Teenage girls 1, 'old men' 0
How Copa 71, the first women’s World Cup, took on football’s 'old men'. We hear from two Danish footballers who played in the most watched women's sporting event in history.
If FIFA, football’s governing body, had had its way Copa 71 - the first women’s World Cup - would never have taken place. FIFA's attempts to ban the tournament backfired spectacularly and the matches were seen by huge numbers of fans. Copa 71 became the most watched women's sporting event in history. Ann Stengard and Birte Kjems, midfielder and goalkeeper from the victorious Danish team, give us their accounts of this extraordinary event: from playing on homemade pitches in the Danish forests to Mexico City’s Azteca stadium with crowds of over 100,000 and yet more watching on television.
The story of the competition has been made into a documentary film called Copa 71.
This programme was first broadcast in 2024.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Julian Siddle
(Photo: Ann Stengard and Birte Kjems. Credit: Birte Kjems)
On radio
More episodes
Next
Broadcasts
- Today11:06GMTBBC World Service
- Today17:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Today21:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Tomorrow02:06GMTBBC World Service
Watch Lives Less Ordinary on YouTube
Videos from our extraordinary podcast Lives Less Ordinary.
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected
