KATHRYN BATTE: Surely the women’s game can have rivalries and be family friendly – rivalry does not have to mean violence, aggression and abuse

Women’s football is approaching a crossroads. As the fanbase continues to grow, the game is being pulled in conflicting directions: those who want to improve the atmosphere and build rivalries and those who want to protect it from the perceived evils of the men’s game.

Last weekend Rangers hosted Celtic at Ibrox for the first time. This should have been a milestone for the Scottish match, but instead the conversation turned to the home side’s decision to cancel all away tickets a day before the match.

This was because information received by both clubs suggested that groups of ‘at risk’ supporters had purchased tickets from the Celtic allocation in significant numbers.

Away fans are currently not allowed at men’s matches at Ibrox or Celtic Park. Rangers offered Celtic the chance to cancel only those tickets deemed a ‘risk’, but they declined.

Rangers said this would be a ‘police-free’ event, but that Police Scotland had indicated they would have to deploy a significant resource at short notice if Celtic fans were allowed to attend.

One sentence in the club’s statement summed up the mentality of many: ‘A unique selling point of women’s football is its unsegregated, family-friendly atmosphere, with many children attending these matches.’

The safety of the fans is of course of paramount importance, but perhaps more attention should have been paid to potential problems well before the match.

Here’s one option both clubs could have considered: Rangers give Celtic a committed away match with segregation. Police Scotland is deploying a resource to ensure the safety of supporters.

Wouldn’t that have been possible? Is the idea that women’s football needs a police force the problem? Rangers v Celtic is an intense and complicated rivalry. No one wants to see violence or problems with the crowds.

But if we ignore any rivalry, the women’s game risks being diluted. Likewise, simply describing women’s soccer as “family friendly” does a disservice to the sport and its players.

If you move to England there are similar problems. Ahead of the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park last season, Liverpool manager Matt Beard was asked about the rivalry between the two clubs.

“We have to be careful with the word rivalry because what we don’t want is for it to become a man’s game,” Beard said. “We have young girls, we have teenagers, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, families who come to our games and the last thing we want is to create an atmosphere that makes them feel uncomfortable.

‘That’s our fan base, we have to be careful when saying rivalry because I don’t think that’s right. We have to remember who comes to our games.”

I’m not sure Beard really believes that. Rivalry does not have to mean violence, aggression and abuse. The question is: can women’s football be family-friendly and at the same time have intense rivalries?

Over the past two weeks, Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating has been subjected to chants from Arsenal and Chelsea fans. It was playful banter, along the lines of ‘unreliable goalkeeper’ and shouting when she went to take goal kicks. Keating, who kept a clean sheet in both matches, seemed to enjoy it.

Last month, Lauren James was booed by Manchester United fans at Stamford Bridge. James left United to join Chelsea in 2021. The attacker responded by scoring twice and celebrating for the away team. Isn’t that what football is all about?

There are conflicting opinions on whether women’s games should have special away matches. Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s outgoing director of women’s football, said before the season started: ‘As we have studied who this fanbase is, the answer is no, they don’t want that (end ends).

“How do we maintain this culture while growing this game? Are we going to separate fans and make them sing crazy songs from one side to the other?

“I think these are big questions for us and I don’t think we know the answers yet.”

The evidence suggests otherwise. Watch Alessia Russo’s late winner for Manchester United at the Emirates last season and listen to the roar of the packed pitch. Just look at the number of times Arsenal have sold out their away games this season.

The Manchester City fans’ corner at Kingsmeadow provided a better atmosphere on Friday as they defeated Chelsea. When James scored a goal of the season in Brighton, she did it in front of a stand full of away fans.

All these examples define the beauty of football. We shouldn’t rob the women’s game of that.

We can certainly have the best of both worlds.

Sarina must give other goalkeepers a chance

Sarina Wiegman has a rare opportunity to give younger players more minutes in England’s upcoming friendlies against Austria and Italy. Wiegman has been forced to play against a strong team in most of the Lionesses’ games over the past two years, meaning there are a number of players in the squad who could use more experience.

This is especially reflected in the position of the goalkeeper. There’s an argument to be made that Wiegman doesn’t need to play Mary Earps in any of these games. She knows everything about the 30-year-old, who has won FIFA’s best goalkeeper award in successive years. Second choice Hannah Hampton has just two caps and Khiara Keating is yet to make her debut.

Wiegman must bear in mind that if Earps were to suffer an injury ahead of qualifying for the 2025 European Championship in April, she would be forced to throw one of her inexperienced shot-stoppers into the line of fire. Hampton has recently found her way into the Chelsea team and Keating has ousted Ellie Roebuck to become Manchester City’s No.1. Both goaltenders are having impressive seasons. Keating conceded only eight goals in fourteen games, ten fewer than Earps.

Even if the pair each played a half in one match, while Earps played 90 minutes in the other, it would be something. Both players deserve a chance to show what they can do.

Press United boss

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner said his side’s defeat at Arsenal, which left them seven points outside the European places, was a sign of where the club is. ‘The arrival of Ineos will help, but it is where we are now. It hurts, but it is where we are.”

United’s accounts, published on Monday, revealed his squad is worth more than £1million. Injuries to key players have not helped, but the new owners may wonder why previous investments have not yielded results.

The club still have confidence in Skinner, but his chances of a contract extension at the end of the season will depend on United’s final position in the league and whether he can lift a trophy, with the FA Cup being his only realistic chance of doing so .