When the U.S. National Women s Soccer Team won the World Cup on Sunday, Weber State University Women s Soccer Coach Lynn Kofoed likened it to a rock being thrown into a pond. It s going to spread out from here with a great deal of momentum. What s spreading is interest and enthusiasm for girls and women s athletics, especially soccer. Now it s seen as healthy.
Girls don t have to be shy about their athleticism.
Women s athletics got a big boost in the United States in 1975 with approval of regulations for Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972. That regulation brought improved funding to women s sports at schools and universities. Kofoed said women now graduating from high school are the first to really enjoy the maximum benefits from Title IX provisions. It took a while to get fully going. In the wake of the U.S. women s World Cup victory, Kofoed expects even more girls to participate in youth soccer programs.