination and fairness of female soccer individuals and teams. I find the women's game to be often quicker, more skillful and more graceful. As someone who dislikes aggression and abhors all aggressive 'football', particular those codes with an oval ball where handling makes the name 'football' a misnomer, I appreciate the firmness and strength of women players and their ability to tackle without the nastiness of much male tackling in soccer.

I completely reject your title and its sentiment. Top-flight or 'elite' women's soccer is as good, indeed often better, than elite male soccer.

The 'general standards' are not 'appallingly low' as you claim and there are no more problematic decisions or comedic goalkeeping errors than occur in the men's game.

Despite your various statements asserting that it is not the case, I find your argument to be more sexist than objective, even if you didn't intend it to be that way and even if you are not inclined to such bias.

So, I suggest that perhaps you need to reconsider your views and actually do some 'objective' comparison. If you do so, I believe that you will. have no 'choice' but to recant your assertions in this article or at least many of them and to present your views on the men's and women's soccer games in a much more considered manner. I feel sure that then you would obtain both a greater readership and more positive response.

Thank you for the article. I accept that what I have written is only my view. My only claim is that it is at least as objective as yours but my belief is that it is much more so.

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