Robert ONeill, NCISA A few days ago I was catching up on what my facebook friends had been up to since I had last logged on. I spotted a group where someone was posting the fixtures of Norwich City Ladies and, to my disappointment I noticed some people had posted comments like “Updates on first team only please” and, "Do we really need updates on ladies football?”

Robert ONeill, NCISA

A few days ago I was catching up on what my facebook friends had been up to since I had last logged on.

I spotted a Norwich group where someone was posting the fixtures of Norwich City Ladies Football Club and, to my disappointment I noticed that along with some 'Good luck girls' comments some people had posted other comments like “Updates on first team only please” and, "Do we really need updates on ladies football?”

I would like to remind the people who wrote these comments, and anyone else who feels this way, that if Norwich was only about the first team we would not be in business today, for how many players have we produced care of our youth team, and how many millions have we made when they have then been sold on?

You might reply by saying: "OK, I accept that, but what part will a girls' team play?" My response is: We are a family club, with one of, if not the highest, percentages of female supporters attending games. What better way to get girls interested in football but to get them playing and wearing the shirt with pride, just as I do on my way down to Carrow Road on a match day.

For many years now, sportswomen have shown emphatically that they can compete at every level, just as sportsmen have. Just look at the number of medals won by female athletes for team GB in the Olympics, and they are not treated as second-class to the men!

Yet in England, unlike America, women footballers are given little or no respect, almost no coverage in the press, and rarely have TV coverage of their matches! (We were left, instead, to watch endless media and television coverage of our over-paid male England team who seemed more worried about if the WAGS would be there to watch them, than in seriously competing in this summer's World Cup).

As part of my research before writing this column I decided to go and see Norwich Ladies play their first game this season, taking on a strong-looking Tottenham team. Norwich came out looking by far the better team and, with a little bit more luck, they could have easily won the game (0-0 draw). This is a team we can all respect and be proud of; finishing joint second in the league last season and with a few trophies on display for all to see, showing their past history.

I have to ask: "Why are some fans still mocking them and why is Norwich City not showing them off to us all, with not even a fixture list - let alone match reports - appearing on the main club website?

Come on Norwich - wake up and show the world what we in Norfolk are made of! Don't just support the first team players, but let's give our support to all our players, both male and female, who put on the shirt of yellow and green, and let's be proud of them: youth/senior, male/female.

On The Ball City!!!

t Finally can I just remind you all that the NCISA Canary Challenge is taking place this year again with the closing date being 31 August. Full details are on the NCISA website at www.ncisa.co.uk. We need all you good people who have supported it in recent years to do so again but maybe you could get friends, work colleagues, neighbours and family members involved this time round.