A striking thought

It was one of the most brilliant manoeuvres anyone had ever seen. The Brazilian forward took the pass on the right foot, then flicked it onto the left and finally over the shoulder to baffle the nearest defender. Next, the number 10 wrong-footed a second opponent and whacked a shot in from 20 yards out, past the keeper and a fourth defender into the back of the net. The crowd went wild. Go-oal!

The skill was worthy of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. But the scorer was not someone earning millions of pounds in men's football: it was a 21-year-old woman called Marta. Twelve years later, in a 2019 victory over Italy, she would break the record for the highest number of goals scored in the World Cup by any player. Her tally of 17 put her ahead of the two leading male strikers - Miroslav Klose and Ronaldo, on 16 and 15 respectively.

"She's emblematic of the women's game on a global basis," said Italy's manager, Milena Bertolini. "When a lot of people have watched her over the last few years, they have really changed their mind with regards to whether women can indeed play football or not."

Confirmation that women's soccer is finally being taken seriously came yesterday with the news of a "landmark" deal for the Women's Super League. The BBC and Sky Sports have reached an agreement with the FA to screen matches for the next three seasons. The fee is believed to be around £8m a season - the highest for any women's league in the world.

Just as important as the money is the coverage. With up to 44 live games being shown on Sky Sports, and 18 on BBC1 or BBC2, this is a huge opportunity for the sport to attract new fans and new players.

Some fans claim that the women's game is actually better to watch than the men's. For a start, there are more goals. In the Women's Super League you can expect to see at least three per match, whereas the average in the Premier League is around 2.75.

There are also fewer fouls - and, as a result, fewer stoppages, allowing a more free-flowing game. Men are twice as likely to be given yellow cards, and three times as likely to receive red ones. According to one referee, this is a consequence of "far too much money and far too many big egos".

On top of that, the women's game is more globally competitive. In 21 FIFA Men's World Cups, only two continents - Europe and South America - have produced winning teams. The eight Women's World Cups have been won by teams from Europe, North America and Asia.

Ticket prices are much more attractive too. The top seats at the last Women's World Cup final cost £75 - less than a tenth of those for its male equivalent.

Finally, the female game is more tolerant. According to West Ham United's Gilly Flaherty, "Women's football is a sport where a player can be openly gay and no one acts any differently towards you because of it, which is a great thing." There are no openly gay footballers in the Premier League.

Can women's football compete with men's?

Some say, yes. Female players like Marta have shown themselves to be every bit as skilful as men. In fact, the women's game is purer than the men's because the players commit far fewer fouls - and much less extreme ones. The FA's deal with the BBC and Sky is a real breakthrough, giving more spectators access to the game than ever before, and it will inevitably grow bigger in the years to come.

Others argue that the women's game may match the men's for skill, but it will never be able to compete in terms of speed and power. It is impossible to imagine a woman with the strength of Peter Lorimer, the Leeds United striker whose shot was measured at 105 mph. And though the Women's Super League is attracting more money, it is still a pittance compared to what the Premier League receives.