Women might be breaking down the gender stereotypes in modern football with record-breaking crowds at Old Trafford for the start of the Euros this week, but there is one area of the game which is exclusively male - table football.
For decades, the little figures that spin on a horizontal pole, trying to strike a ball into the goal, have been men - that is, until now.
For a Bristol pub is one of the first in the country to commission and install a bespoke table football table that features only female players on the pitch.
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The Drawbridge pub, on St Augustine’s Parade in The Centre, is celebrating the start of the Euros 2022 by installing the table, and money raised from people playing them will be donated to the charity Women in Sport. It costs £2 for a half-hour go on the table - more than enough time to get the little Ellen White and Beth Mead figures to score a few goals.
The all-female installation appeared in the pub this week as part of pub chain Greene King’s ongoing commitment to raising awareness of female sports teams, the brewery said.
Emma Bawden, the Drawbridge’s general manager, said: “We’re excited to have a bespoke female-only football table installed at Drawbridge, not only will they help raise awareness and support for women’s sports, but it will also help raise money for Women in Sport.”
The initiative has been backed by England defender Mille Bright, one of the stars of the 1-0 tournament opening win against Austria on Wednesday night.
“It’s great to see companies like Greene King backing women’s sports through initiatives such as their screenings and football tables,” she said. “Awareness and support for women’s sport has come a long way in the last few years but there’s still progress to be made.”
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