Labbe has tryout with Calgary Foothills

[Rheo]

http://stephlabbe.com/my-blog/2018-updatebreaking-barriers-54/

Updated-tryout not signed.  My mistake

[Jamaicanadian]

Interesting! I wish her the best of luck in this new challenge.

[Blackdude]

She didn't sign. She'll be trying out for Foothills. 

[Rheo]

1 minute ago, Blackdude said:

She didn't sign. She'll be trying out for Foothills. 

Yeah that was my mistake.  I knew it was just a tryout but must not of been awake yet.  I blame the lack of coffee lol

[Blackdude]

PDL said no to Labbé. I'm not surprised at all at the decision and thought it was weird that she would go try this because there was no guarantee that she would be able to play. I'm wondering what her future holds when it comes to the national team with that setback. 

[rkomar]

The CBC has an article on this: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/top-female-soccer-player-barred-from-mens-league-1.4644837

It mentions that she will try to get on a European team during the mid-season transfer window.  Fingers crossed...

I'm hoping that training with men will have further improved her handling of high balls in the box.  I thought it was her one glaring weakness earlier, although it looked like she got better at it towards the end of last year's NWSL season.

[Gian-Luca]

Apparently the club said yes but the league said no.

[Kent]

Honestly I'm surprised and disappointed by the decision. Does anybody know if there has been any women in a high level men's national league? Could this be coming down from FIFA, or USSF, or is this strictly a PDL decision?

[Blackdude]

23 minutes ago, Kent said:

Honestly I'm surprised and disappointed by the decision. Does anybody know if there has been any women in a high level men's national league? Could this be coming down from FIFA, or USSF, or is this strictly a PDL decision?

There has never been one from what I can remember. Perugia which was in Serie A tried to sign a couple of elite women players but they declined ( Birgit Prinz and Hannah Ljungberg) It was more of a publicity stunt though. The one that got close was actually Maribel Dominguez who signed in the Mexican second division. FMF deferred to FIFA who said that she was uneligible. 

It's possible that USSF had something to say to PDL about it.

[BreadBoy]

Interview with her on Sportsnet:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/stephanie-labbe-canada-womens-soccer-calgary-foothills-fc-pdl/

 

[mtlfan]

There have been many women playing in men's hockey leagues at the major junior and pro level.. I do not understand why Labbe should be barred in soccer a much less violent sport.

[toontownman]

If she is good enough and the club want her I don't see what the issue is. It is an interesting one and is a shame they didn't become the landmark league to do so as it is only a matter of time IMO. 

[Patrick]

Soccer isn't the most forward thinking sport on the planet.  it wasn't that long ago that a FIFA presdeint said:

Blatter had told a Swiss newspaper this week: "Come on, let's get women to play in different and more feminine garb than the men."

Asked if he meant short skirts, Blatter said: "No, but in tighter shorts for example. In volleyball women wear different clothes from the men.

"Beautiful women play football nowadays, excuse me for saying so."

It's funny that girls can play on boy's teams in youth soccer, my son played against a mixed team last week and got crushed by one of the girls just outside the box, but there is some strict gender requirement in a semi-pro men's league.  It may be the same thinking that mandates only female referees at the Olympics or World Cup, the idea that women have to suffer together in order to get better, but I'd rather see the best women play where they are challenged just like I'd rather see the best women get the best referees.

[AvroArrow]

From the women's games that I have watched, the weakness of the keepers always seems to be their ability to cover the top half of the net.  Lots of long range shots seem to float over the keeper, likely due to the average female keeper being shorter and not being able to jump as high when compared to the average male keeper.  Since female strikers can kick just as high as their male counterparts and the net is the same size for women as it is for men, this part of the net always seems vulnerable even at the highest levels of the women's game.  All the power to her on this endeavour, but I think Labbe would likely be in tough as her opponents would look to exploit this.

[The Ref]

1 hour ago, AvroArrow said:

From the women's games that I have watched, the weakness of the keepers always seems to be their ability to cover the top half of the net.  Lots of long range shots seem to float over the keeper, likely due to the average female keeper being shorter and not being able to jump as high when compared to the average male keeper.  Since female strikers can kick just as high as their male counterparts and the net is the same size for women as it is for men, this part of the net always seems vulnerable even at the highest levels of the women's game.  All the power to her on this endeavour, but I think Labbe would likely be in tough as her opponents would look to exploit this.

Women keepers can jump high enough to reach the crossbar and to deflect balls just as well.

[tc-in-bc]

[ 1 ]  Labbe looking at a move to Europe when the window opens. England has been suggested:

QUOTE:  

 In the meantime, he said there have been talks with a “well-established English premier women’s league” to get Labbé playing on the pitch this season.

“I can’t name the name, but Stephanie’s pretty excited,” Wheeldon said.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/labbe-sidelined-in-last-exhibition-game-with-foothills-fc

[ 2 ]   If it is England, then  Chelsea Ladies might be a good fit for Labbe.  Hedvig Lindahl , who's 35 years old, may have won the SSE  FA women's Cup  ( and perhaps the league title ) for Chelsea Ladies this season,  but she was  throttled ( 5 - 1 aggregate ) by Wolfsburg in the UWCL semi-finals. If Chelsea Ladies want to get to that next level and get by clubs like Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyonnais , then they need to make upgrades and additions. So maybe Emma Hayes would be open to creating more competition for the starting keeper spot at Chelsea by bringing in Stephanie Labbe. Plus there's a chance Labbe could make a debut with Chelsea against a  NWSL team ( NC Courage ) in the upcoming  International Champions Cup (w) at the end of July.

       

[Vic]

There is a violence in the men's game that is not in the women's game. And as has been pointed out, when it comes to balls in the air, men are far more comfortable and adept. An opponent would just rain balls into the six and fill the net. Hoping this was just a PR stunt because anyone who thought it could lead to success needs to find another career. Hope she catches on in the UK and would do well there. They have restrictive rules around imports but she should meet them.

[Kent]

1 hour ago, Vic said:

There is a violence in the men's game that is not in the women's game. And as has been pointed out, when it comes to balls in the air, men are far more comfortable and adept. An opponent would just rain balls into the six and fill the net. Hoping this was just a PR stunt because anyone who thought it could lead to success needs to find another career. Hope she catches on in the UK and would do well there. They have restrictive rules around imports but she should meet them.

If they didn’t let players play because there is a chance they get hurt or don’t perform well, nobody would be allowed to play the sport.

[sting]

16 hours ago, Kent said:

If they didn’t let players play because there is a chance they get hurt or don’t perform well, nobody would be allowed to play the sport.

Vic is right on this one. Having Coached both sexes and played on men's and mixed teams, it can be different. When I played on mixed teams, I would back off as to not hurt any ladies. this actually put me in a position to get hurt as well,

Look at last night's hockey game with the Jets and how Buf grabbed two big players. Transfer that to soccer and think of how some of the hardest male players would be against the ladies. Think about this for a second, if the physical part wasn't a big deal, why do they not let men compete in ladies leagues?

[Kent]

37 minutes ago, sting said:

Vic is right on this one. Having Coached both sexes and played on men's and mixed teams, it can be different. When I played on mixed teams, I would back off as to not hurt any ladies. this actually put me in a position to get hurt as well,

Look at last night's hockey game with the Jets and how Buf grabbed two big players. Transfer that to soccer and think of how some of the hardest male players would be against the ladies. Think about this for a second, if the physical part wasn't a big deal, why do they not let men compete in ladies leagues?

They don't let men compete in ladies leagues because the physical advantages they have over women would effectively not give women a place to play. However, if a men's team rates a woman able to play, and that woman has the desire to play, why shouldn't they be allowed?

This is the same sort of thinking that had people believe that women shouldn't run marathons (as just one example). As recently as 1966 Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, and an official ran out to try to take her bib off of her and prevent her from running. She finished the race however and the race only officially allowed women to run in 1972. I'm not saying you should plow through women in your recreational co-ed league, but we also don't have to treat elite women athletes as delicate flowers that mustn't run the risk of getting an owie.

As for your hockey analogy, I guess you aren't aware of the several women that have played pro hockey with and against men.

[Vic]

A woman running a marathon and a woman competing against men in a contact sport are two very, very different things.

Women SHOULD be allowed to compete with men whenever and wherever they are capable. That's not the issue.

The issue is Labbe is nowhere near capable on a men's pro or even semi-pro team. She is not strong in the air at even the women's level. As I mentioned opponents would just drive balls into the area and it would just be a matter of time until she was sidelined.

[Kent]

She's taller than Jorge Campos (former Mexican national team goalkeeper). Why wasn't he prevented from playing pro due to his size? If Foothills think she is capable I think that holds more weight than you thinking she isn't capable.

[sting]

30 minutes ago, Kent said:

She's taller than Jorge Campos (former Mexican national team goalkeeper). Why wasn't he prevented from playing pro due to his size? If Foothills think she is capable I think that holds more weight than you thinking she isn't capable.

Do they think she is capable or is it a publicity stunt? Are you telling me they can't find another keeper as good as her or better? By the way I do know about the women who have played minor league hockey or in Europe. Almost all goalies and none that played really helped the teams they played for as evident how fast they were gone from the teams. Publicity stunts for the teams to draw in people.

[ted]

4 hours ago, Vic said:

The issue is Labbe is nowhere near capable on a men's pro or even semi-pro team. She is not strong in the air at even the women's level. As I mentioned opponents would just drive balls into the area and it would just be a matter of time until she was sidelined.

Fine, then let her play and if she gets cut she gets cut.

It's the opportunity she should be given, not a guaranteed place.

[Vic]

Size has nothing to do with it - I grew up watching Campos, he was great in the air. He was also one of the last of the diminutive keepers, along with the game the position of goalkeeper has professionalized enormously over the past couple decades.

By the same stretch an 8 year-old and an 80 year-old have a right to a tryout as well.

Let's just agree to disagree on the practicality of it.